Your Biggest Investment

Giving Your house Its Semi-annual Physical

By: Ryan Reyes
Date: April 9, 2010 @ 11:00 A.M.

Categories: Housing Maintenance

Tags: Painting, Repair, Houses, Inspections

"A house is a home, shelter, building or structure that is a dwelling or place for habitation by human beings."

Every spring and autumn is the time to save money, and protect what is probably your biggest investment, by giving your house its semi-annual top-to-bottom physical examination. No matter how invulnerable your home may look, hazard to its health lurk almost everywhere. So it pays to head off problems in the early stages by practicing preventive maintenance. If you take care of your house, it will take care of you. In sum, you will get more for it when you sell it.

The best way to handle maintenance chores is to put them on a schedule. For newer houses and those in mild climates, an annual inspection tour should suffice. but if your house is more than 10 years old or has to weather ice and snow, you are wise to make quarterly checkups.

You also can save both time and money by repairing your house in stages rather than all at once. The south side usually needs painting every three to six years. The other side require it only every eight to ten years.