Deferred Maintenance

1. Deferred Maintenance

A lack of normal upkeep. Deferred maintenance is an appraisal term used to note items like broken windows, missing shingles, peeling paint, broken guttering, and other property defects that have not been addressed by the owner.

It seems like in the past week, I've heard numerous people talk about deferred maintenance with regard to their home.  Most of the time, people have decided to list their house on the market and realize just how many maintenance projects they have avoided or postponed over the years due to budget limitations, time constraints or lack of skills to fix the issues.

This can have a massive effect upon your selling situation and your personal finances.

Maybe you remember when you looked for your home to purchase and how stressful that was for you. You had paperwork you had to complete, financing to arrange, likely a down payment to make and probably closing costs you had to have ready.  Imagine you toured a house that you really liked, but had some issues such as:

Broken windows

Bad carpet

Missing shingles

Or a leaky faucet

When was the last time your chimney was cleaned?

Would you be quite as interested in purchasing this home? Maybe not...

Often times, a potential buyer will ask in their offer or contract for you to repair items.  Why not save yourself time and money and take care of some of these problems before the situation arises and you are forced to make fast decisions that might end up costing you more!

I'm not taking about doing major renovations to your home.  

Think of it this way:

Do you have tasks around your house that you really dislike doing and put them off til the last moment?  Personally, I do not like taking the trash out to the curb on trash day.  Not sure why...but I put it off until I can hear them coming down the street.  Ridiculous, I know, but I do it nearly every week.

And what happens?  I have to rush around the house to see what I still need to throw away, I have to run outside and hope I beat the truck.  And if I don't?  I end up with a trash can full of stinky trash for another week and if I produce a lot of trash over the next week, it might not all fit into my container and then the City will charge me extra for too much trash.

So this week, take a tour of your own home and write down anything you have procrastinated fixing up. Not so much cosmetic problems like paint colors, but broken things that might effect the sale of the house someday.   Prioritize it by cost to fix, importance to buyers or what benefits you living in the home yourself right now.  You might be surprised at what you will actually get resolved!

Here at our house, 

~I listed the sliding door lock because I currently have a wood board securing it when it's closed.  This is a safety issue for us and a possible home buyer would be mortified!

~Our microwave has a broken handle.  Actually, we purchased our home and the day we moved in, I opened the microwave to heat something and the handle came off in my hand.  It had been glued on to give the appearance that everything was fine.  Sadly, we have never totally fixed it over the past 4 years.  With this list item, we just need to replace the microwave.

~Our carpet on the main level of our house has some pet stains and normal wear and tear.  It's my goal to replace it this year with some sort of hardwood flooring.

~Our house has a hot tub.  We didn't set out to buy a house that had a hot tub; we considered it an added bonus.  That is, until we had to maintain it.  We used it frequently our first year here, but then used it less and less and last year, didn't maintain it at all.  Not we're not sure what to do, so we'll need to call in an expert this spring.

Here are some articles I've found online about deferred maintenance:

This article talks about plaster and windowsills.

This one mentions driveways.

And this one has an excellent list of things you might need to clean.  Gutters, air-conditioner unit, fridge coils and dryer vents.  

Maybe a checklist would help~

And don't forget to take a look at my pinterest board for additional information.  Feel free to pin anything that might help you!

Heather Hasler Homes for Sale on Pinterest

Let me know if you have questions or would like me to tour your home and help you make a maintenance list.  I can also refer you to handy people you can pay to do some work so you don't have to!

Now if you'll excuse me...I hear my trash truck coming...gotta go!!  lol

Heather Hasler Homes for Sale

Realty Executives~Hedges Real Estate, Inc.

785-207-0142

haslerheather@gmail.com

Your garage is important, too!

Does your garage look something like this??

I'm sorry to say that mine does...

Today, I've found some great ideas on pinterest to helps us out!

One of my main garage problems is lacking the correct equipment to store awkward items.  And I refuse to spend a bunch of money to buy fancy box store organizers.  I have several hoses that I need to store during the winter months.  And big extension cords, too.  Here's a great idea:

How easy and inexpensive!  Ikea has several options for coat hooks for under $5.  Pottery Barn has some for around $24.  Your local hardware store has numerous styles price $5-$20.

You could buy vinyl covered swing set chain for around $24 or you can buy it by the foot at a store like Lowe's or Home Depot for around $1 per foot.

Such a simple project, but it can have a big impact on your garage organization!

My garage doesn't have a workbench and my husband has started enjoying small handyman projects around the house.  I'd love for him to have his own work station.  And for it to be portable would be a plus!  We could pull it to the center of the garage when needed, move it into the drive way, etc...

Here's the link for the free workbench plans!

As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Hasler has been bit by the handyman bug.  And I love it!  He decided to make a pegboard for our kitchen so that my cooking utensils can be close at hand and easy to grab while I'm cooking.  He scoured the internet for ideas and plans and we headed to Home Depot with a gift card.

I LOVE IT!

We had our dimensions planned out and since we don't have a proper saw and saw horses to cut the pegboard ourselves, Home Depot did it for us!  

Now we have 2 extra pieces that we can use in my craft room and in the laundry room!

There are tons of hook options.  I had no idea!!

We spent about $40  for the entire project.  And it was well worth it!

Here are some other ideas for pegboards:

Here's the website!

I really like the containers for items like zip ties!

And how gorgeous is this one??

Love it :)

This site has 28 ideas for you!

Did anyone else have parents or grandparents who hung a tennis ball from their garage ceiling so they'd know how far to pull their car into the garage?  My grandfather did.  And now I think I need one, too!  

I hope some of these tips will help you out.  I plan to put several into practice at my own house!

If you're thinking of listing your home this year, keep in mind that prospective buyers will tour your garage in addition to the interior of your home.  How impressed would they be if your garage area was organized and well-planned?  

Feel free to peruse my pinterest board for more ideas and let me know if you have some ideas that I've forgotten or haven't seen before.

Heather Hasler Homes for Sale on Pinterest