5 Major Benefits of Seasonal Home Maintenance

When you purchase a home you are probably aware of the fact that you’re going to have to engage in all kinds of seasonal maintenance in order to keep your property in ship shape. But you might not really know why it’s so important. The next time you find yourself grumbling, though, you may want to take a moment to consider all of the benefits that this seasonal work can provide. Here are just a few good reasons to grab your wrench or rake and get going on home maintenance.

1. Keep your family safe. When you fail to practice proper home maintenance you may unwittingly put your family in harm’s way. Suppose your roof springs a leak – it could lead to standing water in the attic and a ceiling collapse before long. Or what if your breakers aren’t functioning properly and faulty wiring starts a fire? If you haven’t checked your breakers you’ll never see it coming. And worse, if you fail to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors, your family could be in serious danger. The point is that maintaining your home is not only good for the structure itself, but it is essential to guaranteeing a safe living environment for you and your family.
2. Protect your home. Since your primary residence is your biggest asset, you want to make sure it retains its value. And the best way to do this is through seasonal home maintenance tasks that ensure your house doesn’t succumb to the wear and tear of daily living and the ravages of time. This could include annual inspections to make sure the roof, siding, foundation, and so on are holding up, or it could entail servicing various systems in your home (plumbing, electrical, etc.), or both. When it comes time to sell, you’ll be glad you’ve maintained your home properly.
3. Save money. Naturally, you have to spend money at times in order to maintain your home. While there is a lot you can do on your own, especially with online tutorials at your disposal, there will definitely be times when home maintenance tasks require you to pay for materials and labor. That said, think about what you might pay if you have to replace your whole roof and materials underneath (your ceiling), as opposed to patching a hole that you caught early.
4. Save time. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this applies neatly to regular home maintenance. You likely don’t enjoy cleaning the gutters and downspouts seasonally, but it probably takes no more than an afternoon of work. Now imagine how much time (not to mention money) you would have to spend on cleanup if your basement floods because the gutters are clogged. No contest.
5. Prolong equipment life. While you don’t necessarily have to hire service providers to come out and do regular maintenance on home appliances like your fridge, oven, or washer and dryer, there are certain pieces of equipment in your home that you should service at least annually if you want them to enjoy a long life. These would include your water heater, which should be flushed annually, and your HVAC system, just for example. If you’re asking yourself, “How often do filters need to be changed?” or “does heating oil go bad? ” then chances are good you should call in reinforcements. Professional service providers can inspect, clean, and repair these expensive but essential products to ensure they last for years to come.