The best time to repair the roof is when the sun is still shining

President John F Kennedy had said these words while addressing Congress in 1962, around a year after the US emerged from a recession. His entire quote was – “Pleasant as it may be to bask in the warmth of recovery… the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”

Mr Kennedy’s words make perfect literal sense as well. They remind us of the importance of dealing with house problems early on, when they are small and manageable. Waiting just makes them bigger and more challenging! Getting your property market-ready is important whether for you to love or to sell.

Benefits of timely action

There are benefits galore in taking timely action when it comes to handling the repairs and maintenance of your house. Addressing problems when they are still small and manageable makes it less likely that they will escalate into major crises.

Timely action can also save time, money, and resources. Waiting until a problem gets out of hand requires more time, money, and resources to fix it.

Taking timely action as problems arise also helps us to avoid stress and anxiety. We can feel more in control of our lives and less stressed out.

Home repairs

Home repair involves the diagnosis and resolution of problems in a home. While some types of home repairs are ‘do-it-yourself’ (DIY) projects, others can be complicated, time-consuming or risky. These would require the assistance of a qualified handyperson, property manager, contractor/ builder, or other professionals. A proven real estate company expert would help you design and manage all the phases of a home renovation or new build, from start to finish.

Some of the services a one-stop real estate company would offer are:

• New builds and residential development
• Additions & top-ups
• Renovations & remodeling
• Legal basements, second dwellings & garden suites
• Excavations, underpinning, footings & foundations

Importance of home repairs

Home repair is not the same as renovation, though the house can be greatly improved as a result of repairs or maintenance. Sometimes upgrading a home system makes more sense than frequent and expensive maintenance of an inefficient and obsolete system.

What does home repair cover?

Items that are worn, consumed, dull, dirty, clogged

Home repairs can mean replacement of worn or used components that have to be periodically changed by a home-owner. This includes burnt out light bulbs, worn out batteries, or overfilled vacuum cleaner bags. It also covers replacing of leaky faucet washers, and cleaning out of plumbing traps and rain gutters. As some of these repairs require precision, specialised tools, or include possible hazards, they are best left to experts.

Broken or damaged items

In today’s world, it is often more convenient to replace an item rather than attempt to repair it. Items such as broken windows, appliances or furniture can be carried to a repair shop. Other repairs that can be carried out on site include patching holes in plaster and drywall, cleaning stains, repairing cracked windows and their screens, or replacing a broken electrical switch or outlet. Some repairs need to be handled with some urgency, for instance broken water pipes, broken doors, latches or windows, or a leaky roof or water tank. These require professional help to avoid further damage or loss.

Emergency repairs

Emergencies require quick and efficient fixing of the problem. These can arise from natural disasters, power loss, appliance failure and no water. There are relatively simple solutions to many common emergencies. For instance, a leaky roof and broken window can be patched, while a flood can be pumped out. Frozen pipes can be thawed and repaired while clogged toilets can be unclogged with a chemical. Most emergency repairs are not permanent. While they offer an instant solution, they require a professional to fix it permanently. It is important that the problems be addressed in a timely manner. Ignoring issues such as flooding due to various reasons, for instance, can lead to costly water damage repairs and even potential health issues resulting from mold growth.

Maintenance

Regular maintenance includes inspection, adjustment, cleaning, or replacement to ensure the proper functioning of all the systems in a house. This also helps avoid costly emergencies. This includes annual testing and adjustment of alarm systems, central heating or cooling systems (electrodes, thermocouples, and fuel filters), replacement of water treatment components or air-handling filters, purging of heating radiators and water tanks, defrosting a freezer, vacuum refrigerator coils, refilling dry floor-drain traps with water, cleaning out rain gutters, down spouts and drains, touching up worn house paint and weather seals, and cleaning accumulated creosote out of chimney flues.

Other regular but less frequent home maintenance jobs include repainting or staining outdoor wood or metal, repainting or waterproofing masonry, cleaning out septic systems, replacing sacrificial electrodes in water heaters, replacing old washing machine hoses, and replacement of ageing systems with limited useful lifetimes such as water heaters, pumps, etc.

Landscaping, window and gutter cleaning, power-washing the siding and hard-scape, etc. are also important chores in the maintenance of a house. These chores are often best left to the professionals. Regular maintenance will help avoid chances of higher costs incurred with repairs or replacements made later.

Good operations

An alert home-owner should be aware of the conditions that can result in larger problems and take remedial action before damage or injury occurs. Water infiltration is one of the most insidious sources of home damage and should never be left unattended as it can lead to significant structural damage that requires replacement of beams and framing. Also be aware of unusual noises or smells when mechanical, electrical or plumbing systems are operating as these can often indicate impending problems. Avoid overloading or misusing systems.

Give your house the help it needs by engaging the services of a professional, efficient and reliable expert.