Homeowners Blog
At Ward Realty, it’s our goal to help our Homeowners protect their investment by ensuring that every guest has a safe and comfortable stay in your home. While our on-staff maintenance crew takes care of everyday minor repair issues, it is up to each individual Homeowner to maintain their home. We all know that prevention is the best way to head off small repairs before they become huge and expensive, which can also result in guest complaints, refunds or relocations.
To get ahead of the season, Kim Moseley, our Maintenance Manager, wants to share with you the top 5 maintenance areas that you can take care of now for a safer and complaint free season. If you would like recommendations for vendors feel free to give her a call. After all, a happy, comfortable, and safe guest is a return guest.
Top 5 Maintenance issues and how you can prevent them
- Decks: Every year it is imperative that Homeowners have their decks inspected by a licensed general contractor to ensure the safety of seasonal guests. Our climate can be harsh; making railings and stairs loose, worn or rotten, which is very dangerous.
- Plumbing: A stopped or slow drain is one of the top complaints from guests. Being located at the beach, there is just no end to the sand, lotion, and oils that end up down the drain. Not to mention the hair from frequent showers. One tip we’ve learned is prior to the rental season, pour liquid drain cleaner down every sink and tub drain to start the season with clean pipes. Another tip, if you don’t already have an outdoor enclosed hot/cold shower, consider adding one – guests love them and it keeps more sand outside!
- Appliances: Each Spring be sure to have all appliances checked by a professional. Most importantly the outside dryer vents should be cleared, as they can be a fire hazard. In addition, check the drain lines on your refrigerator and ice maker, electrical connections on washers, dryers, and stoves, etc. Also, be sure your HVAC unit is inspected at least yearly, this should be part of your HVAC maintenance contract.
- Pest Control: Every Homeowner should have a pest control contract in place. While even locals don’t love “waterbugs†we understand that they are a part of living at the beach. However, guests from other areas will lose their minds when they encounter the giant “roachesâ€.
- Landscaping: First impressions mean everything to our guests. Please be sure to have a lawn maintenance/landscaping contract in place for your property, and check in occasionally to be sure it’s being done as promised.
According to Kim, if you’re considering doing some upgrades and don’t know where to begin, they suggest new flooring. Exchanging old, worn out carpeting for beautiful new and low maintenance laminate or hardwoods will save you money in the long run. Hard surface floors wear better, and clean up easier, saving you the cost of frequent between guest carpet cleanings. Another thing they recommend is to upgrade your TV’s and WiFi service, if necessary – at the end of a long day at the beach, many guests enjoy movie nights with their families, something they often don’t have time for at home.
If you have questions about what you should be doing to ensure your home is safe, comfortable and free of surprise maintenance issues, just give us a call at (910) 328-3221 and ask to speak Kim. She is happy to help.
