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The personal stories of one Realtor’s battles and triumphs in the highly-competitive Bay Area Real Estate Market, seeking to illuminate and humanize the very real ups-and-downs of homeownership.
Whether on your person — or in your home, deferred maintenance doesn’t pay.
I flunked a test last week.
Granted, it was with the oral hygienist, and admittedly, I hadn’t been to a dentist office in nearly three years, so I was WAY overdue for a cleaning. My previous dentist suddenly sold her practice, and somehow, I’d slipped through the cracks between “new management” and COVID.
As FEAR and dental work are irrefutably entwined in my delicate psyche, I’d conveniently let this triannual chore go by the wayside, hoping that flossing regularly, thorough brushing, and practicing good oral hygiene would be enough.
It wasn’t.
“Umm, I’m going to need to schedule another appointment for you,” Cesar politely said, after looking at my mouth and assessing my gum health (or more accurately, peridontal DISEASE). “You need a DEEP cleaning, which is going to require at least two hours, and possibly some discomfort I’m afraid . . . ” (and nitrous oxide if you please).
“You’ve got some good-sized pockets near your back molars,” he continued, “and that can mean bone loss if we don’t address it .” (Evidently, “pockets” are better suited for aprons or overalls.) “I’ll need to get beneath your gum line to scrape away the plaque, and then pack the infected areas with antibiotics. I’m sorry.” (Me too.)
In Realtor speak, we’d euphemistically say that my mouth has “deferred maintenance.”
Deferred maintenance doesn’t pay.
Deferred maintenance is common on most houses, even those where the owners have been fairly diligent. Typically, the longer you live in a house, the more deferred maintenance accumulates. That’s because we have a way of ignoring the cracks in the walls, the settling floors, and the leaking roof. And unless, we’ve conducted pest inspections every few years, most of us will miss the termites in the crawlspace, dry beetles in the framing, and rats in the attic . . . Such is the nature of the beast.
That being said, when you decide to sell your home (assuming top-dollar is the intended goal), we’re going to want to address what’s easily correctable (and sometimes, what isn’t).
The list of easily correctable items includes (but is not limited to):
- Cleaning
- Painting
- Gardening
- Window washing
- Tree trimming
- New carpeting
- Floor refinishing
- Replacing hardware and fixtures
- Replacing lighting
- Updating countertops and backsplashes
The list of big-ticket items includes (but is not limited to):
- Replacing roofs
- Repairing foundations
- Remodeling kitchen and bathrooms
- Replacing knob & tube wiring
- Replacing windows
- Replacing sewer lines
- Updating the HVAC system
- Replacing galvanized pipes
- Repairing crumbling chimneys
- Etc., etc., etc . . . .
In other words, there’s general ongoing maintenance that keeps your house looking good, and then, there’s the deep, DEEP dive, which addresses the items that aren’t easily seen. Not surprisingly, these “fixes” are more expensive and far less sexy to correct, but arguably, they’re more important with respect to the health and condition of your home. Leave them for the next owners to contend with, and you’ll likely see the cost of repairs come off the price of the house. (That’s only fair.)
Which means that if you’re expecting an AMAZING result on the sale of your home (and there have been some unbelievable outcomes for Sellers this spring), it’s going to require more than casual maintenance to get you there. It’s going to require your attention, your dollars, and potentially, a little discomfort. But you’re not alone, with hundreds of listings under our belts, and the diligent efforts of our experienced crews , we’ll walk you through the process step by step. (Think of it as your own deep cleaning.)
In the end, Cesar was as gentle as can be, and with proper care, I should have my teeth until I’m old and grey (Oh wait, I already qualify, so I should say old-ER and grey-ER.) Like all anxiety-provoking situations, my imagined distress was far worse than the actual procedure. In fact, I sailed through the appointment just fine, albeit with the help of deep breaths, ear plugs, laughing gas, novocaine, and the very capable hands of Cesar. (Thank you, Cesar.)
And while selling a house undoubtedly takes more than a few hours to make you smile, the fear of the process is often far worse than the reality. Once we get to work, and we’re in motion, it’s all about problem solving and helping you cross the finish line with as little pain and discomfort as possible. That’s why you hire seasoned professionals.
How can we help you?
Julie Gardner & Sarah Abel | Compass Realty
Not just Realtors, but consultants in all things house and home, we’re here to educate, explore, examine and refer . . . In short, you may count on us to take care of your home as if it were our own and anyone who knows us, knows we take pretty darn good care of our homes.
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