You smile every time you walk into your master bedroom as if you were a little kid in a candy store. Your kitchen makes kitchen stadium look childish. And your beautiful new exterior paint has made all the neighbors jealous. Your home looks so good that you are bombarded by real estate agents, letting you know how much they could sell your home for.

Put it on the market! Hell no! Not after all the man hours you put in remodeling. Then again, when the kids are off to college and you have an empty nest, Billy isn’t there to mow the lawn and chores become a hassle for just two people. That two bedroom condo in the city looks pretty inviting. Let’s be honest, at some point in the future whether it’s tomorrow or 10 years from now, you’re going to want to sell your home. With all the upgrades and work that you’ve put in over the years, you should get a nice return on the sale.

All the supplies are ordered and the plans have been reviewed. Remodeling can be tedious and annoying, but also fun. The end result is the most rewarding feeling. Preserving your home can be dull, but it’s one of those things that you have to do to retain the value of your home. Refer to one of my earlier posts about pricing your home. For example: Hardwood floors need to be refinished every 5-10 years depending on wear and tear. If they get too worn down you can do permanent damage to the wood. Exteriors need to be repainted every 5-10 years too, depending on such factors as the weather where you live, or you can damage the exterior wood. Your roof and gutters need annual inspections. A clogged or damaged gutter and drain spout can flood your basement and cause serious damage.

And the list goes on. Like taxes and dental checkups, regular home maintenance isn’t fun. But you must do it if you want to take care of what is likely your biggest single asset — your home.

• Kitchen: Check for leaks under and around the sink. Plumbing leaks can damage cabinetry and floors. Check and repair grout and caulking on tile countertops and around the sink. Also check wear and tear on wood floors, which periodically need to be refinished.
• Bathrooms: Check for plumbing leaks and check grout on tiles. If the grout gets worn away water will start getting into the walls behind the bathroom, causing damage.
• Basement: Check for cracks in the foundation and leaks. Buildings settle over time and even after decades of having a dry basement leaks may suddenly occur.
• Attic: Check for signs of water leakage from the roof. Also look for any sign of termites or rodents. Squirrels or rats that nest in your attic can chew electrical wiring, which can lead to fires.
• Smoke alarms: Batteries need to be changed annually.
• Heating system: If yours has a filter, change it annually.
• Air conditioning system: Change all filters monthly or as recommended by the filter manufacturer.
• Roof: Note if any shingles have fallen off or if gutters or downspouts appear clogged or damaged. You can always hire a reliable roofing company to get on the roof and take a look. Reputable roofing companies won’t try to sell you a new one unless you really need it. You can simply pay them for an inspection.
• House exterior: If your house is wood, check that the paint hasn’t worn away so much that the primer paint is showing. If the primer also wears down, you can do damage to the wood. Brick houses should be inspected for damaged bricks or masonry. Check stucco houses and repair any cracks large enough to slide a nickel into.
• Asphalt and concrete driveways: Repair any cracks or buckling.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!