If you own a luxury home, it is essential to understand the difference between scheduled, preventative maintenance and reactive, unscheduled maintenance and emergency repairs.
The key to preventative maintenance is that it is routinely performed prior to equipment failure, whereas reactive maintenance and emergency repairs are executed once something has already failed. Not only does preventative routine maintenance improve the chances of your home functioning at its’ best, but it also helps to retain and increase the value of your home while dramatically reducing potential costs.
The impact that routine preventative maintenance can have on your luxury home is broad – affecting cost, enjoyment, value, downtime, storm readiness and the overall life of your systems and appliances.
Preventative Maintenance
In the short term, preventative maintenance detects minor problems and solves them before they snowball into larger issues. Inspections are performed to ensure that equipment and appliances are operating at peak efficiency, that gutters and drains are clear, that seals and caulking are in good condition, that air filters are clean, warranties are current and a host of other checkpoints. Preventive maintenance continually looks for red flags or signs of potential challenges purely for the purpose of nipping them in the bud. Long-term, routine, scheduled service helps you get the maximum lifespan from your equipment, and therefore the most value for your money! Not to mention, fewer emergency repairs translating to lower costs, less time wasted and lower stress levels…
To emphasize the importance of preventative maintenance, think about your annual checkup with your doctor. This routine appointment is conducted to ensure that you don’t have any underlying health issues, just as preventative maintenance ensures that there are no underlying issues in your home. You certainly don’t want to find out you have a curable disease after it’s too late, so don’t wait to find out that your home has a preventable leak until it’s completely flooded – it’s as simple as that!
Emergency Repairs
Consider a high-end luxury sports car, for example. You wouldn’t wait until it breaks down before getting it serviced. We know that something as basic as needing an oil change – if left undone- can result in the engine running less efficiently, can cause the engine components to wear out and can even cause the entire engine to shut down and have to be replaced. A simple scheduled preventive maintenance for around $100 can save your engine and thousands and thousands of dollars in repairs. The same approach should apply to your home – ensuring that key systems are functioning at maximum efficiency. You wouldn’t drive your car into the ground, so why drive your home into the ground? While we do handle emergency repairs at Dibico, we’d much rather prevent these issues in the first place.
The idea that routine maintenance is unnecessary and costly is a common misconception. In reality, it can save you quite a bit of money in the long run. Studies show that repairs can cost anywhere between four and fifteen times the cost of preventative maintenance. Relying on emergency repairs follows the approach of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” — and then it breaks and you end up overpaying for a repairman to make a visit on a Sunday to replace an entire appliance versus a single part!
Understanding the drastic difference between scheduled, preventative maintenance and reactive maintenance or emergency repairs is the first step in proactively managing your home, Now, it’s time to take action! Don’t leave your home at the mercy of reactive maintenance, get ahead of any potential challenges with Dibico’s Home Management Program, we do everything from weather stripping prior to a storm, ensuring your HVAC system and smoke detectors are up-to-date, to getting your house ready for your holiday party. With Dibico you and your luxury home, are taken care of year-round. Contact us to learn more today!
