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I'd Rather Play Cards Than Fix The Fence ~ Deferred Maintenance Excuse

By Gary Woltal

Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty 0575737

April 29, 2011 04:25 AM

Card Playing I think for the men in the audience at least the phrase

I'd Rather Play Cards Than Fix The Fence

has some truth in it when it comes to maintenance on a home. Always more honey do's on the list than weekends or time to complete them. Maintenance on homes, especially large ones I am convinced more than anything else gets put off because of CHOICE. Other things we prefer to do in life. Surely there are money issues with repairing a sink, roof, fence, new landscaping, foundation work, addressing plumbing leaks etc. as well as finding the right resource to do the work if you need assistance and the TIME to set aside to do it, but more than anything else we follow that path of least resistance (at least as men), the boat calls us, the golf game, our favorite hobby, time on the computer, even time with significant other or family or vacations. The FUN stuff life is supposed to be made up of.

Trimming those branches on the trees around the house? Painting and sealing that backyard wood deck? Once a year cleaning all the windows or cleaning out the rain gutters? This is the FUN stuff of life?

Sometimes life will get your attention with a leak in the roof, shingles blown off, the neighbor gardening behind your house with the missing planks in your fence with your dog ALMOST biting her. Amazing how fast we CAN move in a crisis. Shows once again it is all about CHOICE.

Again, for the guys, that poker game is calling to us like a siren song. The fence can wait. Or can it? The best of ALL worlds Mr. Maintenance Man is learning to prioritize, find the time and money and DELEGATE it to someone who can get the job done quickly. Have the Junk Man come over for the garage. The sprinkler company adjust all those heads around the lawn. Professional painters do that necessary paint job in a few days or the tiling and caulking person fix that one crummy looking bathroom of yours. A good plumber can fix that running toilet in a jiffy.

In the end you do not want to let deferred maintenance go on and on and on till you sell your house some day as then it is like a MOUNTAIN of work to get your house all fixed up.

You can get to your poker game, just have something going on regularly in parallel in the background on the homefront.

Something fixed well today prevents future headaches tomorrow.

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Gary Woltal

Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX

Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Elisa: Apparently with fence sitters they are tough with not doing what they know they need to do. Maybe they just need someone to come along and push them a little. I can think of a lot more fun things to do than playing cards too but I thought we were talking about getting those nasty chores out of the way FIRST, lol.

Apr 29, 2011 04:14 PM

Cheryl Ritchie

RE/MAX Leading Edge www.GoldenResults.com - Huntingtown, MD

Southern Maryland 301-980-7566

I think it is like blogging. Just plod along and do some fix up each day.

Apr 29, 2011 04:45 PM

Gary Woltal

Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX

Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Cheryl: That's a grand idea. Just nick away at it, one prioritized maintenance task at a time. Almost like a project per month.

Apr 29, 2011 04:50 PM

William Johnson

Retired - La Jolla, CA

Retired

Hi Gary, As a real estate professional, it always amazes me how many things I see in homes that need attention. I think when we become comfortable in our homes, many become complacent and just don't see these things. A wonderful reminder for homeowners , selling or not should take care of even the minor things that often become major things when ignored.

Apr 29, 2011 05:08 PM

Carla Muss-Jacobs, RETIRED

RETIRED / State License is Inactive - Portland, OR

And no one should be monkeying around when these deferred maintenance to be done ;-)

Apr 29, 2011 05:17 PM

Evelyn Kennedy

Alain Pinel Realtors - Alameda, CA

Alameda, Real Estate, Alameda, CA

GAry:

I don't ask my husband to do minor repairs. I just hire someone to do them. My husband works hard during the week. It's OK if he relaxes during the weekend. Poker is OK with me.

Apr 29, 2011 05:51 PM

Sondra Meyer:

EXP Realty, LLC - Corpus Christi, TX

See It. Experience It. Live It.

Gary, congrats on this becoming a featured post. Well deserved. It's supposed to snow/rain again this weekend, so there won't be too much fence fixing in Colorado Spring this weekend.

Good point about deferred maintenance. The sooner fixed the better because it tends to just worse as time goes by.

Apr 29, 2011 06:00 PM

Ronald DiLalla

Century 21 Discovery DRE 01813824 - Anaheim, CA

No. Orange Cty Real Estate

I guess we all have a little procrastination in us, but it can be expensive at times....some small little detailed item can turn into something major..

