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Saving on Home Maintenance
Maintaining your home is very important since your home can be your largest single investment. Doing regular preventative maintenance is much less expensive and stressful than having emergency repairs or replacements, so here is how to budget and manage home maintenance projects.
Budget
While it may seem surprising to many, homeowners annually spend an average of 2 -3% of their home’s value on home maintenance. This includes regular items done on a yearly basis such as HVAC cleanings as well as not so regular items that are done every few years such as painting.
The National Association of Home Buildershas a very good guide on the life expectancy of home components.
Picking up the phone or Picking up the hammer?
For many doing projects around the house is a source of pride and accomplishment. For others it is a source of headaches. If you prefer to spend time working on your home movie collection versus restaining your deck, then you should hire a professional to do the job. While you don’t want to spend the time to do the project, you should spend some time to find a reputable contractor.
When choosing to work with a contractor you should:
1. Ask friends and family for referrals. If you can’t find someone through a personal referral, look to online sources such as kudzu.com or angieslist.com
2. Get at least three different quotes in writing, so you can clearly compare prices and services.
3. For larger or more dangerous projects, request a copy of the contractor’s insurance.
4. Ask the contractor for recent references and call and actually check the references.
Fight your home’s number one enemy
Water and moisture are your home’s biggest enemy. Water and moisture damage in homes lead to rot, mold and termites. Which in turn lead to big and expensive repairs. However, regular caulking, painting and monitoring can prevent costly repairs.
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