Buying a home and becoming a homeowner is a life event that most Americans to complete. Owning a house comes with responsibilities; unfortunately, many homebuyers don’t learn about them until they buy and move into their home.
Home maintenance and home maintenance tips are vital, but few buyers learn about them before purchasing a home. Regular maintenance can help a house function better, keep it looking good, and save homeowners thousands of dollars a year.
Some homes require more maintenance than others, but all homes have multiple systems that need maintenance to ensure your home remains safe, the occupants are comfortable, and your investment is protected.
Whether you’re looking to buy a home, are a first-time owner, or want to establish better maintenance habits, this guide will give you the information you need to keep your house up-to-date and in great shape.
Understanding the Importance of Home Maintenance on Health, Finance, and Comfort
Home maintenance protects the value of your house, keeps systems working as they should, and is a preventive measure against costly repairs. Regular upkeep can identify potential issues before they become major problems, saving homeowners thousands in emergency repairs.
A recent Neighborly study found that proper maintenance can increase a home’s value by 1% annually, and maintenance neglect can decrease it by up to 10% over time. The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University found that housing deterioration can harm occupants and lead to poor health outcomes, including lead poisoning, asthma, and physical injuries. This information alone highlights the importance of home maintenance.
Beyond financial benefits, regular maintenance ensures your home operates efficiently. Well-maintained HVAC systems, for instance, can reduce the cost of energy bills by up to 30%. Additionally, proper maintenance creates a healthier living environment by preventing mold growth, improving air quality, and ensuring proper ventilation throughout your home.
Seasonal Maintenance Checklist: Keeping Your Home in Top Shape Year-Round
Systems in your house need maintenance all year long. Below, we’ll outline the most common home maintenance tasks by season; some things are important and require maintenance multiple times a year.
Spring Home Maintenance Tips
In the springtime, experts recommend checking your caulking around windows, trimming your trees, inspecting your faucets and irrigation systems, cleaning your chimney, cleaning your downspouts and gutters, inspecting your roof, servicing your air conditioning system, and preparing your yard for the summer.
These maintenance tasks will prepare your home for the summer and clean or check systems used through the winter.
Summer Home Maintenance Tips
During the summer, it’s good to focus on outdoor tasks. Experts recommend maintaining your yard and garden, power washing and inspecting your driveway, deck, and patio, cleaning and repairing doors and windows, cleaning gutters and downspouts, and checking and cleaning your home’s ventilation system. Finally, clean your ceiling fan and turn it counterclockwise to drive air to the ground.
If you have a pool, make sure you maintain it and clean it throughout the summer. It’s also a good time to check your home’s siding or exterior paint.
Fall Home Maintenance Tips
During fall, temperatures are dropping; it’s the best time of the year to prepare your home for winter. That means checking to ensure your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms work, inspecting your chimney or fireplace, looking for leaks in your windows or doorways, and cleaning your gutters and downspouts. Get your heating system serviced, check your foundation for cracks and gaps, drain your garden or yard hoses, and insulate pipes in areas that aren’t heated.
The end of fall is a good time to grab an indoor-outdoor thermometer or moisture meter so you can check humidity levels during the winter. If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, be sure your snow shovel is in good condition.
Experts recommend checking your plumbing system annually if you have an older home and once every two years if your home is new. The best time to do this is in the fall.
Winter Home Maintenance Tips
Ensuring you and your home’s occupants are comfortable is vital during the winter. Early on, inspect your roof to ensure there are no structural issues, flush your hot water tank, get your fireplace ready, clean your gutters and downspouts, check the weather stripping around doors and windows, change your ceiling fans to run clockwise, and test your sump pump if you live in a region with a lot of rain.
If you didn’t insulate pipes, service your heater, or clean your vents, it’s a good time to get these things done as soon as possible.
Winter has several home maintenance tasks that are daily chores. Be sure to check your home for ice formations, prevent frozen pipes, check humidity levels, ensure gutters and downspouts are clean from debris, cover plants that need to be covered, and check humidity levels regularly.
Monthly Home Maintenance Tips
Some maintenance tasks need to be done monthly or annually. Air conditioning and heating or HVAC system filters need to be changed frequently; some homeowners use filters that need to be changed monthly, and others need to be changed every three months. Dust, allergens, and pets can affect how often you change your filter; ask an HVAC professional what filter you should use and how frequently you should replace it based on your living conditions. If you have a septic tank, you should use treatment monthly, avoid flushing certain items down the toilet, and get it serviced by a professional every three years.
Budgeting for Home Maintenance: Planning for the Unexpected
Financial experts recommend setting aside 1-4% of your home’s value annually for maintenance and repairs. Newer homes require less maintenance; if you have a house several decades old with worn-out systems, it’s a good idea to aim for 4%. For a $500,000 home, this means budgeting $5,000-$15,000 yearly. You won’t use your budget every year, but the more you save, the better. Creating an emergency fund for unexpected repairs helps avoid financial stress when major systems need replacement or repair.
Consider establishing a separate savings account for home maintenance and contributing monthly. Track all maintenance expenses to understand your home’s specific needs better and adjust your budget accordingly. Some homeowners use a hybrid approach, combining monthly savings with annual maintenance contracts for major systems.
Building a Home Maintenance Routine: Tips to Stay Organized and Proactive
Planning out your maintenance tasks for each season and month will help you stay on track. Create a detailed maintenance calendar that outlines monthly and seasonal tasks. Use a calendar, digital tools, or apps to set reminders and track completed maintenance. These tools can help you keep track of all repairs, replacements, and routine maintenance activities.
If you want to be a maintenance allstar, consider creating a home maintenance log or manual specific to your property. It will help ensure you remember everything your home needs and will be a good resource for anyone who house-sits or purchases your home.
Before an emergency, hire companies or contractors and build relationships with service providers so you know who to call when there’s an emergency. Keep track of the work done in your home by contractors in a folder or something similar, so you have easy access to your home’s essential documents, warranties, and maintenance records.