Annual Property Maintenance That Can Save You Money

Whether you are a brand new home owner or have owned your home for a while you are probably wondering what would be some good items to make sure you stay on top of to keep your home in great shape while retaining it's value. Obviously there is the routine maintenance such as changing the AC filters, but there are quite a few other services we recommend to take care of in order to keep your property up to date.

This simple and straight forward list is the go to manual for property owners. We recommend that this maintenance list is done annually.

• Clean Your AC Condenser coil, check the temperature differential
• Clean the inside of your furnace and inspect for condensate leaks, rattles or squealing blower motors, check temperature rise and confirm within spec (on the data plate)
• Cycle and oil up your supply plumbing valves
• Clean your plumbing traps and drain stops
• Clean your bathroom fans - In most cases you can remove the cover either by pulling it down and unlatching the metal hooks or unscrewing it. Then use a vacuum cleaner and a toothbrush to remove the dirt from the blades and the housing. The cover gets washed in the sink and dried before reinstalling it back on.
• Clean your refrigerator coils - This one can save you the cost of a new refrigerator in the long run. If you use a coil brush to loosen the dust while keeping a vacuum running to collect the dust. 
• Tighten all your faucets and toilets (as needed)
• Clean your window mechanisms and seals
• Flush your water heater - if done correctly from when you first buy your home is the one thing that will keep your water heater going for years to come.
• Clean and repair the gutters (as needed)
• Inspect all exterior caulking, replace if needed
• Inspect shower/bathtub silicone, replace if needed 
• Clean the dryer ducts - if your registers are in the floor subject to a lot of dirt/debris and pet hair falling into it. If you want to clean the ducts yourself, remove the return vents and vacuum the ducts there. Most of the dust will be in this location.

• Duct Cleaning
• Expensive Furnace/AC filters
• Driveway pavement seals
• Painting of your deck (waste of time as the paint doesn't last long)