Calgary Home Owners List of Maintenance Ideas
Purchasing a home is an exciting experience. If you have owned a home before you will know how much responsibility comes with owning one. Home maintenance can be categorized into two different kinds; initial and standard. Here are some initial maintenance tasks that should be considered.
Initial Maintenance For a Home in Calgary
- Modifications recommended by the home inspector’s report should be high priority. Electrical fires are a dangerous occurrence that can burn your property to the ground or worse, result in injury and or death.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are a must for any home. Carbon monoxide is a silent killer and inhalation of smoke from a fire is equally lethal. These detectors should be installed on each floor in a central location away from walls, windows, ventilation ducts, ceiling fans or any other kind of high airflow mechanisms.
- Changing all the locks on the possession date is a must! There is no way of knowing how many keys there are and who has them for the existing locks. This is especially true for newly built homes where there have been a number of different contractors entering and leaving the home.
- Wood and soil can attract pests that cause hassle and can even damage your property. Removing any excess of these materials will prevent these situations.
- Take care of any trip and slip hazards. Make sure that the outdoor walkways are level with each other. Inside walkways can be just as hazardous. Walking surfaces should be level and any carpet should be firmly in place without any tears.
- In case of an emergency make sure to know where the shutdown switches are for the plumbing, heating and electrical systems. Labeling them is a good way to know for sure in the event where the pressure is on.
- If your home has a septic system have it thoroughly inspected by a certified inspector. Pump the tank out completely and make sure the pump is working properly. If the house has privatized water supply get an environmental company to perform a water quality test to see if the water is useable.
- Walkways and their landings need to be secure and safe. Loose railings can be a huge hazard if someone is to fall on them, splintering and possibly impaling a falling person. Check any landings for proper support. These are the highways of your home! They need to be free from unnecessary obstructions.
- Before operating the chimney have it thoroughly inspected by an experienced inspector.
- Label the circuit board. It is always handy to know which switches turn the electrical systems of your house on and off when installing various appliances or in the case of renovations.
- When acquiring a new home you can never be too careful in making sure things are the way you want them to be. Clearing your living quarters of any potential hazards can prevent future accidents. Thank you for checking out this guide for initial home maintenance.
- Properly maintaining your home will keep its market value higher when looking to sell. I hope that these tips have helped you in some way on your quest in acquiring a new home. If there is anything else I can do to serve your real estate goals, please feel free to contact me at any hour and I will be happy to assist you!
Also be sure to check out our Standard Home Maintenance List
Hope this list helps! Owning a home is exciting and maintaining your home will give you not only pride of ownership but will also help you maintain and maximize its value. If you have any questions please call me directly at 403-370-4180.