Six Things you Can do to Maintain your Home

There are a lot of things to keep up with and keep track of as a homeowner. Here are a few quick tips to stay ahead of regular maintenance on your home. It is a good idea to have one central location to store all of your home maintenance and repair records as well. That way, if the time comes to sell your home at some point, you will have all of this information handy.

1. Irrigate your foundation. This is especially important in an area like Texas where our business, Cornerstone Property Inspection, is located and operates. This is because the soil is especially sensitive to moisture and houses in this region will settle over time. Some of this settling is normal, expected wear and tear on the house. However, it can cause you as the homeowner to have some costly repairs done if the foundation is not maintained properly. You can do this easily by installing things like subsurface drains, irrigation system soaker hose, etc. Check out this video for some additional details about installing a soaker hose around the perimeter of your foundation.
2. Change your air filters regularly. This is one of the most common questions we get from homeowners. Air filters should be replaced every 30-60 days.
3. Have your HVAC unit serviced annually. This is good to do in spring or the beginning of summer, before it gets too hot outside. Having routine service from a licensed professional will keep your HVAC unit(s) functioning at their proper level and can save you costly repairs down the road. Think of it as an “oil change” for your AC unit!
4. Check windows for damaged screens, panes, seals, and deteriorated caulking. All of these problems with your windows can decrease the energy efficiency of your home. Also, if you have holes in your window screens, you could be inviting some pesky insects inside when you leave them open.
5. Make sure there is no vegetation/debris in direct contact with the exterior of your home. Vegetation and debris too close to the exterior walls of your home is creating conditions conducive to wood destroying insects. READ: You are inviting termites to snack on your house. Plants can also sneak into the exterior walls of your home through cracks if you are not monitoring closely.
6. Get a Home Wellness Inspection from a licensed professional home inspector. This can look differently depending on the inspection company you choose. Cornerstone Property Inspection will inspect the present condition of the home’s major systems based on a visiual inspection of accessible features. This is intended to bring attention to potential issues for homeowners or landlords.

We created this list to help you keep your home in top condition. It is by no means an exhaustive list, just meant to give a couple of quick tips for you and your family to stay ahead of potential issues that may arise during the time you live in your home. Please contact us with any questions you have, or if there is any way in which we can be of service to you!