A New Home Owner’s Guide To Maintenance This Season

Spring is a great time to be a new home owner. It offers the best climate in which to tackle those mandatory maintenance projects that all home owners must tend to at least once annually.

“Maintaining your home’s integrity helps foster the sense of pride that comes with home ownership,” says Costa Poulopoulos, president of the Ontario Real Estate Association. “If you recently became a new home owner, now’s the time to turn your attention to a few big projects that will keep your home in good shape for years to come.”

Here’s a checklist of some of the more important maintenance jobs to tackle this spring:

• Roof – check for loose or cracked shingles
• Air conditioning – clean air conditioner filter
• Sheds and garages – check for damage that might have occurred over the winter
• Sealing around windows and doors – check caulking for air and water leaks and fill cracks with caulk
• Water heater – check for leaks
• Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors – replace batteries if necessary
• Inspect driveways and walks for frost damage – patch fissures with a caulking gun and asphalt patching caulk
• Check eaves troughs and downspouts – clean the gutters as soon as leaves and gunk plug them up, which may be several times a year depending on the wind and trees around your house
• Check that windows and screens are operating properly
• Inspect and touch up exterior paint – look for paint that has blistered, bubbled, peeled or cracked. Painting helps prevent damage to exterior siding, overhangs, soffits, eaves and gutters

“Be sure to take care of all regular seasonal maintenance so that your warranty (if applicable) will cover any major issues,” advises Poulopoulos. “Many homeowners don’t know that all new homes in Ontario come with a seven-year warranty that protects homes from issues like water seepage through the basement or foundation, defects in the electrical, plumbing and heating systems, and major structural damage, amongst other issues.”

More information is available at, www.wedothehomework.ca.

This article is provided by local REALTORS® and the Ontario Real Estate Association for the benefit of consumers in the real estate market.