Maintenance Inspections
What is a Maintenance Inspection?
A maintenance inspection is an assessment of your home, it’s parts and systems, and allows us to determine their functionality. It is exactly like a pre-purchase exam, but with the added benefit of time on your side — you don’t have to make any rushed decisions.
Why Get a Maintenance Inspection?
Just like humans, homes age and some parts don’t work as well as they did when they were new. In order to keep homes (and humans!) functioning, we need to address issues when they come up, as well as perform regular tasks to keep the home functional.
One of the biggest challenges facing homeowners today is the ever-increasing cost of repairs — things just cost so much more than they did 10, 5, or even 2 years ago! And many homeowners don’t know what to focus on. Just because you see that your roof is worn does not necessarily mean that is the most urgent issue.
A home is a collection of many systems working together. Only we look at ALL the systems can we tell which issues are urgent, and which ones can wait a bit.
A Real-World Example
Let’s take a common situation:
A homeowner sees that their roof looks worn. They have $10,000 available to do some home repairs that year. Being responsible, they have three roofing contractors come out and make bids. The bids come back at $10,000, $12,000, and $20,000. The homeowner was hoping that it would be a lot less, but things are expensive now! They are able to get access to a little more funds, and choose the middle option.
Roof is done — whew! Breathing a sigh of newly-cash-poor relief, they at least feel they have done the right thing and cared for their home investment.
Except…. The next week they discover horrible flooding in the basement. A plumber discovers there have been slow leaks for months, and now the plumber says they need to re-plumb the house.
This situation is avoidable. Yes, the roof might need repaired, but perhaps it could have made it another year with a tune-up, allowing the funds to go to the plumbing repair, which was, in actuality, the real priority.
A contractor coming to bid is going to look at the system you asked them to evaluate, and only generates income if you select them to complete the work. Only a home inspector looks at ALL the parts of the home, and does not benefit financially from the outcome of the evaluation.
Why Don’t More Homeowners Do This?
I love this question. Why don’t more homeowners get a maintenance inspection, especially when they have owned their home for five, ten, or more years?
There are two reasons, I think.
People don’t know about this service. Once they have been in the home, they forget about the job of home inspector, or they think it only applies to new houses.
Fear. It is scary to learn about what might be wrong with your home, and the costs that would come with fixing it. Just like being afraid to get a yearly physical, people would rather just not know. Eventually, your body insists that you take care of it. Eventually, your house will, too. It really is true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, though, and you can save thousands of dollars by performing small repairs before they turn into giant replacements.
Finally: Shame
I have heard from multiple homeowners that they are ashamed of their house — that they are embarrassed that they haven’t fixed parts, or that their home is messy or chaotic.
HGTV, I blame you. And social media. I shake my fist at you both!
As a culture we have been presented an idealized version of what homes should look like and how we should live in them. Real life is messy. Under the sink is gross and scary. Kids throw EVERYTHING under the bed. People have cat litter boxes that sometimes smell. That is real life.
If this doesn’t describe your home, kudos! If it feels like it does, you are not alone. More homes than not are busy, full, messy, and lived-in. Mine is! I also have lots of things in my home that are in need of repair - most houses do! I take care of the important ones, and live with the rest, and that’s okay. We are safe and happy.
Schedule One Today — You Know You Want To!
If you are wondering what you need to do to care for your home, consider a maintenance inspection. There is zero judgment from me as your inspector. I will work WITH you to identify priorities, and will also not let the cat out while I’m there. Make your dollars go farther with a maintenance inspection.