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A SPECIAL SECTION DEVOTED TO
LIVING ON LAKE LANIER
Decks, Docks and Details
Real estate expert offers home
maintenance tips to preserve value
By
Pamela A. Keene
With homeownership, there’s always a honey-do list.
But how many people actually take the lists seriously, especially
those routine maintenance items that just seem to keep on giving.
Realtors Melinda Blankenship and Dana Glenn of Team
Blankenship-Glenn with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro
Brokers offer a checklist to help with these chores.
“Keeping up with the little things around the house a
bit at a time can save you valuable time and money,” Blankenship
said. “Even if you just set aside a half-hour per week and do one
project each week, you’re making headway toward keeping your home in
tip-top shape.”
Here are some of their recommendations, which can be
done at any time of the year:
• Change your furnace/air-conditioner filters
monthly. Clogged filters decrease unit efficiency and can cause
breakdowns.
• Drain your water heater at least once a year.
Sediment will drain out along with the water from the water tank.
Removing sediment can prolong the heater’s useful life.
• Clean the coils. If you have baseboard heating
units that use hot water, clear dust from the coils inside the units
to maximize heating efficiency. Clean dust whenever you see it
accumulating. If you have a hot water boiler/furnace, you should
also oil the pump inside the furnace twice a year. Look for the
three spots on the pump designated for oiling.
• Watch out for drips. Check under sinks periodically
to look for leaks or water stains that might indicate leaks.
Catching a small problem early can prevent water damage. Use a
plunger to clean out sinks and tubs whenever water doesn’t drain
normally.
• Be aware of life spans. Water heaters, furnaces,
roofs, and other key components of your home should be replaced
before they fail, based on their average useful lives. Here’s a
general ballpark of the life span for key components: Exterior house
paint: 5-10 years, furnace: 15-50 years, roof: 13-15 years, water
heater: 7-15 years, wood deck staining: 4-7 years.
• Keep the wet out. Water is a major enemy of your
house. Check each season for signs of water damage to your home.
Flashing, the metal pieces used to seal the areas between roofs and
chimneys and around doors and windows, is especially vulnerable to
damage by wind or age. Loose flashing can let water seep under a
roof or inside walls, which in turn can cause mold.
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Look up. Chimneys take a great deal of weather abuse. Visually
inspect them each year for signs of loose mortar or loose or missing
bricks. Have the insides of chimneys cleaned every two to three
years. Also check your roof for loose shingles or dangling gutters.
“By keeping up with these simple tasks, you can
prevent costly repairs and also minimize the preparation time if
you’re planning to put your home on the market,” Glenn said. “Be
diligent about these chores and you’ll be protecting your largest
investment, your home.”
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