Our team is out looking at houses with clients all the time and we see first-hand, which maintenance items around the house are most often neglected. Often found during the home inspection, some of these items will cause concern for buyers and it can be detrimental to your sale. Other items could result in serious damage to your home or family. Either way, watch, make a list and tackle these items at home this month.
Smoke and CO Detectors
The typical lifespan for smoke detectors and CO detectors is 10 years. Check the date, usually found on the side of the device, and replace as needed. If you find that your smoke detector or CO detector has is periodically chirping, this could be the device telling you that it has reached the end of its time!
Washing Machine Hoses
Did you know that the hoses to your washing machine expire? Standard lines need to be replaced in 5 years, braided lines are longer. You should see a date stamped on the actual hose so check and replace as required to prevent any serious floods.
Dryer Lint
Lint is one of the major causes of house fires so don’t take this one lightly! Clean the lint trap in the dryer with each load, pull the dryer away from the wall and clean up behind the machine, being sure to disconnect and vacuum out whatever vent you can access and go outside and make sure that the vent is clear.
Furnace Filters
A dirty air filter will cause your furnace to work extra hard to pass air through. Change them regularly to keep air flowing freely. It will lengthen the life of your furnace! May HVAC companies have also suggested to us that you use cheap air filters and replace them more frequently, with the exception of those of you with serious allergies that need the higher quality filters to filter dander and dust, etc. This is also a big one that causes issues during home inspections. If you are selling your house and the buyer’s home inspector finds a dirty filter, it often becomes a bigger issue than it needs to be by making the buyer think that the furnace may not be operating well or other things in the house have been neglected.
Watch the rest of the video for info about our other top home maintenance topics!
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Ariel Kormendy and Adrian Trott are co-founders of The Kormendy Trott Team, an award-winning and top producing real estate team in the Halton and Peel Region, servicing the GTA. For more information about the team, visit their website or follow on social.
