{"id":6144,"date":"2024-07-29T05:23:15","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T12:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=6144"},"modified":"2024-07-29T14:34:07","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T21:34:07","slug":"home-maintenance-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow This Home Maintenance Schedule To Keep Your House in Top-Selling Condition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If a pipe bursts in the kitchen, you\u2019re immediately on the phone with a plumber in one hand and scooping water into buckets with the other. But dirty gutters? A leaky faucet? That deep crack in the driveway? It can always be put off until tomorrow; that is, if these issues cross your radar at all.<\/p>\n<p>A FinanceBuzz survey revealed that <a href=\"https:\/\/financebuzz.com\/homeowner-maintenance-repairs-survey\">60% of homeowners put off necessary home maintenance<\/a> or repairs. The cost is the main reason for the wait, with most homeowners saying they can\u2019t afford to do maintenance or repairs right away. But neglecting home repairs can make it more difficult when it comes time to sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">What's Your Home Currently Worth?<\/h3>\n                        <p>Home maintenance is an essential step to preserving home value. Get an estimate of what your house is worth today.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/simple-home-value\/quiz?#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Check Home Value<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>So, we\u2019ve created this home maintenance schedule with a laser focus on the big-ticket issues that will haunt you down the road if they fall into disrepair. To carefully vet our top to-dos, we talked to real estate agents who\u2019ve done hundreds of home repair negotiations and the executive director of the National Home Service Contract Association (NHSCA), which educates consumers and regulators on the repair and replacement of household appliances.<\/p>\n<p>Get all the details you need for each maintenance task below. Then, with a simple click of a button, you can directly transfer the year-round home maintenance schedule to your own Google calendar, and keep yourself accountable.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/calendar.google.com\/calendar\/embed?src=homelight.com_mubnefemri5mlmvq9lb6lgsfgc%40group.calendar.google.com&amp;ctz=America%2FLos_Angeles\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"section--1\" data-toc-header=\"Prevent water damage\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>\n<h2>Maintenance priority: Prevent water damage<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/selling-a-house-with-water-damage\/\">Excessive exposure to water<\/a> makes your home vulnerable to problems like mold and pests, and will eventually spoil its overall structural integrity.<\/p>\n<h3>Maintenance tasks<\/h3>\n<h4>1. Clear out the gutters (Frequency: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/yearly-home-maintenance-checklist\/\">at least twice a year<\/a>)<\/h4>\n<p>Gutters keep rain and water away from the side of your home, and without regular maintenance, stuffed gutters can\u2019t do their job. Water will overflow and drown your foundation, and cause <a href=\"https:\/\/todayshomeowner.com\/roofing\/guides\/how-to-handle-roof-runoff-without-gutters\/\">soil erosion<\/a> around your home. In addition, when gutters get too heavy, they can fall off your roof, cause leaks, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/home-improvement\/gutter\/gutter-installation-cost\/\">$2,300 on average for gutter replacement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Not sure how to tackle cleaning the gutters? Use this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bobvila.com\/articles\/how-to-clean-gutters\/\">handy step-by-step tutorial<\/a> from Bob Vila, an expert DIY home improvement source.<\/p>\n<h4>2. Recaulk your bathroom fixtures (Frequency: Once every 5 years)<\/h4>\n<p>One of the most affordable ways to keep your bathroom in top-notch condition? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhg.com\/how-to-caulk-bathtub-shower-6824008\">Recaulk your tub, showers, and bathroom tiles<\/a> to prevent mold and water damage.<\/p>\n<p>Caulk acts as a sealant to prevent fixtures, such as your toilets, showers, and tubs, from leaking. But over time, caulk harbors bacteria, mildew, and odors, which permanently discolor the once-clean white borders.<\/p>\n<p>Check your caulk\u2019s condition at least once a year for any signs of visible leaks, discoloration, or damage \u2014 but at the very least, tackle this job once every 5 years.<\/p>\n<h4>3. Check your major appliances for leaks (Frequency: at least once a year)<\/h4>\n<p>Your larger and often-used appliances like the refrigerator, washing machine, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-deep-clean-dishwasher\/\">dishwasher need a deep clean<\/a> and inspection at least once a year. A yearly checkup helps you spot any leaks and schedule a tune-up with a professional if necessary.<\/p>\n<p>The best way to control mildew and mold is to rein in moisture and dampness. Regular upkeep can keep the appliances running efficiently and even extend their lives.<\/p>\n<p>If you find a small pool of water under your refrigerator, check the drain pan under the fridge. A crack in the drain pan, which captures the condensation from your fridge, might be the cause of leaks. You\u2019ll need to contact your manufacturer or a technician to replace or repair that part of the fridge.<\/p>\n<h4>4. Test your sump pump (Frequency: at least once a year)<\/h4>\n<p>If you live in an area that experiences heavy storms and rainfall, you should check on your sump pump at least once a year. Its sole purpose is to pump out excess water from your home in the case of heavy rainfall or storm.<\/p>\n<p>Roto-Rooter, a top plumbing service in the U.S. that has been operating since 1935, offers a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rotorooter.com\/plumbing-basics\/plumbing-in-your-home\/basement-tips-and-maintenance\/sump-pump-testing\/\">quick sump pump inspection guide<\/a> that any homeowner can consult.