8 Home Maintenance Tips For New Homeowners

Owning your first house is truly a wonderful and liberating experience. You can make your rules, host as many parties as you’d like, move the furniture around, and live however you want. But with all the excitement, it is easy for new homeowners to overlook the importance of maintenance. If you don’t take care of your new investment, you’ll never be able to settle in and call your house “home.”

While it may seem like a nerve-wracking and, at times, overwhelming task, home maintenance is well worth your time. In fact, regular checks will not only keep your house looking brand-new and shiny but also save you thousands of dollars a year in unforeseen maintenance expenses. Plus, taking care of your new home isn’t that hard. By arming yourself with general home maintenance tips, you can cover all the bases and ensure your new home is ready to shine.

Home Maintenance Tips for New Homeowners

So, without further ado, here are some essential home maintenance tips every new homeowner should consider:

#1 First of all, hire a property manager

We can’t start our home maintenance tips without including the need to hire a property manager. If you want to endure reasonable costs for maintenance, invest in a reliable property manager that will handle all the grunt work when it comes to maintaining your property. Sure, a property manager will cost you money. Still, they will also save you time and connect you with a network of skilled and reliable workers and contractors. Furthermore, in the future, when you decide to lease your home, your property manager can also help you find good tenants.

Also, if you faced any difficulties with your landlord while leaving your previous home, a property manager can help you with that as well. Online resources prove highly beneficial in this regard, especially if you are having trouble getting your bond back. So, look up “ways for getting my bond back” to resolve the issue today.

#2 Examine the foundation of your home

Tension can build up and cause structural damage to your foundation if rain and snowmelt saturate the soil at the base of your house. Even worse, if a leak develops and water contacts your home’s foundation directly, it may cause costly issues by enlarging any existing cracks. Ensure the ground dips at least six inches over a distance of 10 feet around your home’s foundation to prevent the foundation from collapsing. Finally, seal any minor gaps in your foundation walls as you go through your home’s maintenance inspections to prevent bigger (and more costly) repairs.

#3 Examine and fix the exterior paint

In addition to enhancing curb appeal, paint and stain protect wood siding from decaying and gutters from rusting. By taking a stroll around it and climbing up on a ladder if necessary, look for cracking, flaking, or scorching on every portion of your house. Simply sanding, scraping, priming, and repainting a few tiny spots could be considered touching up. But it could be a good idea to repaint the entire thing if you notice significant areas of damage.

#4 Hire a pro to trim your trees

If you discover tiny, easy-to-remove branches, go ahead and take care of this home maintenance step.

However, leave serious tree trimming to the experts because large limbs can suddenly snap and fall on you. Additionally, this is a great time to clean your gutters and examine the condition of your eaves, roof vents, and soffits.

#5 Maintain your landscaping

Other than caring for your lawn, pay attention to your flower beds at least once a month. Occasionally, allowing weeds to grow unchecked or rotting leaves and other garbage to accumulate, such as in flower beds, might endanger your property. These conditions can attract pests and even pose a fire risk.

Consider setting aside time each month for landscaping maintenance and pruning to keep things neat and avoid harmful problems.

Apart from the monthly maintenance, you should also check if any drainage or erosion issues are being caused due to the landscaping. If such a situation arises, landscape grading is your solution. You need to ensure that the water flow is clean so it does cause damage to the property. Likewise, grading will help reshape the land to prevent further soil erosion.

#6 Update your smoke alarms

Smoke alarms were created to keep you safe inside your home. It is essential to ensure they are fitted, maintained, and checked frequently. You may live in your home with a sense of security if you follow this advice for home upkeep. Your smoke alarm will be connected to your home if you live in a new residential development. The law also mandates a sensor on every floor if you live in a multi-story home.

You might not know how your smoke alarm is configured if you’re a new homeowner. As soon as you move in, test your alarms to ensure that you are satisfied with their installation.

#7 Keep your dryer vents clear

Not only does a clogged dryer vent reduce machine efficiency, but it also increases the risk of a fatal house fire. In 2014, the National Fire Protection Association projected that dryers or washers were to blame for 15,970 residential fires. 92% of those fires (by number) involved dryers. The dryer has a longer lifespan when the exhaust is kept clean. A blocked vent will prevent the dryer from operating effectively.

Your dryer will have to work twice as hard to produce the same results as when it was first purchased, and it will take more sessions to dry your clothing. Your electricity bill will go up, and the machine will experience avoidable wear and tear.

#8 Some indoor maintenance

The inside of your home deserves just as much consideration as its exterior. Here are a few concise suggestions for inexpensive interior home maintenance that you can perform yourself:

• Use paint on your bathroom and kitchen floors instead of tile: Retiling costs more money than painting old tiles.
• Carpet cleaning: To prolong your carpets’ life and save money, give them fluff and fold them every one to two years.
• Thoroughly clean: Maintain the cleanliness of your property by deep cleaning often. In this manner, you can avoid removing permanent stains every five years. You can avoid spending any money by performing this step yourself.

Conclusion

Home maintenance may seem like an arduous task, especially for first-time homeowners. But with a little bit of guidance or know-how, you can make the process easier. If you follow the tips mentioned here, you can make things easier for yourself and your home. Also, adding a few simple and aesthetic changes can wow your guests. Lastly, if you want to make sure that your home stands out, stay committed to regular upkeep, as it is the secret to having a fancy and well-organized home.