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Preventive maintenance pays off over life of home

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While most people rush to hardware, home and garden stores to maintain the aesthetic look of their homes painting the kitchen, putting up a new wood fence or planting new shrubs there are major, costly problems that can be avoided with regular home maintenance, which goes beyond surface appearance and comes at a minimal cost to the homeowner.

Some of the major problems found in homes during an inspection could have been avoided with an earlier investment of just a few dollars and an hour or less of your time on a Saturday afternoon, such as caulking tile or treating wood.

It is important for homeowners to realize that they can save thousands of dollars in the long run by learning how to prevent major repairs.

One of these major problems is a leaky roof. Loose or missing roof shingles and flashings, caused by high winds or heavy ice and snow, leave the roof exposed to water damage during seasonal rains, especially if there is not proper drainage.

A quick check of the roof and chimney flashings can alert the homeowner to this problem, which may require the replacement of just a few shingles, the addition of some flashing or the application of caulk small jobs that can cost very little, but can save major expenditures over time.

From the outside in. Make an overall inspection of the exterior of the home, looking for problems such as cracked, loose sidewalks, clogged storm drains, cracks in the foundation due to settling, screen or window damage, unattached downspouts, insect infestation such as termites, faulty weather-stripping and trees that may be hanging precariously over the home.

After an exterior inspection, homeowners can then move inside. First check in areas where exterior problems were found. If you notice that a window has cracked or that the wood around a window has rotted, your first stop indoors should be to see if any water has been leaking in unnoticed. Other indoor observations include a check for chipping paint that might contain lead (usually only in homes built before 1978), and investigating chimneys for animal nests. Also, inspect all air conditioners, test smoke alarms, check for dripping faucets and clean all range fan filters.

Better safe than sorry. While routine home maintenance may require a small investment, it is better to be safe than sorry. It is the small projects and investments that can pay off and help save in the future. A good rule-of-thumb is to estimate that routine periodic home maintenance, assuming no major problems are found, will cost a homeowner from 1 percent to 3 percent of the home's sale price on an annual basis.

While this depends on the age, design, and the degree of prior maintenance, an average $110,000 home, for example, will require from $1,100 to $3,300 per year for maintenance.

A homeowner who makes the necessary yearly investment will end up saving in the long run, because routine maintenance can help avoid larger, more expensive repairs that can add up to tens of thousands of dollars or more. Once problems are found, the homeowner can make a determination about the best ways to fix them.

It is pretty easy and inexpensive to caulk a window, but a complete window replacement is best left to the professionals. Yet, the window replacement could have been avoided if regular home maintenance alerted the homeowner to the problem a few years ago.

(Aimee Dixon is marketing and operations director for the Springfield-Branson regional office of HouseMaster, "The Home Inspection Professionals.")[[In-content Ad]]

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