Home Maintenance for the New Home Owner

NORFOLK, VA, Nov 25, 2013—Becoming a homeowner for the first time is one of the most fulfilling moments you may ever experience. Owning a home offers a myriad of benefits. However, it can also be costly, especially when you factor in maintenance and repairs over the lifetime of your home. To help reduce stress and costs, Louis Eisenberg, Associate Broker REALTOR ABR SFR of Prudential Towne Realty offers several tips for keeping up with home maintenance. “From the day you move in to the day you sell your home, there will always be something that will need to be repaired or remodeled,” says Eisenberg. Some changes will be simple; you may want to undertake certain updates simply to elevate your comfort level – like installing central air conditioning – or spruce up the home’s aesthetics, such as adding a few stained-glass windows. “Others will be more critical, like replacing a hazardous roof, fixing broken windows, and repairing leaky pipes,” says Eisenberg. These are all necessities. Left undone, they can lead to major problems and damages within the home. One of the top ways, according to Eisenberg, to keep up with your home is to take inventory. “From the very beginning, get in the habit of taking an inventory at least once a year of every nook and cranny in your home to check for potential problems,” says Eisenberg. “Examine the roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical wiring – basically everything. Try to fix trouble spots as soon as you uncover them. This proactive approach will help you avoid larger expenses later on, so leave no stone unturned when taking your inventory.” In terms of preparing for expenses, you can expect to spend an average of one percent of the purchase price of your home every year to handle a myriad of tasks, including painting, tree trimming, repairing gutters, caulking windows, and routine system repairs and maintenance. “An older home will usually require more maintenance, although a lot will depend on how well it has been maintained over the years,” notes Eisenberg. Tell yourself that the upkeep of your home is mandatory, and budget accordingly. Otherwise, your home’s value will suffer if you allow it to fall into a state of disrepair. It can be helpful to adopt the attitude that the cost of good home maintenance is usually minor compared to what it will cost to remedy a situation that you allowed to get out of hand. For example, unclogging and sealing gutters may cost a few hundred dollars, but repairing damage to a corner of your home where gutters have leaked can potentially cost several thousand dollars. “Remember, there is usually a direct link between a property’s condition and its market value: The better its condition, the more a buyer will likely pay for it down the road,” says Eisenberg. For more information on keeping up with your home, please contact Louis Eisenberg ABR, SFR, Realtor, Prudential Towne Realty, 109 E. Main Street, Norfolk, VA 23510, leisenberg@prudentialtownerealty.com, (757) 572-7244, or www.LouisEisenberg.com