Apr 29, 2011 06:44 PM

Clint Mckie

Desert Sun Home, commercial Inspections - Carlsbad, NM

Desert Sun Home, Comm. Inspection 1-575-706-5586

Hi Gary, The phrase "out of site out of mind" come to mind. But the problem we run into is that if the homeowner will not fix it till it's too late. Then they are the ones loosing money and possibly as sale.

Money is a major factor when it comes to "repairing" even small things around the home.

Clint McKie

Apr 29, 2011 11:01 PM

Gary Woltal

Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX

Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

William: The comfortable in our homes thought is like clutter. It builds up and with neglect everything starts looking shabby around us.

Carla: Yep, no monkeying around in this area. It is too important long term.

Evelyn: Getting someone else to do the repairs does save everyone's time.

Sondra: I hope your weather warms up dries out soon. Minor repairs turning into expensive hassles happens so often later with neglect you are right.

Ronald: There is that snowball effect of something minor becoming something major.

Clint: You are right when it comes to for sale the maintenance that is not kept up along the way they lose even more potential dollars on the sale price.

Apr 30, 2011 02:27 AM

Michael Setunsky

Woodbridge, VA

Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Gary, you make a very valid point most men don't like to hear. The only problem with putting something off today is in the long run it will cost more to fix in the future. Thanks for the reminder.

Apr 30, 2011 02:39 AM

Joshua Vensel

VENVISIO - Real Estate Photography - Atlanta, GA - Marietta, GA

Call me wierd (wouldn't be the first time), but I enjoy home maintenance! The sense of accomplishment is very satisfying for me. Likewise, I've always thought it silly to see houses neglected, then fixed up to sell to the next owner. Where's the pride of ownership? BTW - Great idea of having a handyman on call for those who do defer maintenance.

Apr 30, 2011 04:09 AM

Ricki Eichler McCallum

CastNet Realty - Corpus Christi, TX

Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS

Hi Gary, A very good word to the wise! Fix it today! :)

Apr 30, 2011 04:15 AM

Mel Ahrens, MBA, Kelly Right Real Estate

Kelly Right Real Estate - Hood River, OR

Customized Choices for your Real Estate Needs

My poker games stopped shortly before the first youngster was born.

Mel

Apr 30, 2011 04:47 AM

Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker

Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA

Put 40 years of experience to work for you

I don't mind doing minor repairs around the house myself. In fact, sometimes, when I know I should be writing, for example, or maybe putting together the paperwork for next week's listing, I find the reverse is true. I hear the fence calling me and saying the rest of that stuff can wait, come out outside and hammer away.

Apr 30, 2011 06:51 AM

Irene Kennedy Realtor® in Northwestern NJ

Weichert - Lopatcong, NJ

Deal me in, Gary! Living in an 1800s home is constant maintenance. Sometimes I'd rather play poker but normally do the more important task.

Apr 30, 2011 11:04 AM

Dale Baker

Baker Energy Audits and Commercial Properties Inspections - Claremont, NH

New Hampshire Relocation Real Estate Information

Howdy and evening to you Gary

Gary, when home owners take the time to keep up on the maintenance of their home, they sure will find they will save themselves a good deal of money in the long run.

Have a good one
Dale in New Hampshire

Apr 30, 2011 12:13 PM

Gary Woltal

Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX

Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Michael: The pay me now or pay me MORE thought later holds.

Erica: That skipping inspections must be a treat although probably even with well maintained homes it is still recommended.

Joshua: It's not weird, I like your enthusiasm for staying on top of home repair. Very proactive attitude.

Ricki: Today the repair is better than when thinking about selling. Monumental task then or sell as is at big loss in potential sales price.

Mel and Gretchen: Poker, ha ha, a phase in our lives.

Elizabeth: I figured you were the exception do it yourselfer.

Irene: Those historic homes are priceless once you get them all fixed up so you have to stay with it.

Dale: And saving money is good. People need to remember that.

Apr 30, 2011 01:38 PM

Jason Sardi

Auto & Home & Life Insurance throughout North Carolina - Charlotte, NC

Your Agent for Life

Woltal - First off, I had a dream last evening that I saw you on television. Not sure what that means, but it appeared that you'd been moisturizing. So good for you.

As far as the post, the last sentence sums things up perfectly. I learned the hard way at times, but will never make the same mistakes again. Hope all is well, my man.

May 01, 2011 03:38 AM

Tom Braatz Waukesha County Real Estate 262-377-1459

Coldwell Banker - Oconomowoc, WI

Waukesha County Realtor Real Estate agent. SOLD!

Gary

The projects that go undone today will certainly mount in more work down the road.

May 01, 2011 04:20 PM