Homeownership
The Ultimate Home Maintenance Schedule for New Homeowners
Congratulations on your new home! Along with the excitement comes a long list of new responsibilities. Most people forget to flush their water heater or clean their dryer vents. Here's a comprehensive schedule to keep your investment in top shape, and how you can automate it.
The Problem with Generic Checklists
Search for "home maintenance checklist" and you'll find dozens of lists telling you to clean your gutters, service your furnace, and drain your sprinkler system. But what if you live in an apartment? What if you don't have a furnace? What if you live somewhere it never freezes?
Generic checklists waste your time with tasks that don't apply to you—and worse, they might miss tasks that do apply. A homeowner in Seattle has different needs than one in Phoenix. A condo owner has different responsibilities than someone with a house on five acres.
Condo in Miami
Doesn't need gutter cleaning, snow prep, or lawn care reminders
House in Minnesota
Needs winterization tasks that someone in California would never think about
Home with Solar Panels
Has specific maintenance needs that generic lists don't cover
Property with a Pool
Requires seasonal opening, closing, and regular chemical checks
How the Wizard Works
The Maintenance Wizard asks you a few questions about your property, then generates a personalized task list. No account setup required to try it—just answer the questions and see what tasks apply to your home. You can also import existing documents using our email import feature.
Tell Us About Your Property
Single family home, townhouse, or condo? Your property type determines which exterior maintenance tasks apply to you.
Select Your Climate
Pacific Northwest, Desert, Humid Subtropical, Subarctic? Your climate affects seasonal timing and which weather-related tasks you need.
Choose Your Systems & Features
Gas furnace? Solar panels? Swimming pool? Fireplace? We'll add specific maintenance tasks for each system you have.
Get Your Custom Task List
Instantly see your personalized maintenance schedule—organized by frequency (weekly, monthly, seasonal, yearly) with the right tasks for your home.
Smart Filtering in Action
The difference is dramatic. A single-family home with a yard, trees, and multiple systems might have 16+ maintenance tasks. A condo? Just 5 essential tasks. The wizard only shows you what's relevant.
Single-family home — Pacific Northwest climate, small lawn, trees, gutters, fireplace. The wizard generates 16 personalized tasks.
Condo / Apartment — Different climate, no exterior responsibilities. Just 5 essential tasks that actually apply.
The condo owner doesn't see gutter cleaning, lawn care, or roof inspections—because those are typically handled by the HOA or building management. The homeowner sees all of those plus tasks specific to their features like the fireplace and trees.
What Gets Customized
Property Type
Condos skip exterior maintenance. Townhouses might share some responsibilities. Single-family homes get the full list.
Climate Region
Desert climates skip winterization. Humid regions add mold prevention. Cold climates add pipe insulation checks.
Winter Severity
Mild winters? Skip the snow blower maintenance. Severe winters? Add tasks for ice dams, frozen pipe prevention, and more.
Systems & Features
Solar panels need cleaning and inspection. Pools need seasonal care. Septic systems need pumping. Each adds specific tasks.
Lawn & Trees
No lawn? Skip mowing and fertilizing. Have trees? Add trimming and leaf cleanup. Medium+ lawn? Add aeration.
Seasonal Timing
Tasks are scheduled for the right season in your climate. Furnace service in fall, AC service in spring.
Sync to Your Calendar
Once you save your maintenance tasks, they become part of your EstateHelm calendar. Enable Calendar Sync to have these reminders appear in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, or any iCal-compatible app.
Automatic reminders — Get notified before each task is due
Seasonal scheduling — Fall and spring tasks appear at the right time
One subscription — All your EstateHelm events in one calendar feed
Browse More Tasks
The wizard gives you a solid starting point, but every home is unique. Click "Browse More Tasks" to see additional maintenance items you might want to add. Maybe you have a specific appliance that needs regular attention, or a unique feature the wizard didn't cover.
You're Always in Control
- Add or remove any task from your list
- Adjust frequency to match your preferences
- Re-run the wizard anytime if your home changes
- Create custom tasks for anything specific to your property
Example Tasks by Frequency
Good to Know
Starting point, not gospel
The wizard provides sensible defaults based on best practices. Adjust frequencies and tasks to match your actual needs and local conditions.
Try it free
Start with a free trial to set up your maintenance tasks and see how it works. No credit card required to get started.
Professional service still needed
Some tasks like furnace inspection, chimney cleaning, and electrical work should be done by licensed professionals. Assign tasks to family members or contractors, then mark them complete when done.
Track progress your way — Mark tasks complete, assign them to household members, or link them to a recurring service provider.
Stop Forgetting Important Maintenance
Your home is your biggest investment. The Maintenance Wizard helps you protect it with personalized reminders that actually apply to your property.
Start Your Free Trial