Owning a Northern Beaches property is one of the most effective strategies for long term financial security, however it is not without its costs.
Along with paying insurance and maintenance costs, you have to take care of repairs to your home or investment property. However, as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure! Regularly keeping an eye on common problems and taking steps to prevent them will save you in the long run.
Create a checklist or mark your calendar! These are the biggest threats to your home that you need to stay on top of:
Fire Damage
While Avalon, Clareville, Bilgola and surrounding suburbs don’t come under the same bush fire threat as many other Australian suburbs, your home is never completely safe from the dangers of fire. Electrical issues, cheap heating systems and barbecues all have the potential to wreak havoc.
In order to reduce the risk of extensive fire damage, make sure you have smoke detectors throughout your home, including the kitchen and bedrooms. You should also have a fire blanket and fire extinguisher on hand for emergencies. Don’t forget to test the extinguisher regularly to ensure it will work when you need it.
Check your appliances and upgrade the ancient ones with fraying cables. It can also be worthwhile to have an electrician check the wiring of your home, particularly if you live in an older structure.
Pests and vermin
With all the beautiful bush land surrounding your Northern Beaches property, termites and rats do find their way in from time to time. These creatures can cause serious damage if they set themselves up as permanent residents and having evidence of them being around will put off prospective buyers if you are looking to sell.
Termites eat wood, which can affect the structure of your home and be expensive to repair. Rats are known for eating pretty much anything, including electrical wires. Keep an eye out for droppings in your garage, corners of rooms and on windowsills, and schedule an annual vermin inspection with your exterminator to keep rats, termites and other vermin at bay.
Tree branches
Tree branches, in particular from gum trees, can fall with little or no warning. If they happen to drop on top of your house, you are in for some large scale repairs. Have an arborist keep tabs on your trees throughout the year and ask them to prune away the branches which pose a risk to your property.
When planting young trees, keep in mind, they will continue to grow steadily over the years. What seems far enough away from your house now may not be in the future. Be sure to be mindful of power lines as well – you don’t want to be responsible for taking out the whole street’s electricity!
Mould
Sydney is known for its humid climate. While homes in Avalon tend to allow more natural air flow than those dank terrace houses closer to the city, the hot, wet months mean mould can still be a problem. This unsightly stuff can create foul odours and even make you and your family or tenants sick.
It is important to clean up any mould from your Northern Beaches property as soon as you find it to prevent it from spreading and contaminating other areas of your home.You can DIY with some vinegar and elbow grease or call in the professionals to get rid of your mould and show you how to prevent it from coming back.
Time to sell? Talk to an expert
With a background across the real estate industry, I’m able to quickly identify the risks to your home which have the potential to reduce your sale price. Get in touch today for an appraisal.
