How to Justify the Maintenance Investment Of Your Home ? Guest ...

Your home is the biggest investment you will make in your lifetime. Just like any major investment, it is important to keep up with maintenance. It is easy to get complacent and find ways to put off home improvements. Taking the time to maintain your home on a regular basis can save you major headaches down the road. Surprisingly, many of the steps you can take to maintain your home now aren?t that expensive. You may even save on your homeowners insurance and see a boost in the value of your home. Still not convinced? Here are some other reasons to make a maintenance investment in your home.

Avoiding Substantial Costs

Taking the time to look around your home and see what may need repaired or updated can equal substantial savings. If you wait until repairs are absolutely necessary, you are not as likely to shop around for the best contractor or home repair service. Emergency home repair work isn?t cheap. Besides paying for the actual work, you will likely pay extra for getting somebody there right away to do the work. Add to this the cost of labor and supplies and you?re looking at a substantial chuck of change. To avoid this, schedule a home inspection at least once a year. Common areas of your home that should be inspected include:

Interior

? Attic
? Baths
? Kitchen
? Heating and cooling vents
? Water heater
? Smoke detectors
? Basement or crawl space

Exterior

? Roof
? Gutters and downspouts
? Veneer and siding
? Windows and doors
? Lawn and garden
? Asphalt and driveways
? Heating and cooling units

Your home is the largest, most important lifetime investment you will make. It only makes sense to take care of it to avoid huge expenses later. You can?t avoid all emergency repair situations, but properly maintaining your home can help minimize expenses ? a plus in today?s economy.

Increase the Value of Your Home

Maintaining your home is a relatively inexpensive way to increase the value of your home. As a home ages, its value naturally decreases ? especially if it has not been maintained over the years. Sure, there are some factors you can?t control when it comes to the value of your home such as the age of the neighborhood and the condition of other homes in the area. What you can control is how your home is maintained, especially on the outside. A well maintained yard with updated landscaping, windows, doors, porches, siding and paint not only increases the value of your home, but boosts curb appeal if you plan to sell your home in the future.

Pride In Ownership

There is something to be said for enjoying the beauty of a well maintained home. Tackling the little projects here and there actually gives you more time to enjoy your home. Friends, relatives and neighbors will appreciate ? and most likely admire ? your home. With people working and living in their home these days, the value of keeping your home beautiful is more important than ever. On a professional level, you?ll have an attractive home to entertain clients. On a personal level, you?ll feel good about inviting people over for holiday meals and family gatherings.

Safety Issues

Maintaining your home reduces certain health risks and increases family safety. Older homes may have asbestos or other harmful materials within the walls, especially the attic and basement. Adding carbon monoxide detectors and updated smoke detectors to your home reduces your homeowners insurance, not to mention keep your family safe. The same is true when it comes to things like loose floorboards, porch rails and stairs. Some small home repairs can be taken care of yourself. Bigger jobs, however, should be handled by professionals. Even if you do a job yourself, you should still have a proper home inspection at least once a year to make sure there isn?t something you overlooked.

Save Money By Increasing Energy Efficiency

If you?ve lived in your home for a while, you probably have some outdated appliances. Switching to energy-efficient appliances can reduce your monthly electric bill. Take a look at your windows and doors. Improper installation or worn out frames and caulking can result in a drafty house and high heating and air conditioning expenses. An energy efficient house is also a great selling point if you decide to sell your home. You can go a step further and add solar panels or skylights to your homed to gain extra energy efficiency.

It may seem like a minor inconvenience to worry about little repairs and updates. Fortunately, you are likely to reap the rewards later with lower utility bills, homeowners insurance reductions, tax breaks for making certain home improvements and a more attractive home to enjoy. Start by doing an informal inspection of your home and making a list of what improvements need to be made. You just might be surprised at the how easily you can improve your home now for noticeable savings later.

Ken Lyons writes for Express Roofing, a home improvement company that specializes in Acton replacement windows installation.

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