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"What is a Sump Pump? | Roto-Rooter\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Uf3ddFuDj-Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTest the sump pump to make sure that it works because the home inspector is going to test this,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/agents\/jennifer-hupke-wi-56717\">Jennifer Hupke<\/a>, a top-selling real estate agent in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/milwaukee-wi\/top-real-estate-agents\">Milwaukee, Wisconsin<\/a>. You don\u2019t want to find out that it\u2019s broken during a storm because of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-sell-a-house-that-has-flooded\/\">flood<\/a> in your basement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people will put battery backups on their sump pumps because if, for whatever reason, the power goes out and the sump pump stops working and it pours, that\u2019s going to all end up in your basement.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stop procrastinating and start taking better care of your home with this home maintenance schedule that covers all the big-ticket items.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":38017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[320,332],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-add-value","category-maintenance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Add This Home Maintenance Schedule Right To Your Calendar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stop procrastinating and start taking better care of your home with this home maintenance schedule that covers all the big-ticket items.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Follow This Home Maintenance Schedule To Keep Your House in Top-Selling Condition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stop procrastinating and start taking better care of your home with this home maintenance schedule that covers all the big-ticket items.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-29T12:23:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-29T21:34:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/home-maintenance-schedule.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Catrina Sun-Tan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Catrina Sun-Tan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Add This Home Maintenance Schedule Right To Your Calendar","description":"Stop procrastinating and start taking better care of your home with this home maintenance schedule that covers all the big-ticket items.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Follow This Home Maintenance Schedule To Keep Your House in Top-Selling Condition","og_description":"Stop procrastinating and start taking better care of your home with this home maintenance schedule that covers all the big-ticket items.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/","og_site_name":"HomeLight Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","article_published_time":"2024-07-29T12:23:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-07-29T21:34:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":563,"url":"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/home-maintenance-schedule.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Catrina Sun-Tan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@gohomelight","twitter_site":"@gohomelight","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Catrina Sun-Tan","Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/"},"author":{"name":"Catrina Sun-Tan","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3bc92b322798262616a1d6d569a66dcf"},"headline":"Follow This Home Maintenance Schedule To Keep Your House in Top-Selling Condition","datePublished":"2024-07-29T12:23:15+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-29T21:34:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/"},"wordCount":771,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/home-maintenance-schedule.png","articleSection":["Add Value","Simple Maintenance"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/","name":"Add This Home Maintenance Schedule Right To Your Calendar","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/home-maintenance-schedule.png","datePublished":"2024-07-29T12:23:15+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-29T21:34:07+00:00","description":"Stop procrastinating and start taking better care of your home with this home maintenance schedule that covers all the big-ticket items.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/home-maintenance-schedule.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/home-maintenance-schedule.png","width":1000,"height":563,"caption":"Source: (David McBee\/ Pexels)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-maintenance-schedule\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Follow This Home Maintenance Schedule To Keep Your House in Top-Selling Condition"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","name":"HomeLight Blog","description":"Real Estate Advice from America&#039;s Top Agents","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HomeLight","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","width":1348,"height":262,"caption":"HomeLight"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","https:\/\/x.com\/gohomelight","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/homelight\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HomeLight"],"description":"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.","email":"support@homelight.com","telephone":"(888) 688-0350","legalName":"HomeLight","foundingDate":"2012-01-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3bc92b322798262616a1d6d569a66dcf","name":"Catrina Sun-Tan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f09c2b18754e9ba95018eb488688b0dd37948fb7f395783671f2dcc48a805b85?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f09c2b18754e9ba95018eb488688b0dd37948fb7f395783671f2dcc48a805b85?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Catrina Sun-Tan"},"description":"Catrina is a native San Franciscan with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in Cinema and Media Studies from Wellesley College. A storyteller at heart, she loves to write about people, films, and of course, real estate. Don't be surprised if you catch her browsing luxury homes on Instagram or obsessing over the latest market trends.","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/catrinasuntan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}