4 Maintenance Tips for First Time Homeowners

Welcome to home ownership! Owning your first home will no doubt top your list in most rewarding life decisions. Be the best homeowner you can be and keep up with home repairs with Revisn’s quick guide to home maintenance. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but is a good resource to get started.

Don't let the little things pile up

Gutter cleanings, electrical repairs, and air filter replacements seem like easy tasks that can be resolved within a day or less of labor. Many smaller repairs such as the above can be fixed at no cost to you given you are learned in DIY home maintenance. This can lead homeowners to believe that they can get to these tasks later instead of hopping on the phone with the electrician the same day. However, what will happen if one day the gutters are overflown, or the electrical repairs that have not been tended to lead to a larger, more expensive problem? Revisn suggests monthly walkthroughs of your home to spot needed repairs. Keep a piece of paper handy to write down where you see a needed repair and the location in your home. Organize these smaller repairs by category—electrical, cosmetic, foundational, plumbing, or another type of repair. Once you have lists prepared, call upon professionals to assist you in the repair, or, if it is a quick and easy fix, you may opt to repair it yourself. Make sure you possess all necessary tools and have trained yourself thoroughly before attempting to perform home maintenance yourself. We always suggest employing professional workers to make all home repairs.

Work with trusted professionals

Speaking of calling in the experts, we again stress that this is the foremost safest way to perform maintenance on your home! While some projects, like clearing a small clogged drain issue, or clearing your gutters are suitable home projects for the seasoned homeowner, larger electrical or plumbing repairs will be better suited for a team of experts to fix. Do not rely on your own skills when you feel that you cannot take on such a daunting assignment alone. Call upon your neighbors, family, and friends to inquire which professionals in your area they trust. If you are a new homeowner with little knowledge of home repairs or are new to your area, Angie’s List is an excellent resource to scout respected and trusted home repair professionals near you. Do not just settle on the first phone number you find—do your homework and pick a laborer with experience and the customer testimonials to match!

Keep a ledger

Some home repairs and maintenance, like power washing the siding of your home, furnace cleanings, and smoke alarm tests are best completed on a routine. Items like the above mentioned are not quick, one-and-done fixes. With routine use comes routine maintenance. Recording the dates of upcoming necessary home repairs and the intervals in which they must be performed will streamline the already arduous process.

Remember seasonal repairs

Not all repairs must be done with such regularity like listed above, but they do need to be completed within a specific timeframe. For instance, seasonal repairs that must be complete before and during fall must be kept up with. Preparing your home for winter and the summer months must also be considered in your ongoing maintenance list too. Leaks, air conditioning maintenance, raking of leaves, and winterizing your plumbing are just a few seasonal repairs to keep in mind.