Budgeting for Home Maintenance

House maintenance is undoubtedly an important part of being a homeowner. But how much should your budget for home maintenance each year? How much will it cost for each individual servicing? It really depends on each house. Factors include location, number of appliances, size, etc.

Maintenance Costs

The cost to maintain each appliance or system differs, but it is good to determine the approximate amount for each task. For example, a common task for most houses is to have the air conditioner serviced. This task will costs about $50-150 per unit for a good cleaning and system check. Having the air conditioner maintained each year will extend the life and promote good energy efficiency.

What other tasks should your consider including? Here is a list of items to get you started:

• Dishwasher spray arm cleaning
• Chimney sweeping
• Vent filter replacement
• Furnace servicing
• Garage door opener lubrication
• Garbage disposal cleaning
• Smoke detector test
• GFCI test
• Humidifier cleaning
• Microwave cleaning
• Oven and hood filter cleaning
• Pool maintenance
• Refrigerator coil cleaning

There are many more tasks to consider but this checklist will get you going in the right direction. Note that some of these tasks should cost very little while others will require a professional and higher costs.

Rule of Thumb Budget

If you don't have time or just don't feel like compiling a list of all the home maintenance costs then just use the rule of thumb for budgeting. Set aside 1-2% of your home's value each year. For example, set aside $2-4,000 per year for a $200,000 house. This will give you plenty of cash to handle all maintenance and cover repairs.

Scheduling Maintenance for Property Managers

Property Managers have plenty to do without having to worry about having to keep track of scheduling home maintenance for all units. House maintenance is absolutely essential to stay ahead of problems. Preventive tasks are much cheaper than repairs.

Professional vs Tenant DIY Maintenance

Easy DIY Maintenance

Some maintenance is best if handled by tenants that can handle DIY tasks. It is not time effective to drive to all properties simply to change furnace air filters. It is a good idea to provide the resources for the tenants with the understanding that the task will be completed as scheduled.

Professional Services

Other maintenance is best done by professionals. A task done incorrectly can result in costly repairs. For example, air conditioner maintenance is typically best handled by professionals. Although this task is within the capabilities of good DIY home owners, it is tough to vet tenants for each task. It is best to leave work in the grey area to professionals.

Summary

It is good to realize the importance of home maintenance for property managers and schedule it ahead of time. It is best to use an online service, like Home Maintenance Tracker.

Preventive Fireplace Home Maintenance

For any home that uses the fireplace, maintenance is a must. Every year a professional, or a savvy DIY home owner, should clean the creosote from the chimney. Putting off this task on your calendar can has disastrous effects.

Importance of Fireplace Maintenance

Chimney fires occur every year and many without the household even knowing! (according to Chimney Safety Institute of America). And while these smaller fires might pass by unnoticed, the damage that is done to the tile liners will have a lasting effect.

The majority of these fires are fueled by the buildup of creosote on the walls. Over time the fires will slowly add layers or creosote from smoke passing up the chimney.

Prevention

The best idea is to call a professional sweeper. They will use a special brush from the roof to scrape off the creosote buildup. At the bottom a bucket will catch the debris and be removed. It is possible to do this task yourself but be sure you get the proper brush and to exercise caution on the roof.

Summary

Don't put off essential maintenance until it is too late. You will save a lot of money by preventing problems and avoiding repair costs. To learn more check out this article on Fireplace Maintenance in the Summer or Chimney and Fireplace Maintenance.

House Maintenance Calendar

Scheduling Maintenance on the Calendar

Everybody is busy in everyday life and so often house maintenance falls to the wayside. On top of that many tasks are not as apparent. Also, despite some of these being fairly simple DIY choirs some owners rely on professional service companies for all home maintenance. By scheduling tasks on the calendar and following tips you can keep your home in tip top shape and save a bundle in the long run.

Maintenance Calendar

Before scheduling anything first put together a checklist of tasks that need to be completed. Think about all the different appliances, fixtures, and areas of your house. Write down all the tasks you can and use online resources, like Home Maintenance Tracker, to help give you ideas.

Reminders

Use the checklist to assign work on the calendar. This calendar could be put on the family calendar at your house or use online tools. Google calendar is a useful tool for anyone with a Google account. You can schedule events and set frequency to repeat each year and multiple times a year. Another useful tool that is more tailor to this topic is HMT (Home Maintenance Tracker). You fill out what items you'd like tracked around your house and it sets up a recommended maintenance schedule.

Resources

Now that all your maintenance is scheduled it is time to determine how you'll complete each choir. Use resources, like HMT, for tips and DIY examples to determine if you'd prefer to do it yourself or call a professional. You can certainly save a bundle by doing the work yourself, but the work has to be done correctly. If you feel it is too complex or you are unsure, call a professional.

Importance of Home Maintenance

There is a lot going on with the daily hustle and overlooking home maintenance is easy to do. But getting those tasks completed and completed right is very important for several reasons. If it is difficult for you to keep track try using Home Maintenance Tracker or following the home maintenance blog for checklists and calendars.

Value and Savings

House Value

Keeping your house in tip top shape improves the value of it when it comes to resell it on the market. The curb appeal will be much more impressive if everything looks kept up. Plus, inspectors will go through everything with a fine tooth comb to try to find any faults.

Preventive Maintenance

Staying ahead of problems with preventive tasks means lower costs. Repairs will at least bare the cost of materials. If it's a more serious problem then you'll most likely have to hire a contractor to help and it all adds up fast.

Energy Efficiency

The more work or resources that are required to cover for inefficiencies results in higher utility costs. Clean and well serviced appliances work more efficiently and reduce the energy usage. Try to use the minimum necessary resources for each task.

Safety

It goes without saying that safety is very important around the house. Testing items like the TPR valve on a water heater once a year takes mere minutes, but it could be the difference between a properly functioning unit and an exploding water tank.

For a more in depth look into the importance of home maintenance visit this link.