Maintaining Your Home

There are so many buyers today that purchase a home and do not properly maintain it. When they get ready to sell, they are surprised when a buyer has inspections done and come up with a long list of items that need to be repaired.

I have a neighbor that purchase his home a couple of years ago. The previous owner was in the construction business and the home was a excellent condition. The current owner has done nothing. Shrubs and other landscaping have not been trimmed, a shutter has blown off and just lays on the deck. The gutters are plugged up and during rains, water overflows and comes down next to the foundation. Eventually this could lead to water problems in the basement. Tree limbs are hanging down and damaging the shingles. When he decides to sell, this owner will have a lot of work to do and bear unnecessary expenses and then wonder why he is not getting a high offer.

Maintaining a home does take some time and it can be difficult when both the husband and wife work and then must participate in the kids activities. However, minor maintence will save money in the long term. As an example, if my neighbor would just trip the tree branches that are hitting his roof, he could avoid replacing the roof at a cost of $6000 or $7000. In some cases the owner may not know how to fix something and will need professional help, such as a plumber or electrician. Generally that will still be money well spent to prevent a major expense in the long term. Most REALTORS can help give an owner some names of people that do repair work. Contact a REALTOR for help.