We go to our primary care physician yearly to get a full check up. They take our height and weight, check our blood pressure, run through various tests, ask us how we’ve been feeling, and maybe even do some blood work. We go to the dentist twice a year, even though we brush and floss daily, the dentist still deep cleans our teeth and looks for any areas of concern. We take our car to the mechanic, not just when something is wrong, but regularly, to get the oil changed. After they change the oil they inspect the rest of the car to make sure it’s operating properly even though we drive it every day.

What do we do for our homes?

That’s where the Annual Home Evaluation comes in! It’s the yearly “check up” on our home. We live in our home every day, but do we really see our home every day? Life gets busy and it’s so easy for our maintenance lists to fall through the cracks. Small issues like a slow plumbing leak, moisture in the attic, or a loose vent connection often start quietly. But, if no one is watching, these items can turn into costly repairs.

An Annual Home Evaluation brings in a trained eye, who isn’t living in the home, not too busy with life, or too used to the small quirks that we live with every day, to look at all the small things and catch them before they turn into big things!

Inside the Home

The interior of our homes is a complex series of systems working together to keep us safe, healthy, and happy. Most of us aren’t walking our attics end to end, crawling through our crawl spaces, and filling and draining our sinks and bathtubs to capacity, testing our overflows and watching a full drain very often, if ever. But, these areas matter! Especially in Minnesota where poor ventilation, poor insulation, and concealed areas of moisture intrusion can lead to ice dams, mold growth, heat loss, and countless other troublesome outcomes.

Large scale plumbing leaks don’t usually happen over night. They tend to start with a few drips here and there and build over time. Catching them early can save our cabinets, floors, ceilings, personal belongings, and lots of stress!!

The same goes for basic maintenance on our larger systems such as HVAC and distribution and supply plumbing. Having a trained eye walk through these systems with you can help make it manageable instead of overwhelming.

Outside the Home

Living in Minnesota, we know our weather can be extreme. Our summers are hot, wet, and humid. Our winters are cold, dry, windy, and snowy. We know how hard the seasons can be on our bodies, but how often do we think about how hard it is on our home? These factors can provide a beating to the external shell of our homes every year.

Roofing and the siding are our home’s first line of defense. They are built from robust materials that are made to weather all the elements our crazy state can throw at us, but they’re not immune to damage. By the time a roof leak is noticed inside it has most likely caused costly damage to the roof and attic. Siding and trim can expand and contract with the weather, the sealants we use can crack, gaps can form throughout that exterior shell and before we know it again, costly damage could have happened to our home and these gaps could be adding extra money to our heating and cooling bills monthly.

Exterior grading and drainage settle over time. This can mean water draining toward the foundation rather than away, and foundations are one of the most important components of our homes. Water pressure and damage to the foundation can cause displacement, and again, costly repairs.

Just like the inside of our home, on the outside of our home if we catch the small problems early, it can often mean that we are looking at small and affordable repairs instead of major repairs down the road.

Final Thoughts

A home is one of the biggest investments most of us will ever make in our lives. And, on top of that, it’s where life happens and memories are made. An Annual Home Evaluation isn’t about just finding problems, it’s about getting ahead of them. A certified professional Home Inspector will be that trained, unbiased perspective to look closely at all these elements of your home and more, plus leave you a report so that you can create a gameplan that’s manageable.

An Annual Home Evaluation gives you peace of mind, a plan, and the confidence that your home is ready for whatever comes next.