By Mike Bodeen · 25 June 2018
Pay me some now or pay me a lot later seems to be a law in life! And where it’s especially true is in the maintenance of a home. Yes, even a new home requires maintenance.
When our clients purchase or sell a home, what often shows up in the home inspection reports are issues of deferred maintenance (DM). Signs of DM are everywhere. From possible roof and plumbing leaks, to paint peeling and wood deterioration, dirty and struggling A/C units, pool equipment and irrigation leaks, to name a few.
In the sale or purchase of a Phoenix home, there are two main big ticket repair/replacement items that can arise to sabotage a deal, and they often do. Roofs and AC/Heating units (aka HVAC).
HVAC issues often stem from a lack of maintenance. I know first hand. Dirty AC coils are costly to clean properly, but important do so.
Roofs are another very costly repair or replacement. One of biggest misnomers about roofing is that tile roofs last (so to speak) forever. Well, if you have a concrete vs clay roof tile, the tiles themselves may last longer than clay, but the actual roof membrane against leakage may not so well. The tile acts to help keep the elements of rain and sun exposure off the actual roofing paper. We can often get high monsoon winds that can leave roof tiles disheveled, thereby exposing the paper to sun, wind and rain. It doesn’t take long for the roofing paper to begin breaking down. Roofs, per Advantage should be checked out once per year (see below).
A big thanks to Advantage Inspection Service (AIS) which recently sent us an excellent home maintenance checklist for the proper regular care of your home. If time and / or ability hampers you from taking care of these maintenance items, consider a qualified handyman service. It will cost you upfront, but the long term savings can be significant.
Two examples from this detail checklist include:
A/C: Change your filters every month (except during months when the weather moderates and the unit is not running). This is the single most important action item to preserve the life of your unit and lower your energy costs. We recommend buying a medium type filter (MERV 8) instead of the extreme pollen filtration types. The pollen filters are too restrictive and will cause too much back-pressure on the system. Heating and cooling system filters are designed to keep the unit interior components clean, not filter your house air. If you have allergies and need extra filtration, buy a stand-alone room filtration system.
Roofs: Examine the roofing from a safe location; use binoculars from the ground if necessary. Look carefully at metal flashing areas, penetrations through the roof, etc. for areas that water can enter the structure. When in doubt, contact a licensed roofing contractor for a complete review. In order to get the full design life of your roof, it must be maintained regularly. Pay a little as you go or pay for complete replacement earlier than expected.
Check out the link from their (AIS) knowledge based website to see and copy a great maintenance checklist.
The Bodeen Team highly recommends Advantage Home Inspections.