The joy of homeownership is a feeling like no other. The sense of pride that comes with owning your home is hard to come by elsewhere. With that, however, comes maintenance. Think of maintaining your home as a way of protecting your investment, because that’s what it is. A properly maintained home reduces repair costs, increases its value, and becomes more energy efficient.
In the book, Your Money: the Missing Manual, author J.D. Roth found that for every dollar spent on preventative maintenance saves you approximately $100 in future repairs.
Ok, so how do you go about maintaining your home? Let’s start with the outside first.
Perimeter of your house:
- Do you have a garden? If so, maintaining your flowers and vegetables is a good first step.
- When you mow your lawn make sure to set your mower to the highest setting in order to prevent exposing your grass to weeds and drought.
- Water your grass only as needed.
- Take advantage of the weather and repair any outdoor issues such as broken lights to avoid making outdoor repairs later in the year when it gets colder.
Inside your house:
- Blasting you’re A/C? Check your filters more frequently as you might have to change them sooner than you think in the warmer months.
- Clean and tidy your garage – you’ll be happy you did!
- Check your ceiling fans’ direction to make sure they’re turning counterclockwise. When the fan is set to counterclockwise the air is pushed down which improves airflow and provides cooler air.
- Set and go over your emergency weather drill. Do you need to purchase any equipment? (think emergency ladders, flashlights, batteries, etc.)
- Treat the house with bug and rodent repellent. Insects love to make themselves at home inside during the summer months. Doing this prevents your house from turning into a bug motel.
- HGTV got you inspired? Summer is the perfect time for home improvements so take advantage of longer days.
Running down this list in the summer will ensure your house is in its best shape which will not only save you money but also increase the enjoyment and value you get out of your home.