Clever Maintenance Tips from BP Members

A lot of great ideas were suggested during my $100 Expense Reduction Challenge. Some suggestions were more maintenance related and not equity boosters, so I decided to create this list just for maintenance ideas. I'll continue to update this post as more ideas are discovered.

Please leave a comment and tell me what I missed:

1. Triple check for leaks.

2. Make sure trees don't rub roof.

3. Install heavy duty door stops.

4. Use orange peel wall texture to hide flaws.

5. Check AC condensate lines.

6. Consider a DIY lock rekeying system.

7. Buy tenant a plunger.

8. Allow pets if you have old carpet instead of replacing carpet.

9. If you have a honey bee infestation, DON'T hire an exterminator, find a local beekeeper to remove them at NO CHARGE.

10. Check with your city to see what services they provide at no charge. Get the most from your tax dollars.

11. Clean and inspect gutters for separations at the seams as well as overall integrity.

12. Every five or so years, and after a major hail storm, have a trusted roofer come out and inspect the roof for damage such as nail pops or rotting wood.

13. Flush water heaters annually.

14. Keep all wood on the exterior of the home painted. 

15. Make sure the dirt around your foundation properly slopes away from the foundation and not towards it.  Make sure water drains away from the home and not into a basement or crawl space.

16. Check all windows and doors for gaps and seal them with a weather proof sealant to prevent water penetration. 

17.  Keep an eye of the base of your trees. Any trees that are rotted at the bottom need to be removed before they fall on your house or a neighbor’s house.

18. Monitor your roof for damaged or missing shingles. 

19. Inspect and clean wood buring chimney once a year. 

20. Have the heating and air conditioning system cleaned and inspected at least once a year for safety reasons. 

21. Use your crawl space to check under building to monitor the walls and the plumbing for signs of leaks. If this area has standing water in it, do not enter it.

22. Test ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in monthly.