Hello everybody: Today’s topic focuses on the many costs of house repairs in San Diego, and full disclosure, there are many.
As we all know, owning a home in San Diego is the stuff that American dreams are made of. However, home ownership comes with many house repairs and house repairs can be costly, very costly. The costs of house repairs in San Diego can really add up.
My name is Brian at Trusted House Buyers and thanks for tuning into this video today.
Let’s start off with a brief overview. House repair costs can vary significantly depending on the size, value, and location of your home. Maintenance costs are nearly double for older houses than newly constructed homes. And as we all know, repairs can come at you at any time and sometimes those repairs are not minor fixes. Major projects significantly impact the overall cost of maintenance. At Trusted House Buyers, we have seen many homeowners exit their homes simply because the costs of house maintenance (big and small) is simply too much to handle.
Now let’s dive a bit deeper into the most common home maintenance projects that you will have here in San Diego. You will find that many home repairs are on the exterior of your home – these can range from lawn care, to tree trimming, pool maintenance, and roof repair.
Let’s look at tree trimming as an example. Experts recommend trimming mature trees every 3-5 years. The costs to trim these trees can vary widely from $80 to a whopping $1,000 PER tree! And of course the costs will increase if the job takes multiple days. Now let’s look at another example. If you have a pool that sold you on the purchase of your home in the first place (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a pool during a San Diego summer), don’t be alarmed when you are shelling out $1,800-$3,200 a year in general maintenance! Ouch.
Beyond regular home maintenance, homeowners must tackle major repairs from time to time. A recent survey found that 88% percent of homeowners complete at least one major repair a year. That is a staggering statistic! These major home repairs bump up the average yearly cost of home maintenance and must be accounted for.
Let’s talk about some of the most common major repairs that a homeowner in San Diego may be facing (buckle up, the list isn’t pretty.) Some of these major repairs can include HVAC replacement, roof replacement, foundation repair, water heater replacement, electrical work, termite, and water damage to name a few. If this consolidated list hasn’t sent you running for the hills far, far away from home ownership in San Diego, let’s talk numbers to see what the damage really comes down to.
So you need a new HVAC. Doesn’t seem like that big of a deal? Well, every 10 years you could be looking at a $5,000-$10,000 bill to make this replacement. But wait . . . there is more. Depending on the age of your home and the condition of the roof, repairs generally need to be made during your time in the home, and those repairs can be upwards of $10,000 depending on your specific issue. Can these repairs be ignored? If you want to be sitting under a leaky roof with no heat during the winter – sure. And at Trusted House Buyers, we definitely wouldn’t recommend that!
Now that you know some of the costs of house repairs, it is extremely important to plan a budget. As a rule-of-thumb, homeowners should budget 1-3% of their home’s value a year for home maintenance. Alternatively, you can use the “square footage rule,” which advises homeowners to budget $1 per square foot of their property per year for home maintenance.
On a final note, if you live in an area with natural disasters, your average annual home maintenance may increase due to related repairs. It’s critical to have natural disaster insurance to cover these costs. Homeowner’s insurance policies typically don’t cover damage caused by uncontrollable events like earthquakes. Let’s hope San Diego doesn’t have one of those in the near future!
Here’s the bottom line: there are many factors that contribute to the varying costs of house repairs in San Diego. If you find yourself in a situation where you are ready to sell and that the frustrations of house repairs have simply become too much to handle, Trusted House Buyers can offer you a cash offer, take your home as-is and close on your terms. Selling your home to a cash buyer like Trusted House Buyers can relieve you of all of the many repair and maintenance costs that owning a home can bring. For more information on the long list of costs for house repairs you may experience as a San Diego homeowner and why it may be a good time to get sell your house quickly without the headaches and expenses of house repairs, you can always call us at Trusted House Buyers by dialing, 619-786-0973.
