So, this is it. You’re standing in your new front lawn and looking at the home you just bought. Congratulations! This is a big accomplishment in your life. Now, it’s time to move in and start maintaining your home.
Every new homeowner and every prospective buyer should know how to properly maintain a home. A house is a big investment, after all. If you plan on living in the home for 30 years, you’ll need to manage the upkeep and develop some maintenance knowledge.
How does having this knowledge benefit you? Here are 10 benefits of learning how to maintain your home, and how knowing these things will be a big help to you (and your home) down the line.
It Teaches You Responsibility
One of the most rewarding benefits of learning home maintenance is that it teaches you responsibility. Homeownership is something you should be incredibly proud of. You worked hard to save up your money, you went through the buying process, and now you have something to call your own. Plus, if you play your cards right, you could make money off of the house if you decide to sell it one day.
There are a lot of responsibilities that come with a house, though. You have to pay taxes on your property, repair any damages that come up, make sure it’s clean, and ensure that it’s in the best condition possible. If you want to properly maintain your home, you can’t be too laid back about it. You have to be actively looking out for possible issues.
Part of home maintenance includes making upgrades to your home. This brings on a new level of responsibility. You have to plan what projects you want to do and arrange for them to get gone. If you want new glass for your windows, you have to contact a glass installation company to make arrangements. If you want to remodel your kitchen, you have to make appointments with a contractor and talk about details. No one else will do this for you. You must take responsibility for your home maintenance, otherwise, important things won’t get done.
It Teaches You How To Budget
When learning how to maintain your home, you’ll learn how to budget pretty fast. There may be endless projects you want to work on, but you need to determine what you have the money for.
One strategy you can use is making two separate budgets: your upkeep budget, and your projects budget. Your upkeep budget can include the money you spend on maintaining the home daily, such as cleaning supplies, lawn care items, and paint. Then, you can make a budget for the bigger projects you want to tackle, like remodeling or adding on an extension. When budgeting for projects, make sure you itemize as many things as you can. Lay out the price for items like new construction windows, new cabinets, and new shelves. That way, you can make an accurate budget and not get hit with surprise costs.
Remember, you shouldn’t be going broke to maintain your home. If the upkeep is costing you too much, see where you can cut back. Home maintenance is important, but it shouldn’t bleed your bank account dry.
You’ll Save Money In The Long Run
Learning how to maintain your home properly means you’ll save money over time. Part of home maintenance is looking at things like your HVAC system, plumbing pipes, and your foundation to make sure it’s in good shape. If it isn’t, you can contact plumbing contractors or an HVAC repair company to help fix these issues.
It’s crucial to keep your eye on older equipment and older features in your home because they could wind up costing you a lot of money if they aren’t replaced in time. For example, you could notice that your furnace has a clogged filter but you decide not to clean it out at the moment. You’ll do it later instead. However, you forget about it as the day goes on. Before you know it, you’ve completely forgot about it, until one day you notice something is off with the heating in your home. You look at the furnace and realize the filter is so clogged up that it’s impacting your HVAC system. If it’s clogged enough, it could cause serious damage to your furnace, which means you’ll likely have to replace it.
A small maintenance task like cleaning out your furnace’s filter can make a big difference. It can save you from having to make a large replacement purchase. Take the time to inspect your home’s equipment and make sure it’s in good shape. A 15-minute inspection could end up saving you hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars.
It Helps Keep Your Home Safe
Learning about home maintenance will also keep your home safe. As a homeowner, you should know the signs that something in your home isn’t safe. These signs include mold growing on your walls, your floor slanting (a sign that your foundation is weak), and cracks suddenly appearing on your walls. These are signs that your physical health could be at risk in the home. The more you focus on maintenance and regularly check for these things, the more likely you’ll catch these issues before they become massive safety problems.
Also, remember to check the driveway when doing maintenance checks. If your driveway is paved, see if there are cracks in it or if any large potholes have formed. This can help keep your vehicles safe as well. It’ll also help other vehicles that use your driveway, such as delivery trucks or truck freight shipping vehicles, stay safe.
It’ll Help Keep You Healthy
Learning how to maintain your home will also help you stay healthy. Part of maintaining your home is regularly cleaning it. When you regularly clean your home, you can spot potential hazardous conditions. You could notice toxic mold growing on your ceiling, or that your living room collects a lot of dust. These two issues could cause you to develop respiratory issues and make you sick. To avoid this, regularly maintain and clean your home.
