5 Tips to Extend the Life of Your Home

Much like healthy eating habits and regular doctor visits improve how your body ages, the efforts you put into maintaining your home can affect how it ages as well. A well taken care of home is generally more reliable, secure and valuable. As the housing market grows more competitive, people are staying in homes much longer than they used to. Because of this, taking proper care of your home in order to extend its life has never been more important. Not to mention, a home that lasts longer can be passed down for future generations to enjoy. Try these five tips to extend the life of your home:

1. Keep up with maintenance: Finding and repairing minor issues, such as a leaky faucet or stained drywall, should be taken care of in a timely manner. It’s easy to put off a repair in lieu of your busy schedule, but a minor problem left unattended can easily turn into a bigger, more expensive problem down the road. The more you do to keep up your home, that better equipped it will be to withstand the elements, even as it ages. Keep in mind that for every $1 spent on maintenance, you can avoid up to $100 in resulting repairs.
2. Add a fresh coat of paint: Painting is not only an easy way to freshen up your home, but a new coat of paint every five years can actually extend the life of your home by approximately ten years. Applying new paint helps protect your walls from rust formation, dirt, contaminants, odors and general deterioration, which can lead to expensive damages. As an added bonus, preparing your walls and trim for painting can alert you to damages, such as drywall cracks or water stains, that you may not have otherwise noticed. This gives you the opportune chance to repair any problems before they grow out of control.
3. Inspect routinely: Make it a habit to walk around and check your home each month for any areas that need attention, particularly in rooms you don’t visit often, such as a guest room. Certain parts of your home, such as your chimney or AC unit, will need annual inspecting/cleaning. Other parts, such as your driveway or roof, need little attention for ten or more years at a time (though it’s still a good idea to eyeball them every so often, just in case). Regular inspections help to catch minor damages that can then be repaired before they become much bigger, and much more expensive problems.
4. Don’t get cheap: It’s like the old saying—you get what you pay for. When purchasing items to maintain your home or repair minor damages, invest in quality materials. Cheap products may save you money initially, but they tend to live a short life, causing you to spend more money on replacements. Quality materials will generally last much longer, saving you money in the long run.
5. Hire help: Some home maintenance, such as changing light bulbs and cleaning gutters, can be done on your own time. However, larger tasks, such as inspecting air ducts for leaks or re-carpeting a room, should be performed by professionals. Hiring someone who knows what they’re doing will get the job done with little to no hiccups, saving you money by doing it right the first time around.

Protect the home you take such great care of. Call Pan American Insurance at (915) 562-0009 for more information on El Paso home insurance.