Your home goes through a fair amount of wear and tear throughout the year, which can result in needing to repair or replace certain elements. However, performing annual maintenance tasks can help your home stay in excellent condition year after year.
Here are a few tasks to complete throughout your year to keep your home fresh and rejuvenated:
Drain the water heater
A buildup of sediment in your water heater can shorten its lifespan. Draining your water heater each year helps eliminate sediment, so it doesn't accumulate over the years. Doing this on an annual basis can help your water heater last longer before needing to be replaced. This maintenance task also helps ensure your water heater works properly, so your home always has plenty of hot water.
Check for termites
Termites are among the biggest causes of serious property damage. Checking for signs of a termite infestation once a year is important, so you can get pest control treatment started right away. Signs you have a termite problem include seeing mud tubes connected to your home's exterior, having areas of weakened wood and tiny holes in drywall.
Clean the dryer exhaust
Your dryer exhaust can get clogged with lint over time, which can be a fire hazard. Lint buildup can also make it harder for your dryer to work efficiently. Check and clean your dryer exhaust once a year to remove lint buildup and keep your dryer running smoothly.
Schedule professional HVAC maintenance
Your HVAC system experiences considerable wear and tear, especially during winter and summer. An annual HVAC maintenance visit can go a long way toward helping your HVAC system last longer and run properly over the years. These visits include having HVAC equipment inspected and cleaned, so your heating and cooling systems run efficiently.
Clean and oil garage door components
Your garage door springs, rollers and hinges should be oiled or lubricated once a year. You should also clean the garage door tracks on an annual basis to remove debris. These tasks help ensure your garage door opens and closes as quietly, safely and smoothly as possible.
About the Author
Judy Szablak
With over 30 years in the industry, Realtor Judy Szablak has been on national television for her real estate expertise on the HGTV Network, featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Morning Living” , NPR radio as an expert real estate panelist, It’s Relevant News channel, and quoted in the Wall Street Journal for her in depth knowledge of Fairfield County Connecticut real estate.
She was also on the local NPR radio station (WSHU) as a Fairfield County CT real estate expert. Judy has provided multiple online respected news sources with her real estate expertise including The Daily Easton, The Daily Weston, The Daily Fairfield, The Daily Stamford and The Daily Greenwich, as well as in print in the New York Post. She is a weekly Real Estate Columnist for WestportNow.com, another real estate column "Real Estate With Judy” is syndicated through Hearst CT Media Online and seen in The Connecticut Post, The Danbury News-Times, The Stamford Advocate, The Greenwich Time, The Hour, Fairfield Citizen, Westport News, Darien News, New Canaan News and the Wilton Villager.
Judy is also the author of the book, The Art of Buying or Selling a Home, available at all major book retailers. Additionally, Judy has been nationally recognized in a number of national real estate trade magazines, some with distribution to over 1 million members. She was featured in Real Estate Today as early as 1994 for her commitment to, and implementation of technology in real estate. Judy appeared in the Certified Residential Specialist Magazine, as she provided advice on marketing strategies and ethics in the article titled "Marketing Makeovers.”
Judy was also featured in REALTOR® Magazine, regarding image enhancement for Realtors. She was again featured in REALTOR® Magazine, in an article on "Achieving Flow” and operating at optimal peak performance. In another article in the same publication, Judy offered guidance to fellow real estate professionals as she explored the topic of implementing and maintaining personal websites. She has appeared in The Council of Residential Specialists Magazine, which featured her ideas regarding technology. Additionally, Judy authored an article on marketing and technology for the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Online Magazine. On two occasions, in 2015 and 2017, she appeared as a featured agent in Top Agent Magazine. I have a few other websites- www.TheCtrealtyBlog.com www.CtHomesAndRealEstate.com www.BestWestportHomes.com www.ThePetitePowerhouse.com www,SzablakConsulting.com
