The First 3 Things You Should Repair After Buying a Home
The home buying process is filled with negotiations. Sellers may be required or incentivized to make certain renovations prior to putting their home on the market, but not all of them. It’s critical to know these details before signing on the dotted line so you’re not surprised with a major burden after the fact. While every home sale differs in the details, let’s go over the three most common repairs new homeowners end up making (or should make) after purchasing a home.
What You Need to Repair in a New Home
1. Roof and Siding Repair
A home’s curb appeal (i.e., what it looks like from an outsider’s perspective) is a major draw in the marketplace. If you were attracted to your newly purchased home largely due to its curb appeal, you might not need to make any major siding or roofing repairs. However, even the most enticing exteriors can harbor problems upon closer examination. Because a home’s siding and roof are exposed to the elements, they need regular maintenance. As the years go on, some homeowners might neglect important tasks like pressure washing, exterior patching, shingle replacement, and so on. If so, the onus is now on you, the new homeowner, to make up for lost time. Leaving your home’s envelope in disrepair is an invitation for moisture, debris, pests, and other unwanted contaminants to enter your home and damage its surfaces.
2. Gaps and Seams
Speaking of unwanted contaminants, damaged siding and roofing doesn’t provide the only way in for them -- so do the gaps between various features of your home. Some of the biggest offenders in this regard are the seams between window/door frames/trim and walls, though gaps can be found wherever two surfaces intersect inside and outside your home. Caulking is designed to seal these openings wherever they’re found. However, even high-quality caulking deteriorates over time. Therefore, it’s recommended that homeowners re-caulk their seams about every five years or as needed. If the previous homeowner wasn’t on top of this task, it’s now on you to apply fresh caulking to all gaps and seams outside and inside your home (caulking is also a common part of drywall repair and patch jobs). Doing so won’t just keep exterior forces from entering your home but will also improve your home’s insulation by preventing air leakage and reducing heat transfer. If you don’t have access to caulking supplies and/or don’t feel confident making these repairs, hire Raleigh house painters to tackle this job for you.
3. Windows and Doors
Caulking can indeed help you establish greater energy efficiency in your home. However, older windows and doors are inherently less energy efficient than newer installations. You can repair certain aspects of your windows and doors to make them more secure and efficient. However, depending on the age of the home and that of its windows and doors, you might be better off replacing these features entirely. The short-term costs of overhauling these items will be nothing compared to what you might otherwise pay in energy bills and repairs down the line. Modern windows and doors will also increase your home’s comfort levels by preventing drafts and keeping external heat and light from raising internal temperatures too high.
Are These the Only Repairs to Look For?
The features mentioned here are simply a few of the ones that tend to need the most attention after buying a home. As mentioned earlier, though, every situation is different. After you purchase a home, you might realize that your basement and garage are in desperate need of new concrete floor coatings, or that your home’s HVAC system could use a major update. Whatever the case may be, the experts at Anderson Painting are here to help you navigate home ownership at the earliest stages. To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
