New versus used —also known as pre-owned or existing.
There are a variety of reasons why consumers dream about a new home, and one of them is the comfort of knowing appointments, furnishings and appliances will actually work — or be replaced by a competent builder — for a specific period of time.
If you just received a dynamite deal from a Puget Sound builder eager to reduce his January inventory, don’t allow expert craftsmanship to tempt you into thinking your new palace is going to be maintenance-free for years to come.
Every house requires upkeep, even a brand-new one. You won’t have to replace big-ticket items like a furnace or a roof anytime soon, but to keep your new house looking new, you’ll still have the routine chores that will help preserve and protect the biggest investment most people ever make.
For example, it’s best to catch spills on your gorgeous new counters right away. Some counters can stain easily, and depending upon the substance, sometimes permanently. If you spill something on your new carpeting, it’s also best to respond quickly. Though the carpet fibers may be treated with a stain-resisting chemical, they won’t be stain-proof. If you let the spill dry, it will be more difficult to eliminate.
Home maintenance specialists say the best and simplest way to remove a spill is to blot up as much of it as you can with rags. Then, flush the spot with clean water, going from the outer edge to the center to keep the stain from spreading. Finally, blot the water up with several clean rags. To remove the remaining moisture, put a clean towel over the spot, weigh it down and leave it overnight. If you still have spots left after this treatment, you should contact a professional carpet cleaner because different staining agents require different treatments. If you apply an over-the-counter chemical solution to get rid of the spot, it may not do the job.
To keep the new sheen on your carpets, you should vacuum two times a week in heavy traffic areas and clean them regularly. Otherwise, the dirt and sand tracked in on shoes and paws will be ground in, making thousands of microscopic scratches that will eventually make the carpet look worn.
The nifty new equipment that you find in your new home may also require attention. For example, whirlpool jets for a tub require regular scrubbing so they don’t become a health hazard. The pipes that recirculate the water from the tub through the jets need to be cleaned out every few months. Many companies suggest that you have the tub cleaned annually by a professional tub vacuuming company.
The tilt-out windows that make cleaning a breeze should be tilted out at least once a year, even if your never wash them, to vacuum out the tracks and make sure that the holes that drain rainwater are not clogged. You also need to make sure that the rollers in the tracks move freely, applying a silicone lubricant if necessary.
Hopefully the location of the filter for your furnace and air conditioner will be in a place that is easily accessible and not up in the attic. How often you need to change the filter depends on the type that you get. But, the first four to five months that you live in the house, you should change it every three or four weeks because the house might still contain construction dust. An electronic air cleaner will be more effective in removing particulate matter from the air than a filter, but the electronic air cleaner still needs periodic cleaning.
Be aware that some caulking may still be needed in your new house during the first year because of settlement, shrinkage of wood framing and trim, and natural stress cracks. In many areas, the re-caulking is a cosmetic issue, but not in the kitchen and baths. These rooms should be checked on a regular basis to prevent water from getting into the walls where it can cause structural damage.
With a bathtub, the initial caulking can be affected by the shrinkage of the stud wall behind it and by the combined weight of the water and an occupant (as much as 700 pounds when a large soaking tub is full). Besides the tub area, pay attention to the shower and sink areas where the back splash meets the wall. In the kitchen, you might need to recaulk where the backsplash meets the wall and around the sink.
And, don’t forget the exterior of your house. When in doubt about the home’s materials, ask your builder. You’ll find most will be happy to help you. And, the builder will tell you that a little maintenance effort now will save a lot of effort — and money — later.
Tom Kelly’s book “Cashing In on a Second Home in Mexico: How to Buy, Rent and Profit from Property South of the Border” is available in retail stores, on Amazon.com and on tomkelly.com.
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