DeLeon Realty Announces Its One-Year Home Maintenance Service

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The DeLeon Insight January 2017 Issue

By Michael Repka, Esq., DeLeon Realty CEO

When buying or selling a home, it has always been important to select the right Realtor®. However, the home itself usually remains the same, irrespective of which agent represented the property. That has all changed with the introduc­tion of the DeLeon Realty/HomeSmiles maintenance program, which will be offered on all DeLeon listings. Once again, the DeLeon Team has found a way of making our listings more attractive to potential buyers—at no cost to either the buyer or the seller! Naturally, we haven’t forgotten DeLeon buyers, either. When the DeLeon Team represents a buyer of any property in 2017, we will provide the same one-year maintenance plan. At DeLeon Realty, we understand annual home maintenance takes time and planning. We also understand many Silicon Valley home buyers lead very busy lives. We want clients to move into their new homes and enjoy them without having to worry about annual home maintenance. Accordingly, we have retained the services of HomeSmiles, Inc., the industry leader in annual home maintenance services, to provide our clients with worry-free annual home maintenance.

If you list your home with DeLeon Re­alty, we will have an annual home main­tenance performed for your home by HomeSmiles in conjunction with listing, at no charge to you. Moreover, your home will be marketed and sold with a one-year annual home maintenance service package from HomeSmiles. It is much like buying a “certified pre-owned” car from a Mercedes dealer. Don’t forget—if you buy a home with the DeLeon Team, we will also include a one-year annual home maintenance service package.

Although we all know property main­tenance should be considered an integral part of homeownership, the fact remains that very few have the time to take on the projects required for the overall protec­tion and upkeep of their homes. This problem has been compounded by the fact that, historically, there has not been a single-source provider for annual home maintenance services. Many mainte­nance items are often too small to be worth a contractor’s time, and homeown­ers—especially ones with high-powered jobs and children—can’t seem to find even a small opening in their schedules to tackle them.

In the past, homeowners would have to schedule nearly a dozen vendors and ap­pointments annually in order to service all the major components and systems of their home. HomeSmiles has solved this problem! DeLeon clients will now receive the following services on their home, per­formed by an industry leader and expert.

HomeSmiles provides:

  • Gutter and downspout cleaning;
  • Tree branch removal;
  • Exterior window/sill cleaning;
  • Dryer exhaust vent cleaning;
  • HVAC filter replacement;
  • Refrigerator coil cleaning;
  • Range/hood filter clean/replacement;
  • Water heater flush;
  • Water heater pressure relief valve check;
  • Water heater anode rod service;
  • Toilet tank inspection;
  • Driveway pressure-washing;
  • Garage door lubrication;
  • Garage door “reverse” safety inspection;
  • Smoke detector inspection/test/ lithium battery change; and
  • Carbon monoxide inspection/test/ lithium battery change.

At DeLeon Realty, we play offense, not defense. We believe a proactive annual home maintenance plan is key to pre­venting small problems from becoming big issues. All major components of your home, including roofs, gutters, water heaters, furnaces, and appliances, are expensive and costly to repair or replace. The cost of doing no maintenance is simply too high. Deferred home main­tenance is cumulative, and its effects can be wide-ranging. For example, failure to clean gutters annually can lead to water overrun, failed roofs, rotten eaves, and dry-rot replacement bills far exceeding $25,000. Although a well-maintained water heater can last decades, failure to maintain your water heater can result in costly replacement in the range of $1,500 to $3,000. Overworked furnaces and appliances without clean filters can significantly drive up electrical costs and eventually cause failure, leading to signif­icant capital expenditures.

Benjamin Franklin said it best, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The fact is, proactive maintenance is essential to preserving the value of your home—without it, your home could lose significant value. Regular, routine maintenance enhances curb appeal, ensures safety, and prevents neglected upkeep from turning into costly major repairs. Over time, annual maintenance costs average more than $3,300, according to data from the U.S. Census. Various lending institutions, such as Directors Credit Union and LendingTree.com, agree the homeowner should estimate annual home maintenance costs at one percent to three percent of the initial home price. DeLeon Realty is pleased to deliver this service to our valued clients free of charge for the first year of homeownership.

Proper and effective annual home maintenance requires training and expe­rience. In contracting the services of the professionals at HomeSmiles, DeLeon clients can expect higher efficiency, better job knowledge, and more extensive experience in getting a good job done— one that meets or even exceeds industry standards.

DeLeon Realty is pleased to offer this new service to our clients on both the buying and selling sides of transactions. For further information on this new and exciting service, please do not hesitate to contact Michael Repka at 650-488-7325.