By Samuel Rosenberg From Caribbean360

NEW YORK, United States – Many homeowners completely forget to leave a financial allowance in their monthly planning and budgeting to allow for any house repairs that are essential to keep your home in excellent condition. Fortunately, there are many ways you can avoid spending thousands of dollars on simple jobs you can learn to complete yourself.

Living in the Caribbean, the amount of maintenance required on your home is considerably more than many parts of the world, mostly due to the humidity and the sea salt in the air which both combine to cause consistent damage to your property.

Remembering to set aside regular funds from your income is important so that you have sufficient savings to be able to carry out any house repairs that are necessary. The second half of this preparation is planning a regular schedule to inspect your premises and carry out regular maintenance which includes at least one and preferably two, pest treatments each year.

Were you to call in professionals to carry out all of your regular maintenance and emergency jobs for you, you will quickly find that your savings will disappear rapidly as many businesses rely on householders failing to complete simple tasks on their property which often means that a larger problem occurs because the smaller situation is not dealt with.

When you have to call in a contractor to carry out work on your property, you should always compare prices before allowing anyone to go ahead with the job. By having a quotation in writing, the contractor is clearly showing you what work they will complete and what their total charge will be. You have to be aware of businesses that always find extra work on your property and quote you extra charges after they have already begun the work. It is essential that projects are agreed in advance so there is no overrun to both the timeframe and the budget required to complete the tasks.

You can ask friends and family who they recommend because the choice of a reputable contractor is essential in getting the work carried out properly, will last the test of time and will charge you the correct price.

Controlling an emergency fund which will help you to be able to fund a crisis in your property that cannot wait and you will have to consider laying aside 1 to 2% of the property’s value each year to cope with straightforward maintenance.

Your personal vigilance around your property will help avoid water damage becoming a significant problem. Keeping your gutters clear will help ward off water collecting in the wrong places around your property. Regularly painting any wooden areas around your property will prevent the wood from rotting. A regular visual check of your roof may show you the onset of any problems before they become dangerous as well checking the quality of your windows and carrying out maintenance to ensure they work correctly.

There are many simple tasks that you are able to complete yourself like oiling hinges and doorframes, cleaning your bathtub with baking soda and lemon juice and using silicon spray to lubricate sliding windows.

By inserting regular maintenance check dates into your calendar, you will see problems with your property before they become a substantial drain on your income. By learning how to carry out simple maintenance tasks on your home, you will keep more money in your bank account, but where it is necessary to call out professionals, completing the transactions carefully will ensure that your home stays in the best condition possible.

The writer is the founder and CEO of Axcel Finance Ltd., the leading regional microfinance institution. Share your thoughts and email your questions to [email protected]

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbean360.com/business/samuel-rosenberg-house-repairs-on-a-budget#ixzz3IIzG451P