A home is usually one of the biggest purchases in terms of price tag one will ever make. Real Estate costs a big chunk of money going in as down payment and a commitment of 15-20 years in terms of the monthly EMI going against the home loan / mortgage.

In addition to this, homes attract various other monthly outgoes such as

• Insurance premiums
• Association charges
• Annual property dues
• Electricity charges
• Water supply charges
• Any other tax imposed by local authorities

If you add up all the above mentioned charges, homes do cost a bomb. But even after paying a bomb, home can be a big drainer of cash if not maintained properly.

Home cannot be “buy and forget”. Instead it must be treated like your car or your bike. You have to do regular maintenance, oil changes, check Tire pressure, do washing and cleaning, fix up damaged parts of your vehicle in order to use it regularly without any problem. If you miss out a couple of cycles of maintenance, your car may stall during an important journey and you may end up spending a huge sum to bring it back in working condition. If you service your car properly, keep it clean, wash it, take care of electrical, change oil as prescribed in manual – you can use it for years and it will never let you down in any of the journey you undertake. Above all you can always get a good resale value. Potential buyers do consider looking at the maintenance record of automobile before striking the deal.

Same is with the real estate/ house.
The list of things which can go wrong if not maintained can go very long.

• Not keeping bathrooms clean can hamper the outlet of water and can flood your home causing serious damage to your furniture. 
• Not maintaining AC/Fans can make them stop functioning and can incur heavy cash damage to you. 
• Not regularly painting the house can make the plaster weak; it may come off and might hamper the resale value considerably 
• Accumulation of dust particles can take sheen off from the shiny furniture and make them look like scrape material 
• Not doing regular service / replacement of electrical fittings can cause electrical short circuit and can damage the entire household furniture due to fire 
• Not taking care of bathroom fittings can damage them and they can start rusting and become useless. Believe me it costs a lot to replace these fittings 
• Not trimming grass in the lawn will make it look really bad and the sight is not inviting for the visitors at your place. 
• Unclean flooring can lead to the damage tiles which in turn can decrease potential resale value of your home

There can be n number of line items which can be added in the above list. Bottom line is – the home must be kept well maintained. It gives positivity to your own life plus it increases the life and worth of your home. Later if you wish to upgrade, you can sell your home at good price if you have kept is presentable to potential buyers.

The approach to keep your home properly maintained is very simple

• However busy you are with your schedule, take time out on weekends, make a schedule and pay attention towards one item per week and make sure on monthly basis you cover all important items from the list once. 
• This will ensure that your property is safe, appreciates in value and looks good to any visitor coming to your place. 
• You can plan it in such a way that first Sunday of a month clean all fans, fridge, electrical boards, sockets and check for all electrical fittings. 
• Second Sunday typically can be spent in dusting your furniture and glass items, arranging your reading interests. 
• Third Sunday can be spent in cleaning bathrooms thoroughly (apart from regular alternate harpik cleaning) and cleaning of drainage outlets like sinks, kitchen wash basins, balcony outlet for any blockages. 
• Fourth Sunday can be dedicated to floor cleaning, removing stains, kitchen cabinets/tabletops/counter tops cleaning, and keeping / refilling insecticides and anti rodent. 
• Make schedule every alternate year to paint the walls and use superior quality of paint which lasts longer. 
• Exterior painting should also be done at regular interval with superior quality of washable paint. A monthly outside wash can work magic on the exterior looks of your home. 
• Weeding and landscaping your lawn monthly can make them look better and they will certainly make your house inviting for the visitors.

A small schedule can make your home last longer and can increase its value over time. Above all it can save you tons of money that can go into drain by handling emergency maintenance arising of negligence.

Timely maintenance can also help you in creating and increasing your wealth. more the price of your home, more wealthy you would be.