Raven Home Co. logo — North Dallas real estate advisory led by Raven Mok
    Covered outdoor patio with fireplace on a well maintained North Texas home

    Homeowner

    Deferred Maintenance Does Not Get Discovered When You Sell. It Gets Repriced.

    The inspection is the one moment in a transaction where you have no leverage. Every item on that report becomes a negotiation you did not choose, at a price you do not set. The work is cheap. Discovering it under contract is not.

    Season By Season

    Built for North Texas, not a generic climate

    Heat, hail, clay soil, and one hard freeze a year. That combination is what actually breaks houses here, and it is not what a national checklist is written for.

    March to May

    Spring

    • Service the HVAC before the first hundred degree day. Every company in DFW is booked solid in July and you do not want to be on that list.
    • Clean the condenser coils, check refrigerant, replace the filter.
    • Inspect the roof and flashing for hail damage after spring storms, from the ground with binoculars if you cannot get up there safely.
    • Clear the gutters and check that downspouts discharge away from the foundation.
    • Run every irrigation zone, check heads for spray pattern, and reset the controller for the season.
    • Reseal exterior wood, fences, pergolas, and door frames.

    June to August

    Summer

    • Check attic ventilation and make sure soffit vents are not blocked by insulation.
    • Water the foundation perimeter on a schedule during drought. This is the North Texas one that matters most.
    • Walk the slab edge and interior corners looking for new cracks, sticking doors, or separation at the trim.
    • Service pool equipment and check the bond and pump seals.
    • Watch for wood destroying insects, mud tubes at the slab and soft trim near grade.
    • Confirm the attic and garage are not storing anything heat sensitive.
    Covered patio and outdoor fireplace at a North Texas home in early fall
    Outdoor masonry and sealed wood are the two things a North Texas summer works on hardest.
    North Texas home exterior at twilight showing roofline, gutters, and grading
    Roofline, gutters, and the grade at the slab. Three minutes from the sidewalk twice a year.

    September to November

    Fall

    • Service the furnace and test every carbon monoxide detector.
    • Have the chimney inspected before the first fire.
    • Reverse the ceiling fans to clockwise for winter.
    • Insulate exposed pipes and cover hose bibs before the first freeze, not during it.
    • Clear the gutters again after the leaves drop.
    • Seal driveway and walkway cracks before water gets in and freezes.

    December to February

    Winter

    • Know where your main water shutoff is and that it turns, before you need it at 2am.
    • Drip faucets on exterior walls when temperatures fall below freezing.
    • Check attic insulation depth and top up thin spots.
    • Flush the water heater and test the pressure relief valve.
    • Test every GFCI outlet in kitchens, baths, garage, and exterior.
    • Keep the foundation perimeter evenly moist through a dry winter.

    Every Month

    Ten minutes, twelve times a year

    • Replace or check the HVAC filter.
    • Test smoke detectors, one button, thirty seconds.
    • Run ice and citrus through the garbage disposal.
    • Test the garage door sensors and the auto reverse with a roll of paper towels.
    • Check the water softener salt level.
    • Walk the perimeter looking for new cracks, standing water, or grade that has settled toward the house.

    The North Texas one nobody tells you: foundation

    Clay soil moves with moisture. It swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and your slab moves with it. Consistent perimeter watering during drought is the cheapest foundation insurance in DFW, and foundation issues are the single most expensive thing an inspector can find.

    What to budget

    Plan roughly 1 to 2 percent of your home's value per year for maintenance. On a $500,000 home that is $5,000 to $10,000 annually. Most of it you will not spend in a given year, which is exactly why it accumulates into an inspection report.

    When you do decide to sell, maintenance and prep are two different jobs. The prep side, the fourteen days right before photos, is laid out here: how to prepare your home for sale.

    Raven Mok, North Dallas real estate agent with eXp Realty

    The One I Repeat Most

    I have sat at more than one closing table where a foundation report took five figures off a price that was already agreed, on a house that only ever needed a soaker hose and a timer. That is why the watering line is on this list twice, and why I say it out loud to every client who moves here from a place without clay soil.

    Raven Mok

    Active eXp Realty DFW | CLHMS | Former CPA

    Take It With You

    Get the printable seasonal checklist

    One page, four seasons, sized for the North Texas climate. Print it and put it inside a kitchen cabinet.

    One Number Changes Everything

    Start With The Number

    Every decision a seller makes runs through one figure: what the market will actually pay for your house right now. Put in your address and I will send back a real value range built from live comparable sales, not an algorithm.

    Active eXp Realty DFW | CLHMS | Former CPA