Another thing you can do to help stay healthy in your home is clean out your drains. There could be harmful bacteria growing in your drains, which can make you sick if ingested. If your drains haven’t been cleaned in a while, call a residential drain cleaning company to help you clean them out.
You’ll Keep Pests Out Of Your Home
A big perk of learning how to maintain your home is that it’ll help keep pests out. Pests like termites, beetles, and ants can make your home their home if you aren’t regularly maintaining it. If you have a pest problem but don’t do anything about it, the pests could do some serious damage to your home. Regularly cleaning and sanitizing your home can help keep pests out. If you do regularly clean and still notice these pests in your home, see if you can get a professional to help you form an indoor pest control plan.
Insects aren’t the only pests that can infiltrate your home. Mice, rats, and even bats can live in your home if you don’t properly maintain it. Getting rid of these larger pests may be more of a challenge. If you do have them in your home, contact a professional exterminator to help you get rid of them.
You’ll Be Proactive About Spotting Damage
A great thing about learning home maintenance is that you’ll be able to spot damage early. When you maintain your home, you eventually get to know every nook and cranny in your house. You get a sense of what is normal and what isn’t. This attention to detail comes in handy if you spot damage since you know it’s out of the ordinary.
Through regular home maintenance, you’ll be able to spot things like water stains, chipped paint, and warped floors. Some of these issues can be fixed cosmetically, but other issues may require you to do serious repairs. The earlier you spot the damage, the better your odds are of fixing it quickly and not having the repairs blow your budget. If you wait to fix the damage, or don’t notice it right away, it could get worse and end up costing you a pretty penny. Regular routine maintenance around the house can help you spot damage and get it fixed before it develops into a serious issue.
You’ll Add Value To Your Home
One of the biggest perks of learning how to maintain your home is that your home maintenance efforts can help add value to your home. Basic home upkeep such as painting your interior and updating the lighting can instantly make your home more valuable. If you’re thinking of selling your home one day, make sure you are maintaining your home daily. Buyers will be able to tell if an owner hasn’t kept up with their home. If wallpaper is peeling and the floors are dirty during a showing, a buyer may lose interest instantly. Show your home some love, and in return, you’ll see its value go up over time.
You should also maintain your home’s exterior. Get the best power washer you can and wash the exterior if it’s dirty. You can also put on a new layer of paint to add value to the exterior. A bigger outdoor maintenance project you could do is pave your driveway (if you haven’t already.) A paved driveway can make your home more valuable and make it easier for you and your family to park. If you’re interested in doing this, contact a paver and get some estimates. It may cost you a bit of money upfront, but if your home continues to grow in value, you can make that money back if you sell.
It’ll Help Your Home Feel Cozy
Maintaining your home will give it a certain ambiance. A well-maintained home tends to make people feel welcome and safe when they enter it. If you want your guests to feel this way, make it a priority to maintain your house properly. Keep things clean and make sure your home is safe to be in before any guests come over.
This also includes maintaining your exterior. Have a lawn care and weed control strategy in place so that your guests feel welcome the second they set foot on your property.
It Can Open Doors For New Opportunities
An unexpected benefit of learning how to maintain your home is developing a passion for home maintenance. You could grow to love it so much that you want to become a general contractor and do it for a living.
If this sounds like you, see what you need in order to do the job you want. Depending on what exactly you want to do, you may need certain licenses and certifications. Or, you may even need to go back to school. An estimated 62% of adults participating in continuing education programs in the United States also work full time. If you’re serious about pursuing this new dream, you could see if you can go to school while working full-time. It may be a lot of work at first, but it’ll be worth it when you’re in a career you’re passionate about, or even own your own business in.
Learning how to maintain your home properly is a process. If you’re a new homeowner, you will make some mistakes down the line. There will be things that unexpectedly break, no matter how many times you checked on them. When these situations do arise, take a deep breath, and evaluate the situation with a level head. Remember, when you bought a house, you signed up for taking ownership of every situation that may come up.
Home maintenance may seem overwhelming, but once you develop a maintenance routine, it’ll be like second nature to you. The more maintenance you do, the better you’ll get at it. Maintenance will help you stay in the home longer and enjoy it for years to come.
