Four Home Maintenance Costs that You Forgot to Budget For

Common Home Repair Jobs You'll Probably Face at Least Once-Chispa MagazinePurchasing a house rather than renting it comes with a number of advantages. You are free to make any alterations you like and one day, hopefully, you’ll have paid off the mortgage and have a lot more financial security. The main drawback of owning your own home, however, is that you become responsible for maintaining it.

Home maintenance can be a pricey affair and it is difficult to know exactly how much it will cost. As a general guide, it is often claimed that you’ll need to save around one per cent of your home’s value each year for home maintenance. If you do manage to put money aside, here are four of the most common issues that you’ll spending your cash on.

Unwanted guests. You can clean the house from top to bottom, you can scrub and scrub until your hands are sore, but sometimes the only way to get rid of unwanted creepy crawlies is by calling in professional help.

Homes provide ideal breeding grounds for a wide range of pests, but there are very good reasons why you might not want to share your home with these uninvited guests. Some, like ticks, can carry harmful diseases, while others are just an unpleasant nuisance. By seeking out professional pest control, you can get rid of these home invaders for good.

Structural damage. Structural damage to your home can be caused by a variety of issues, from out of control tree roots to a leaking water source, but it can be difficult to identify at first. In order to reduce the amount you’ll need to pay for repairs, check your house for structural defects before it’s too late. Look out for rotting joints, leaning structures or a shifting roof.

Structural damage is more common with older properties, but it is impossible to know when it will occur and how much it will cost you.

General repairs. It seems that as soon as you have to start paying for your home repairs, everything suddenly stops working. Fortunately, most general repairs are relatively cheap and many of them can be carried out yourself if you have a ladder and some basic tools.

Some repairs will need to be carried out straight away, such as a broken window, but it may be tempting to let others linger. However, this will only result in you having to pay more down the line. Smaller repairs can lead to larger damage, with missing roof tiles, for example, ultimately leading to water damage in the upper part of your home.

Garden upkeep. With all those costly maintenance jobs going on inside the home, don’t forget to take good care of your outdoor space too. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, garden maintenance costs money and every home will need to purchase some equipment, even if it’s just a lawnmower.  

The thought of all these home maintenance costs can be daunting, but don’t let them scare you away from buying your dream home. Every property needs work, but if you put some money aside you can carry out the necessary repairs in no time.

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Mia Guerra

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine
Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.