Maintaining and repairing your home is an essential part of homeownership, ensuring that your property remains safe, functional, and looking in good condition. However, you must have adequate resources or fix part of your monthly income for home maintenance.
Now, the ball is in your court, either to invest a little part of your budget yearly or monthly for spending cool life. In the recession, it’s difficult to manage home maintenance or repair but proper planning and wise decisions -making make it possible to keep your home maintenance and repair costs under your budget.
Besides all that, don’t forget to factor in the annual cost of maintaining a home when you’re figuring out your new homeowner’s budget. Here are some effective guidelines to help you maintain your home as your dreamland.
Difference between Home Maintenance and Home Repairs
Before moving forward, it’s important to clarify your understanding of home maintenance and home repairs for transparency. While these two concepts may seem similar, they differ in terms of their focus, themes, and required resources
Home maintenance refers to the regular tasks and activities performed to keep your home in its original condition. For example, HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical systems, and structural elements services to ensure it is working properly will keep the asset in its original condition for longer.
Contrary, Home repairs, involve fixing or restoring specific parts of your home that have been damaged, broken or are no longer functioning correctly. In short Repair costs are money spent to return the asset to its previous condition.
Why Home Maintenance Is Important
The importance of home maintenance is unignorable. A home or an apartment is a long-term asset that has the potential to increase its value with every passing moment after good care and timely repairing decisions.
If we compare it to an expensive, luxurious car or iPhone, both of their values decrease rapidly, similar to a leaking faucet, shortly after purchase. Even with regular maintenance, their value cannot be increased in the future.
As we know maintenance takes some time, money, and hard work but we can save money to take care of small problems timely (like a dirty filter), If you don’t do that it may develop into a large issue and might be will take a large amount of money spent on it. So, you should replace the new furnace filter every month.
Apart from your maintenance expenditures, you also have to leave space in your budget for potential major repairs (like replacing the roof). The expert says the average lifespan of a residential roof is from 15 to 30 years, So discuss with qualified professionals with regards and get a roofing quote for replacement in advance so you can plan to save money earlier because the roof is the most important part of your home. it protects you and your family from snow, hail, rain, ice, branches, and debris.
The 1-4% Rule for Upkeep
The 1-4% rule for upkeep is the most common rule that Homeowners must adopt to make their life smooth. The exact percentage within this range depends on various factors, including the age, size, and condition of your home. 1% of the home’s value is usually sufficient for good-condition homes, while older homes (backlog of things) may require a higher percentage.
This rule aims to consider routine upkeep, such as painting and HVAC servicing, as well as unexpected repairs, such as plumbing issues or roof leaks. For example, if your house is worth $250,000, you should plan to spend according to condition $2,500 (1%) to $10,000 (4%) on maintenance every year.
| Age of Home | Recommended Annual Home Maintenance Budget |
| 30 years old and above | 4% of home value |
| 20 to 30 years old | 3% of home value |
| 10 to 20 years old | 2% of home value |
| Less than 10 years old | 1% of home value |
Per the Square foot rule
Per Square Footage Rule is another way to make a yearly Home Maintenance and Repair budget. In this rule, save $1 for every square foot of your home. This rule provides a practical method to estimate maintenance and repair expenses based on your property’s size.
Yearly
For example, the average size of a new home in the United States in 2023 is 2,016 square feet. According to this method, the average annual cost of home maintenance would be $2,016.
Monthly
Here is the calculation for your monthly home maintenance budget, following this method:
$2,016 ÷ 12 = $168 (that proposes setting aside $168 per square foot monthly for upkeep)
Factors That Affect Average Home Maintenance Costs
As we mentioned above, several factors can impact your yearly cost for maintenance more or less. You need to know more details about the following important factors so that you can make your budget plan accordingly.
Size of the Home
it’s essential not to overlook the size of your home to make informed decisions regarding home maintenance and repairs. Usually, Older homes with antiquated systems and appliances often need more frequent repairs than newer homes due to the limited availability of components.
Age of the Home
Larger homes generally require more maintenance due to the increased square footage and the number of systems and components. That’s why calculating your budget based on your home’s square footage can be a good idea.
Location
Different climates and environmental conditions (geographical location) can impact maintenance costs. For example, heavy snowfall, extreme freezing temperatures, or high humidity may require additional maintenance.
Quality of Construction
The quality of construction and materials used in a home can impact maintenance costs. A well-built and properly maintained home may have fewer issues, reducing the need for frequent repairs.
Type of Home
The type of home, such as a single-family house, condominium, or apartment, can impact maintenance costs. Condominiums and apartments often have shared maintenance expenses covered by association fees, whereas single-family homes may require individual responsibility for maintenance works.
Conclusion
Keeping home maintenance and repair costs under your budget requires a combination of pre-planning, Creativity, and learning practical skills. By following the strategies outlined in this article, you can effectively manage your home’s maintenance needs while keeping your financial well-being. Prevention, planning, and smart decision-making are key to a successful and affordable home maintenance approach.