While we always hear the disadvantages of renting over buying, we sometimes forget that buying has its pitfalls too. One of these is is the problems of taking care of the building and grounds with regular maintenance. This can be time-consuming and expensive to the owner. But to ensure you home retains or gain values it's important that it is done. Read on to find out what the essential maintenance jobs are.
Garden
First of all, a property with a poor garden is unlikely to sell. A lush well looked after outside space can add serious value to your property, but an overgrown mess of a garden is more likely to just put buyers off.
Even if you are not the most green fingered person in the world, it’s worth keeping the garden basic, if neat and tidy. Weed regularly, cut the grass and make sure that wood fences and furniture are treated with a protective coat.
Roof
While we don't see it much, the roof is another key part of the home. If there's a problem with the roof, potential buyers will avoid it like the plague, as they are often expensive to fix.
Additional features like solar panels on the roof can often help raise the price of the property. But you need to make sure that they are protected from damage, by using something like these bird spikes.
Driveway
Now we all have at least one or two cars per family, the driveway of your home is often a high use area. In addition, it's an important feature that prospective buyers will look at because they will want to be able to keep their cars safe.
If the driveway on your property is looking a little worse for wear, consider installing a new one. Steer clear of loose pebbles and stones though, as they have a habit of jumping up and marking the windows and paintwork on your car.
Walls
In its very essence, your house is just four walls. That is what delineates it from the space around it and makes it your own. So it makes sense that you should ensure that your walls are always kept in good condition.
There are quite a few problems that can affect the structure and stability of the walls of a house, and none are good news if you want to sell.
The first thing to be worried about is rising damp, where the foundations soak up water from the surrounding earth. This then travels up into the walls causing rot and mold, which if left untreated can cause structural weakness.
The second issue is subsidence, this is where the ground around or under the home moves, and the walls as they are set to a fixed point move with it. This can result in large cracks and even collapsing walls. It can be dangerous for anyone lying in the property.
It is sometimes necessary to have the walls pinned or removed nearby trees and bushes to stop the problem.
