Terri Ramsey Beavers Most people go into homeownership without any particular skill. They aren’t professional real estate investors or developers. And yet their homes expect them to have all the necessary skills for keeping them ship shape.
Fortunately, this post is here to help. We run through some of the things that you can learn from professionals so that you don’t wind up with unpleasant bills in the future.
Use Preventative Maintenance On The Boiler
Property investors know that the boiler is the single most costly aspect of home maintenance. Furnaces that don’t work properly cost a fortune to correct.
The best strategy is to maintain them preventatively. Usually, you can cut your costs dramatically by getting them serviced every year after winter. This way, you can replace any parts that are about to fail and stop them from causing more internal damage to the unit.
Watch The Exterior Of Your Property Like A Hawk
The next thing you’ll want to do is keep a beady eye on your property’s exterior. Missing tiles, cracked gutters, and loose siding can all spell disaster.
Keep a visual record of the outside of your home by taking a photo of it from the same position with the same camera every year. This way, you can easily see any changes that occur and what you might need to fix. You’d be surprised just how much your home can deteriorate over time.
Get Your HVAC Serviced
Just as you hire gas engineers to service your boiler, you’ll also need to call an HVAC company to service your air conditioning. Units tend to wear out over the summer months and, by the fall, are often struggling. To keep yours in good condition so that it can serve you when the weather gets hot the following year, get professionals to give it the once over.
Keep An Eye Out For Subsidence
Property owners, managers, and investors are terrified of subsidence. And you should be too as a homeowner, even if your insurance policy covers it. Aside from acts of God, subsidence issues are practically the only thing that can jeopardize the structural integrity of your buildings. If you think that you might have subsidence, call a surveyor.
Pay Close Attention To Guttering
Your gutters are magnets for leaves and other debris. Over time, water can pool in your gutters and then spill over the sides, causing the foundations to get wet.
To prevent this, clean them out regularly. You can do this yourself with a ladder if it is safe to do so on your property. Alternatively, you can hire a handyman to do it for you.
Keep Damp Out Of The Basement
Once damp gets into the basement, it is incredibly difficult to eliminate. It starts as a musty smell and then, as it gets worse, infiltrates the drywall.
If you think that you might have dampness, you can get rid of it by installing a new membrane sheet. This will prevent any groundwater from penetrating your foundations and getting into your rooms.
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