When first moving into a home, buyers typically have a list of things they want to tackle first. After you have brought your Pinterest board to life and finished painting the house 6 different shades of grey it is time to start thinking about maintenance items you want to begin tackling.
You completed the home inspection, bought the house, unpacked but now what? What do you do with the home inspection report that you had completed after moving into the house? Do you just let it sit there in a random stack of papers or let it sit in your inbox and never look at it again? Think again! Use it as a starting point to create a maintenance checklist!
Re-Read Your Home Inspection Report
Once you are settled in your house, sit down with a cup of coffee and re-read your home inspection report. Take the time to really review every detail of the report and start dividing it into two categories. Separate the items on the report into major repairs and minor repairs.
This is a great starting point to create a checklist for all the projects you want to focus on. Sometimes when buying a home, you can negotiate with the seller to have some items fixed prior to closing on the house. It is very rare however that every single item in a home be fixed so that is why is best to review your home inspection report after moving in to list out all the items that are still left to be repaired.
Maintenance Tip: List and Prioritize Critical Repairs
Once you have taken the time to break down the minor and major repairs based off your inspection report, I recommend prioritizing what projects are of your highest concern. If you have several major repairs on your list it is best to come up with a plan, timeline and budget on when you want to fix these items.
Most critical repairs on your home inspection report should be your top priority when moving into a house. For example, if the home inspection report notes that the air conditioning needs fixed, it may be wise to do your research and come up with a plan to get it repaired prior to the middle of the summer when the temperatures are well into the 100’s.
Maintenance Tip: Plan and Budget
Another reason why you should prioritize and list out all of your major repairs shortly after moving in is so you can begin to prepare and budget for them. Once you determine what you plan on fixing first, you can start putting money aside and begin saving to get these items fixed.
List and Prioritize the Minor Fixes
Once you have prioritized and came up with a game plan for all the major fixes in your home it is time to start reviewing the minor repairs listed on your home inspection report. These are still just as important because if you choose to ignore some of these issues, they can become major issues. A small leak under the kitchen sink may not seem like a huge deal when looking over your home inspection report but if left alone it can be a major headache later on.
Take a Look Around
Lastly, the other items you may want to include when creating your own customized home maintenance checklist is things that you have noticed while living in the home. If there is a cabinet in the kitchen that doesn’t quite close all the way or a squeaky door hinge that is always extra loud after putting the baby to sleep, be sure to add those to you list too!
The best thing about creating your own home maintenance checklist is that you can make it work for you. Once you have compiled everything above into a list it is easier wrap your head around. If you have a free weekend and want to knock some maintenance task off the list take a look at some of the minor fixes you planned on completing. Once you save up enough money you can make sure you check off the major items.
Creating your own home maintenance checklist and using your inspection report as a starting point is a great way to ensure you aren’t overlooking anything and the best part is, your home inspector has already started part of the list for you!
Have questions about our home inspections and services? Give us a call at 276-566-5669. You can schedule directly online or by giving us a call. Curious about the cost of our services? Check out our free estimate tool on our website or by clicking here.
