Luxury Home Maintenance and Upkeep Tips For Howard County Homeowners

If you’ve recently purchased a luxury home in upscale Howard County, it’s time to start enjoying the many amenities it came with, whether you’re enjoying the gourmet kitchen with all the latest smart appliances, the spacious primary bedroom suite, the glistening hardwood floors, or the media room where you’ll spend hours of quality family time together.

Luxury homes, by their very nature, are expensive and built with the highest-quality materials and finishes. As you begin to enjoy your fine home, you should also make sure to keep up with luxury home maintenance to counter the normal wear and tear of everyday living as well as the effect the elements can have on the exterior. Strive to keep your home looking as sparkling as it was the day you first walked through the front door after becoming a proud homeowner. After all, there will be holiday gatherings with extended family members, dinner parties, and fun summer get-togethers in the backyard.

A significant reason to keep up on maintenance is to prevent potentially serious damage and high repair costs. That will also keep the home’s resale value high and give the impression that the home has been well-cared for, which is always an important consideration for any piece of real estate.

It seems so simple, but it is so important: Maintaining your luxury home should start with keeping it clean and shining all the time. Luxury homes are usually built with expensive materials and luxury fixtures, and it’s important to keep them looking just like new. For instance, your kitchen and bathroom counters and fixtures get a lot of daily use, so be sure to wipe them down with disinfectant spray daily. That will keep grime and dirt from building up over time and keep fixtures in pristine working condition.

The same goes for other surfaces in your home, including floors. If you have nice hardwood floors, polish them regularly to keep them looking sharp. Scuff marks should be removed as soon as possible. Have your carpets cleaned regularly to keep them looking new and smelling fresh, especially if you have pets. It’s worth the cost to have a professional steam-clean your carpets. Their machines are more sophisticated than steam cleaners you can rent at the big-box hardware store. Plus, the pros know tricks for removing tough stains and getting the hard-to-reach spots.

The maxim “out of sight, out of mind” is usually good, except when it involves various systems in your home that work night and day, and you never notice until something goes wrong. That’s why an important step in luxury home maintenance is to have your HVAC system routinely inspected and to keep up with any electrical and plumbing issues. Changing filters regularly and having your air vents cleaned helps your HVAC system run smoothly and keeps the air clean. Regular maintenance can prevent your air conditioning from failing on a steaming hot summer day or your heater suddenly not working in the depths of winter.

When something goes wrong with your electrical or plumbing system, hire a pro rather than trying to do the job yourself, unless you have extensive experience. Shoddy or inexperienced workmanship can worsen problems and make them more costly to fix. Also, don’t forget your garage door. It needs regular maintenance, too.

Those awesome smart appliances in your kitchen that make life so convenient generally aren’t going to clean themselves. Keep surfaces clean and free of splatters and dirt, especially the appliances with stainless steel or black matte finishes. Keep your dishwasher’s interior clean so food scraps don’t clog the drain and cause it to work less efficiently. Keep the owner’s manuals handy so you can follow cleaning and maintenance instructions that will keep appliances running smoothly. The same goes for your washer and dryer, which sometimes get overlooked since they’re usually in the basement or garage.

You don’t have to keep your home looking like the pages of Architectural Digest, but keeping clutter to a minimum is a key step in luxury home maintenance that will help you enjoy the home’s beautiful features more. Don’t let items pile up in the living room and the kitchen, and keep your bedroom well-organized. This will help you keep various surfaces clean and minimize the potential for damage.

The beautiful changing seasons in Howard County make for an enjoyable lifestyle, but they can also take a toll on your luxury home’s exterior. Keep an eye on your paint and roof, two areas that can take a pounding from exposure to sun, rain, and freezing temperatures. Get any roof leaks repaired immediately, as water damage can be devastating. Clean leaves and other debris out of rain gutters a few times a year to avoid an unpleasant surprise during a downpour.

If you have a backyard deck, keep it stained or varnished to ensure it stays looking sharp and extends its useful life. The same goes for your front door, mailbox, and your front porch light. Keep them shiny and replace them when they wear out or go out of style.

The easiest way to keep up with luxury home maintenance is to keep an extensive checklist. You should have several categories, including tasks that need to be done daily, monthly, or every year or more. It’s sort of like knowing when to have your car serviced. Keep a list of the times you have to have a plumber, electrician, or handyman over to do some work, and also keep a list of when the warranties on your appliances and other systems expire. That way, you can extend them if possible or even begin to plan and budget to have items replaced.

Every high-end home is different and needs attention to detail when it comes to luxury home maintenance. When it comes time to buy or sell beautiful Howard County homes, VSells & Associates are the most experienced agents in Central Maryland.