[Carolyn]

Clean your gutters twice a year. Walk around your house and check your foundation for any changes. Set up sinking funds in your budget for the big stuff.

Roof replacement, appliances failing, furnace and hot water heater failing. These things will all happen at some point.

They aren’t emergencies, they are known maintenance issues.

Plan for them now in the budget. I’ve paid for new roof, fridge, water heater and other large items out of a sinking fund without having to scramble for money.

Did that mean I had less to spend on fun or frivolous stuff, yes.

Does that mean that my house is always taken care of, also yes.

Sinking funds are something few do that make life much more secure.

[Melissa]

No where every shut off valve is and be sure you are strong enough to do it.

Clean the lint trap out of the home not just in the dryer.
Find the electric box and label every breaker

Utube is your friend. Change your airfilters every other month. If you have a pet monthly, turn your hot water heater to 120°F and leave it there.

Know there will be BIG maintenance bills with a house. Save, save, save for it now.

After 23 years it is time to replace our roof. $25,000
10 years ago we replaced our heatpump $10,000.

Friend just got an estimate $15,000. Front concrete patio settled and water draining toward the house.

We are currently replacing $3000.

My point is to keep a huge slush fund to pay for big repairs and annual taxes.

[Jill]

Change your furnace filter a minimum of every three months. Check it monthly. And don’t buy the most expensive ones!

It cost me $80 for an HVAC repair tech to figure out why my central air conditioning wasn’t working properly.

I had bought the best filter and it was restricting too much airflow.

Now I buy a middle of the road filter. Good enough to do the job.

[Sophie]

Spend the money on the paint.
Find the drippy sound. Today.
Learn how to change washers.

Fix the squeaky floorboards with talcum powder.

[Carl]

Don’t let things go too long. Keep a running Maintenance ToDo List.

[Cathy]

I keep a 3 ring notebook on our home. I use sheet protectors. I include all work done.
We had a new roof installed.
The insurance adjuster information.

Quote
Invoice
Proof of payment
warranty information.
4 dividers:
Inside
Outside
Appliances
Misc

Paint Color swatches and room
New Flooring invoice with Lot #s
Appliance Manuals & Warranty info

City info:
City officials and numbers
Garbage pick up
Land Fill

Anything associated with the house.
When you sell, everything is in one place
It helped sell our last home.

[Emily]

If you need to have something repaired, watch Utube on the subject. Most things you can do yourself.

Keep your house in good condition

[Ann]

Save up for replacing windows. Find places that rent power tools and equipment.

Build up your assortment of tools – hammers, screws drivers, battery operated tools come in handy so watch for sales.

Battery operated chainsaw is good for small jobs.

[Terri]

Keep inventory of personal property and review annually. And
/or take pictures of each room items.

Really helps if fire or other catastrophe. Your house or renters insurance will require a list.

No way you will remember everything

[Liz]

What year was your house built? I’ve learned so major lessons when we bought our house 11 years ago. House was built in the 1800s. Wiring was said to be “new”.

It was from the 30s caught on fire so we have a newly updated house for all wiring lol.

How old is your roof. We were told “new” roof.

Shingles were put over top of the original cedar shingles so needless to say we have not only a new roof but a new top of the 3rd floor.

Do you have a basement? Are there trees planted close? Do you have a sump pump? Well?

[Terri]

Keep a spreadsheet listing any updates and keep receipts for them. Really helpful for you and if/when selling it

[Jill]

Get a small generator & drop cords for keeping refrigerator cold, or a/c or heat in case of power outages.

[Marsha]

If you have sump pumps, check them often to make sure they are working.

[Jacky]

If you have not already, have a home inspection done. They will provide you with red, yellow items.

Stuff that needs to be fixed sooner and items that you need to plan for.

I have always used my home inspection as a road map for planning and saving for major repairs.

Best wishes on your new home.

[Mary]

How to unplug a toilet? A kitchen drain.
Bathroom drains. Things like this are very important

[Helen]

Look at any trees surrounding the house, analyze what angles they might fall, and watch their health, trim any branches as needed, before the weather of storms typically comes.

When trees fall through fences or towards the house or cars, it’s expensive.

(Neighbor’s tree came down through our fence years ago and we ended up the ones having to replace a portion of fence).

However, also, trees are important…they can cool your house and yard down so much. (Our yard benefits so much from the shade of trees.)

[Nicki]

Drain and flush your hot water heater at least once a year. Have your roof inspected yearly.

[Kristi]

Try not to ever put off repairs, especially water related ones. We put aside our income tax returns each year for property taxes and house maintenance/upgrades.

Youtube is a great resource for learning how to make simple repairs.

Watch a couple videos to get a better idea of the most efficient and effective way to do it.

As soon as our shingles failed, we replaced them with metal. Lifetime warranty and a discount on your insurance premium.

We also replace builder grade windows with energy efficient ones.

Makes a huge difference on how comfortable your house is and utility bills.

[Author]

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