If you’ve just finished renovating and/or decorating your home, you’re likely to want to ensure that it stays in its current tip-top shape. Luckily, it’s easy to do this by implementing a home maintenance schedule, as well as creating a budget to ensure you always have enough funds to keep everything running properly.
And if you’re planning to re-sell your home for a profit in a couple of years, it’s especially important that you take active measures now to ensure no damage is caused to it, and that it remains in great condition. Let’s take a look at how you can budget for your ongoing home maintenance needs.
What do you need to keep in mind when budgeting for home maintenance?
When it comes to ongoing home maintenance, there are a number of things that will impact how much you should set aside for your weekly, monthly or annual costs. It’s a good idea to take these factors into account before you get to the stage of purchasing your home, as they could also impact its general resale value.
Some things that may impact your ongoing maintenance costs could include:
- The age and initial condition of your home
- The weather in the area your home is in
- The location of your house in the street or neighbourhood.
Weather is an especially important factor, as it will have a big impact on whether your house faces erosion problems, mould growth or mineral deposit growth.
What kind of money do you need to set aside for home maintenance?
Whether you’re using your home as an investment property (and someone else is living in it), or if you’re currently living there yourself, it’s vitally important to budget correctly to make sure you always have enough funds for home maintenance. Houses depreciate in value when their appearance or quality declines, so even a small maintenance issue can have a big impact if left unattended to for too long.
Here are some handy tips for figuring out how much you should budget for home upkeep:
- Use the 1% rule – This basically means that you should save 1% of your property’s value each year for maintenance costs. Alternatively, you can put aside $10 for every square metre of your home. If you don’t use all the funds in one year, it’s okay – stash them away and just use them when you need them! For example, if your home is worth $750,000, put away $7,500 each year for security.
- Check out your depreciation report – Seeing how long the Australian Taxation Office expects items in your home to last is a good indication for when you should be replacing them. It could also save you thousands come tax time.
A general checklist for home maintenance
Here are some ideas for tasks that you could do (or pay someone to do) regularly to ensure your house stays in great condition.
- Clean your furnace filter to remove dust build-up
- Check your faucets and showerheads to remove mineral deposits
- Inspect tub and sink drains for debris and unclog
- Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
- Inspect electrical cords for wear and tear (and replace if necessary)
- Vacuum your heat vents
- Check indoor and outdoor air vents
- Clean your garbage disposal (if you have one)
- Have mould professionally removed if present.
Getting an idea of general home maintenance costs
How much it will cost to maintain your home will largely depend on its size, as well as whether you hire someone to maintain your home professionally or if you’d rather do a DIY job. Creating a maintenance calendar is a great way to segment the things that need doing around the house into weekly, monthly or annual tasks. This will also give you a clear visual representation of who is assigned to do the task (whether it’s a specific company or a member of your household) and how much you’ve budgeted to spend on the task.
Here are a few basic areas of your home that will need to be regularly maintained, and how much you can be expecting to pay to keep them looking spick and span.
Check out The Complete Home Maintenance Budget Guide for more information on maintaining your home.
Gardening and landscaping
Tending to your own garden is a pretty easy one to do a great job at yourself. You can enlist the help of family and friends to keep everything looking trim and tidy, and with a few trips to Bunnings, you can expect to have it all under control. Purchasing a variety of garden tools will usually set you back about $200, or, if you don’t have the time, you can hire someone to professionally tend to your garden.
Pressure washing the exterior of your home
Pressure washing is a quick and convenient way to keep the outside of your house looking fresh and free from dirt, grime and mould. This is a great measure to take especially if you’re selling your house and it’s going to be open for showings, as the exterior is obviously the first element people will see when they approach. You can hire pressure washers from places like Kennards Storage usually for around $100 to $200 per day, or you can pay between $400 and $500 for someone to come and professionally clean your whole house.
Cleaning
Keeping your house fresh and clean isn’t only good for its presentation and ongoing maintenance – it’s also important for your own hygiene. Cleaning your house regularly will make sure that you don’t encounter an issue with mould or pests like rats and mice. If you’re cleaning your house yourself, make sure to regularly update your supplies (like sprays and scrubs), or alternatively, you can pay someone to clean your house professionally.
Forgot to budget for ongoing home maintenance costs?
Here at Nimble we understand that sometimes despite your best efforts you find yourself running a bit short when you really need it. That’s why we offer quick, no-fuss loans for if you need a stress-free way to borrow money to make sure your house stays in amazing condition. Whether it’s for a landscaping job or new cleaning supplies, we’ve got you covered. Apply now to see whether you’re eligible.
Disclaimer: Please note this content is provided as general information only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situations or needs. For advice tailored to your financial situation, it is advised that you seek guidance from an accountant or financial advisor. The above post refers to application software (“App, Apps”) that is not affiliated or associated with Nimble. We do not have any control or responsibility over the content of the Apps. Use of the Apps may be subject to further terms and conditions imposed by the App provider, the owner of the mobile operating system and/or other related parties. The above links belong to a variety of websites and not Nimble, so clicking on, and using them, will take you away from Nimble’s website meaning we’ve got no control or responsibility over the content. Nimble does not endorse and is not affiliated or associated in any way whatsoever to the businesses named in this blog post. The information contained in this article is correct at the date of publication.
