The Importance of Home Maintenance, Issue # 1

REAL ESTATE IN MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA IS A LOT MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TO LIVE. 
YOUR HOME IS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT.  PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT WITH GOOD MAINTENANCE.

Issue #1:  The Importance of Home Maintenance.                     
Issue #2.  On-Site Sewage Systems.
Issue #3.  Freshen the Landscaping
Future issues to be determined.

Most home buyers consider three criteria when selecting a home to buy; price, location and condition. 

PRICE:  Price is important to make sure buyers select homes within their qualifying range or comfort level. 
LOCATION:  Location is important, usually because of job or school locations and transportation alternatives.
CONDITION:  The visible appearance of a home will show surface condition, but a home inspection will reveal
defects and items that require repair or replacement.  This is why regular and dedicated maintenance of
your home is so important. 

        * Maintenance is less expensive than repair.      
      * Repair is less expensive than replacement.

                                                 Follow the Spring Clean-up of this house in Lovettsville, VA.
        
Real estate in Maryland and Virginia, whether you have a one bedroom condo or a luxury home on acreage,
will require thoughtful maintenance.  Next to making timely mortgage payments, maintenance is the biggest
challenge to home ownership.  Maintaining a home well will reduce repair and replacement costs for systems
such as appliances, heating, cooling, water heaters, roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, grounds, on-site
sewage, wells, sump pumps.  Unlike decorating a home, maintenance is absolutely necessary.  Neglected
or deferred maintenance will reduce the value of your home. 

SAFETY AND COMFORT.   Good home maintenance will help you manage electrical outages, heavy snow
and rain storms, heat waves, wear and tear on floors and carpets, preserving kitchen and bathroom counter
tops, doors and windows, water penetration and more. 

PAY NOW OR PAY LATER.  When home owners in Maryland and Virginia list their home for sale, they
often believe that prospective home buyers will walk through the home and buy or not buy based on what they
see.  That was often true in past years before property condition disclosure statutes, home inspections
and Buyer's Agency.  Sellers are required by law to disclose material defects.  Contracts of Sale that have
inspection contingencies mean that if a home inspection reveals systems that are not in operating condition,
the seller will be required to repair or replace the item or the buyer may void the contract. 

TIME FOR SPRING CLEAN-UP.

The Crocuses and Daffodils are in bloom in the Washington, Maryland and Northern Virginia and that means time for Spring clean-up.  Follow this series for helpful hints and reminders about home maintenance.  Issues to follow will include simple maintenance tips for homes in Maryland and Northern Virginia. 

Beautiful Crocus in bloom in Loudoun County Virginia.  Blooming in soil around a rock formation, these little beauties are one of the first blooms in the area in March and, while small, bloom in just an inch or so of soil. 

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.