Every year, homeowners, property managers and real estate investors pay for deferred maintenance. Studies show that putting off required maintenance can increase expenses by as much as 600%!
You read that right. Of all factors that impact your property value, damages due to ingress of water is a big one and can easily be avoided. Your home is a significant investment, with the potential for helping structure a long-term wealth strategy. In recent years, we have seen values skyrocket. In fact, property values here in Tyler, Texas have increased an average of over 13% in the past year alone. Life happens at a fast pace and it is easy to put off even important maintenance tasks. Without careful consideration, people may find that their biggest investment is suffering signs of neglect. Instead of reaping the benefits of a market seeing historic highs, neglected property can actually be losing value.
Deferred maintenance, especially pertaining to gutter cleaning, can lead to significant issues down the road. From rotten wood and roofing to mold inside walls. From a cracked foundation to eroding soil, problems caused from neglected gutters are numerous, expensive to fix and are also easily avoidable. These types of problems not only diminish the appeal of a property but can often develop into a very real threat to its value and even the structural integrity of a home.
In this post, we explore the impact of deferred maintenance. We hope to provide strategies to help you retain property value, increase longevity of your gutter system and offer insight into problems all property owners and managers alike face.
What does deferred maintenance mean?
We should all be routinely visiting a doctor for a checkup. It may be unpleasant to schedule and attend these sessions, but if we put off our responsibilities to save time or money, we will likely face bigger problems. It is no different for our home.
Repairs and upkeep are required for any home. We must sometimes prioritize even important tasks. Even if we have no choice and must delay maintenance or repairs, due to budget limitations or time constraints, we must understand that doing so will likely lead to even greater expenses in the long run.
The consequences of neglecting gutter cleaning
Maintaining a home can sometimes feel like a full time job. When we allow a deferred maintenance backlog, we may find ourselves juggling several important and equally expensive tasks all at once. of the least expensive tasks yet one that provides big benefits is gutter cleaning. .
Safety hazards: Neglecting gutter maintenance can actually present safety hazards in your home. An overflowing gutter for example, can cause water damage and create an environment in which mold can grow and even thrive. This can be hazardous to health and over time can potentially cause respiratory issues to develop!
Deferred maintenance and decreased property values: In Tyler Texas and the surrounding areas, Lindale, Whitehouse, Kilgore, Longview... we are all sitting on property that can be viewed as a goldmine. However, deferred maintenance and can drastically affect a property's value and with it, your financial stability. A poorly maintained property can see it's value decrease and possibly reduce the equity built up over time. Low equity can make it harder to tap into reserves in case of a financial emergency or to fund other investments.
Curb Appeal: Potential buyers will commonly have a home inspected and all the deferred maintenance tasks that seemed hidden or forgotten are suddenly brought to light. Even the best real estate agents will find it difficult to explain away actual damages and some of the most costly to repair are damages caused by overflowing gutters that have caused issues with the foundation. Foundation issues have been known to cause buyers to pull out of deals and if a property with foundation problems does sell, it is often done so at a loss.
Strategies for tackling deferred maintenance
1. Prioritize
When prioritizing maintenance tasks, we should consider repairs by their ultimate expense. For example, if two repairs are required, consider what each will cost if neglected. If repair number 1 will ultimately result in a lesser charge than repair 2, then make the number 2 repair fist, even if it is seemingly not as pressing. It may be that you have maintenance to do that is cosmetic and would provide satisfaction in seeing it done, but if there is another task that could lead to a structural issue then it makes sense to address that one first, even if it provides no cosmetic improvement.
2. Add your preventive maintenance plan to a calendar
Gutter cleaning is a task that can be assigned to seasons. Once you determine your home's needs, you can assign gutter cleaning a date and time, just as you would any other important event. In Smith county, TNT Gutter Cleaning of Tyler TX can even add the service to OUR calendar, so you don't even need to think about it. Put your gutter cleaning on autopilot by membership to our gutter maintenance program.
3. Hire professionals for dangerous tasks
Lack of knowledge, time and appropriate tools are all good reasons behind the motivation to delay maintenance. Another good reason is that gutter cleaning is an inherently dangerous task. Using the services of a professional is an especially good idea when attempting to perform the task yourself could result in injury or even death.
4. Funding
Lack of funds is another big but valid excuse for putting off routine maintenance and repairs. When it comes to gutter cleaning, the excuse is less valid, given that we charge only 10 cents per square foot of home for our cleaning service.
Final thoughts
Deferred maintenance by delaying necessary repairs, can negatively impact the health of your home, the value of your property, your bank account and even your health. Damage to a home is often difficult to repair and comes at a greater expense than maintaining it in the first place. The best way to retain value and minimize repair is by keeping up with maintenance in the first place. Doing so is an investment in the future.
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