If you are like most people, your home is your largest investment, and you understandably want to take great care of it. Some people will complete do-it-yourself projects, and others will hire a contractor to assist with repairs, maintenance work and upgrades. Regardless of the approach that you take to keep your home maintained in great condition, one thing is certain. There are some things that you need to know about your home if you want to keep your home maintained in the best overall shape. Think about each of these points, and consider educating yourself about them if you cannot quickly recall the information that you need to know about your home. These steps will help you to take better care of your home now and in the year to come.
Where the Master Controls Are
As soon as you move into a new home, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the master controls. This may include the electric submeter, the gas valve and the main water valve. These are very important features that you may rarely need to access, but in a time of emergency, it is critical that you know where they are and how to make adjustments to them without delay. Therefore, if you do not know where these features are in your home, today is the day to educate yourself.
What Is Included in Your Warranty
Many homeowners have a home warranty in place, usually offered as part of their closing costs, and there is good reason for this. A home warranty will pay for most of the repair costs on different components to your home. However, the warranty coverage can vary from plan to plan. Some may only have coverage on major components, such as the HVAC system. Others may have coverage on doors, windows, major home appliances and various other features throughout the home. As a homeowner, you will be able to keep your home in better condition and take full advantage of the warranty that you have paid for when you read through the coverage and are aware of what your coverage entails.
The Cost to Replace the Components
Along this train of thought, it is critical that you also understand the cost to replace the components, and this is especially true when some of your components are reaching the end of their life. For example, if you have a 20 year old HVAC system, it should not come as a surprise when the HVAC technician recommends a replacement to you rather than more repair work. Ideally, you will have been budgeting for this expense and will be prepared to make the payment when the time comes to replace the components. A lot of companies use business insurance to control expenses and individuals can use the same strategy.
Your home is likely one of your largest investments, and you want to keep it well-maintained over the years. Don’t feel the need to replace everything all at once. A lot of people use the strategy of improving their home by replacing things as they break. For example if you want to have glass doors throughout your home, you would wait until the door started to wear and break, in the meantime you would save up and when the doors were finally old and worn you could replace them with those beautiful doors you’ve always dreamed of.
Utilize Cheap Ways to Drastically Improve Your Home
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to make your home look good. There are simple and cost efficient ways to dramatically improve your homes interior. One simple way is using a custom wall decal, a cheap simple way to make your living room look fresh and inviting. A lot of people also will use an accent wall to add vibrancy to your interior.
The Age of Your Home’s Components
There are numerous major components to a home that each have a different life span. For example, a hot water heater may have a lifespan of approximately 10 years while an asphalt shingle roof may have a lifespan of approximately 20 to 30 years. When you have a newer home, it is easy to know the age of the components, and this is because many or all of them may have never been replaced. However, if your home is more than 10 years old, there is a chance that some of them may have been replaced already. It is important that you know how old your components are, such as the roof, hot water heater, HVAC unit, electrical system, pipes and more. It is equally important to know what their life span is so that you can be more prepared to make repairs or a replacement as they reach the end of their useful life.