How to Stop Your Home from Losing Value

There is a dangerous misconception in the Nigerian real estate market that the "cost" of a home is the price you pay at the point of handover. This is financially naive. The purchase price is merely the entry fee; the true cost of the asset is determined by how well it fights the forces of depreciation over the next twenty years.

Smart investors understand that maintenance is wealth preservation. A lack of strategy here means structural degradation that can strip 15% to 20% off your property’s resale value in less than five years.

At ATEOS Homes and Properties Ltd, we design our structures to withstand these elements, but a building is a living system. It requires stewardship. This guide is an asset management strategy designed to stop your investment from becoming a liability.

The First 90 Days: Post-Handover Maintenance Checklist

The first 90 days after you move in are critical. In the construction industry, this is known as the "Defects Liability Period" or, more commonly, the "Snagging" phase. During this time, the building settles into its foundation, and the materials adjust to the temperature and load of daily use.

Your role during these three months is not just to "live" in the house, but to stress-test it.

• The Maximum Load Stress Test
  Most homeowners test their systems lightly, which hides real issues. Do a full load test instead:

  • Electrical: Run all ACs, water heaters, and major appliances at once for a few hours. Watch for tripping breakers or flickering lights, signs of weak circuits or phase imbalance.

  • Plumbing: Run every shower and flush every toilet simultaneously. If pressure drops anywhere, the regulator or piping needs attention.
    
    
    

• The Settlement Audit
  New buildings naturally shift, but some movements are warnings.

  • Normal: Hairline cracks around doors or windows.

  • Not normal: Cracks wider than 2mm or diagonal “stair-step” patterns. Photograph them with dates; if they grow, escalate quickly. Your documentation is your protection.
    
    
    

• The First Rain Inspection
  The first heavy rain is your best diagnostic tool. Walk around your home:

  • Check window corners, wall edges, and ceilings for moisture.

  • Any discoloration or seepage now means you caught the problem early, before it turns into long-term water damage.

Monthly Maintenance Tasks

In Nigeria, small problems become expensive disasters faster than anywhere else. This monthly routine is your financial shield.

• Generator hygiene (beyond fuel): Your generator does more than keep the lights on; it protects your comfort. But it needs more than just a fuel check.

  • Air Filter: In dusty periods, the filter clogs fast. A blocked filter forces the generator to burn up to 20% more fuel. Cleaning it monthly is literally money saved.

  • Wet Stacking: Running a big generator on a tiny load builds up unburned fuel in the exhaust. To prevent engine damage, run it at about 80% load for one hour monthly to clear the buildup.

• The Gutter audit: Blocked gutters cause "Rising Damp." This destroys your expensive wall paint from the bottom up. Clearing a gutter costs N5,000; treating rising damp costs N500,000. Do the math.

Quarterly Maintenance

This is where you catch the invisible issues. These systems degrade silently; usually, by the time you notice a problem, the damage is irreversible.

• The HVAC check: Air Conditioners in Nigeria work double shifts compared to other countries. Dust is their enemy.  A quarterly professional service (chemical wash) is non-negotiable. 

• Septic and soakaway management: The septic tank is the most forgotten component of the home until it fails. Do not wait for the smell. If you neglect this, the system will clog ("sludge up"), requiring frequent and expensive evacuation trucks.

• Roof and flashing integrity: Leaks rarely start in the middle of a roof; they start at the edges (flashing). The Nigerian sun causes these metal sheets to expand and crack sealants. Inspect the joints before the rainy season begins. Tightening a screw is cheap; replacing a water-damaged ceiling is not.

Annual Maintenance

Once a year, you must move from "maintenance" to "restoration." This is about resetting the clock on the building’s aging process.

• Borehole and water treatment: Your borehole pump lives underwater, but that doesn’t mean it cleans itself. Sediment and iron bacteria build up in the casing over the year, reducing flow and damaging the pump. Annual “flushing" of the borehole and servicing of the treatment plant (changing media/sand) ensures you aren't pumping mud into your expensive plumbing fixtures.

• The exterior: Sun exposure causes micro-cracking in the paint film. You don't need to repaint the whole house every year, but you do need to do "spot checks." Look for peeling on the weather-beaten sides of the house. Scraping and sealing these spots annually prevents water from entering the walls and destroying the internal plaster.

• Gate and perimeter security Your automated gate opens and closes thousands of times a year. The hinges wear down, and the motor gears grind. An annual service of the gate motor prevents the motor from burning out. A stuck gate isn't just inconvenient; it’s a security risk.

Common Maintenance Mistakes Nigerian Homeowners Make

Even with the best intentions, many homeowners fall into habits that compromise their property and lead to unnecessary expenses. Be aware of these pitfalls:

• Delaying preventive inspections: Waiting for visible problems instead of scheduling checks can turn small issues into expensive emergencies.

• Overlooking seasonal risks: Many ignore the impact of rainy seasons, humidity, or harmattan winds on roofing, paint, and landscaping.

• Failing to maintain records: Without proper documentation of repairs, warranties, or service schedules, it’s difficult to track recurring problems or claim fixes from developers.

• Relying solely on intuition: Guessing when to service systems instead of following a structured schedule often leads to inefficient maintenance.

• Ignoring neighborhood-specific challenges: Local factors such as flood zones, termite prevalence, and water quality are often neglected, leading to recurring issues.

Maintenance is ROI

Research consistently shows that properties with a documented, professional maintenance history resell for 5% to 10% more than comparable properties that lack one. When a buyer walks into a home and sees a clean logbook, they see a safe investment.

Think of maintenance as your dividend. Every Naira you spend on prevention stays locked in the property's value. At ATEOS Homes and Properties Ltd., we build for the future, but it is your supervision that ensures the asset pays you back. Don't just own your home; manage it.