Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
As a property owner, it's your responsibility to maintain your property in good condition, especially if you're planning to have it rented, or you're already renting it. To ensure that, annual property maintenance is highly advised. Here's a suggested checklist for that.
8 Important Annual Maintenance Activities
Start with the Interior
If you really want to protect the value of your investment, regular property maintenance and water damage repair is highly advisable. Not only is it good for your financial interest, it would also help you avoid problems. Although some things, such as electrical repairs are best handled by property managers, there are some that you can do yourself.
- Appliance Maintenance
As a property owner, you should never put this off. Routine maintenance of appliances should be done on an annual basis. Ideally, it should be done in January while you're hibernating from the cold. Check and clean the fridge coils, hoses of the dishwasher, washing machine, and so on.
- Check the Air Filters
It's also important that you schedule professional air conditioner maintenance every year. Ideally, it should be every six months, but if you are too busy to schedule one make sure that you at least do it once a year. For window models, the coils should be brushed off and the filters should be cleaned. Keep in mind if you really want to reduce your energy bills, you have to ensure that your units are functioning properly.
- Check the Roof
No, we're not saying that you have to be on top of your roof. However, get your binoculars and try to check if some parts of your residential or commercial metal roofing need repair. Do you notice any shingle-shift? Or do the fasteners need some replacing? Likewise, are there any missing roofing shingles or cracked ones, or probably nail-pops? Better check those out.
- Exterior Walls
Whether you have brick siding, wood, or stucco, it's important that you look for troubled spots, especially near the gutter downspouts and under eaves. If there are water stains, then it can be an indication that the gutters are failing to catch the roof runoff. On the other hand, in case your siding is made up of wood, then check the openings and check the damaged areas or if the knots have popped out.
- Give Your Chimney Some Attention
If the property you own has a masonry chimney, then we do advise a closer look at the stones or bricks. Check if there are plants growing on them or if they have already fallen out. If any of these two can be observed, then it's a clear warning sign of water infiltration. Aside from that, also look to see if there are white calcium-like deposits. This could indicate that the masonry joints aren't capable of repelling the water anymore. You have to reseal masonry using a clear, water-resistant barrier. Simply brush it on, and let the masonry joints absorb the sealant for about 15 minutes.
- Check the Windows
It's important that there isn’t any leakage around the windows because this would affect the temperature inside your house. So, make it a point that you check if the weather stripping and caulking you placed before are still in its place and intact. According to experts, the best defense against water and air is a tight seal. That means that if you have ever encountered condensation on glass on double windows during winter months, then your weather seal have been compromised and you need to resolve this right away.
- Check the Foundations
As you inspect the exterior see to it that you also pay attention to foundation. A lot of homeowners have the misconception that all they need is routine caulking. The truth is, this won't fix the problem at all. What you need is an expert who can handle such problem.
Other Important Reminders:
- All floor coverings even carpets should be cleaned professionally.
- Make sure that all smoke alarms are working properly.
- Paint and patch any interior walls that are damaged.
- Repair any unsafe stairs, decking, or railings.
- All door locks must be working properly.
Annual management of your property doesn't have to be a difficult task. As long as you follow the checklist discussed above, you'll have a profitable and well-maintained investment property. This would lead to high retention, lower vacancies, on time payments, and most especially, less stress regarding maintenance and repairs.
