Q – We bought our first home last month.  Now what?...

Alex in Norcross

A – First of all, congratulations on the purchase.  It’s important to remember that you will need to take care of your home so I have a monthly list of things you can do to help keep it in great shape.

Print it and stick it to your fridge.

January.  Set up a quarterly visit with your pest control company.  Have them start putting down the ground work for a pest-free year.  Make sure your termite protection is up to date.

Cost - whatever your quarterly pest control rate is…

Do you have to be home?  For outdoor service - generally no.  For indoor, yes.  You should get indoor service and it shouldn’t be an extra fee added to your bill.

February.  Get a home energy evaluation and make sure your thermal envelope is up to snuff.  It’s a great time for insulation - still some cold weather in the forecast and hot weather looming.

Cost - FREE…

Do you have to be home?   Yes.  How long - less than an hour for the inspection.

March.  April showers bring…  Leaks in your attic.  Have your roof inspected for damage now and have repairs or replacements taken care of before the spring showers bring damage.

Cost – FREE

Do you have to be home?  Not for the inspection per se, but you will want to follow up.

April.  Great month to get your air conditioning system inspected and ready for the summer.

Cost – About $160′ish per system.

Do you have to be home?  Yes.  How long - usually 2 hours.

May.  Have a swimming pool?  Want a swimming pool?  Now is the time to shop repairs, maintenance and installation.  This is also a great time to have those nuisance trees cut back so your lawn can flourish.

Cost - depends on services.

Do you have to be home?   Generally no.

June.  Now is the time to get your whole house electrical system inspected.  Make sure it can handle the summer load.

Cost - FREE if you pay attention.

Do you have to be home?   Yes.  How long - about an hour.

July.  A whole house plumbing inspection is in order.  Make sure your pipes are clean and in working order.  Also - ahem - if you haven’t had your septic tank pumped in the past 3 years now is the time.

Cost - varies, generally around $150.  More for septic service.

Do you have to be home?  For inspection - yes.  How long - depending on ease of seeing pipes about an hour.  For pumping - no.

August.  Let’s see - your a/c is buzzing along nicely, your insulation is keeping your electrical bills down, electricity that is delivered, by the way, on safe up-to-code wiring.  You are sitting out by your sparkling, clean pool without a care in your mosquito-free world.

All is well.  Take a break - you deserve it.

September.  When’s the last time you had your garage door serviced?  Never?  Don’t feel pregnant.  Get it serviced now.  It is after all, the largest piece of moving, functional equipment in your house.

Cost - under $100.

Do you have to be home?   Generally yes.  How long - an hour (my last one took 45 minutes).

October.  Guess what?  The air conditioning season officially comes to an end this month.  Now is a great time to get your furnace prepped and ready for winter.

Cost – If you signed up for a maintenance agreement in April then it will be included in that cost.  If not it will be $160′ish per system and will include next April.

Do you have to be home?   Yes.  How long - usually a couple hours.

November.   How is your home security system?  Do you have all the gadgets that allow you to do everything from remote viewing of your house to turning lights on and off from miles away?  How about smoke detectors?

Cost - many electrical gadgets go on sale on Black Friday so be ready.

Do you have to be home?  No but shopping on-line avoids a lot of shopping ills.

December.  Congratulations - you did it!  December is easy - just start over at the top of the list…

Piece of cake…

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