Homeownership often gets labeled as the true "American dream," but the excitement and pride that comes with owning a home can quickly diminish when something breaks and the landlord is you.
Most experts suggest that homeowners spend 1 percent of their overall home cost each year on home maintenance, so someone who purchased a home at $200,000 should spend about $2,000 annually, according to Porch, a website that provides tips and information for homeowners.
Major home repairs seemingly never come at a good time and can often be unexpected, but Jae and Janie Yu's new home maintenance subscription service BuiltWell bets that Chattanooga homeowners will pay $49 a month for routine inspections to minimize the need for major repairs and for peace of mind, too.
"As homeowners, we kind of just cross our fingers and hope for the best," Janie said. "We are trying to eliminate that guessing game."
Billed monthly, the Yus, a husband-and-wife team, compare BuiltWell to subscriptions a lot like Netflix. It costs just under $600 a year and aims to be a simple way for homeowners to stay on top of maintenance that can turn into a bigger problem and headache if not taken care of properly.
Three times a year, or as often as a homeowner would like, Jae checks for mechanical and structural issues in a home and performs usual maintenance items, like checking the heating and air unit, changing out air filters, checking for water infiltration and more. While Jae comes out as little or as often as a homeowner would like, the idea is that a homeowner can get an overall picture of how their home holds up in different seasons.
A home is a lot like a story with different chapters.
"What does your house do in the winter, summer, spring and fall? There's different stories for each," Janie explained. "Your house might not be affected by something in the winter that you'll have a problem with in the summer."
Both children of Korean immigrants, Janie's parents own a commercial maintenance business that services major companies in the area and Jae's father has spent over 40 years in the home painting and carpentry business. Jae received a degree in heating and air from Chattanooga State Community College and has professional certifications in water remediation, home building and inspection and Level 1 infrared thermography while Janie is a Realtor in the area and helps manage BuiltWell.
The two were formerly in the home renovation business and found that people would often call them after a problem had already occurreed. Clients were thinking more retroactively than proactively, they said.
"We've just found little, every day routine maintenance kinds of things are so simple to do yet it can be a big issue down the road if you neglect it," Jae said. "As the house gets older, everything gets worn out. Shingles get worn out, mechanical items get worn out. There's maintenance that is going to help it stay working longer and we want to provide that."
Adelia Mosley signed her 10-year-old home up for BuiltWell right after the Yus launched the company in February. Mosley works with Janie and has received help from the couple in the past when she needed repairs done at one of her rental properties and none of the repairmen she had called showed up.
Disloyal and unresponsive contractors and repair personnel can be one of the biggest headaches for homeowners.
Instead of spending time trying to get quotes from different repair companies, Jae and Janie have included that part in their service, as well. If Jae or Janie can't handle the repair or it requires a licensed professional, the couple said they'll find one who can and will show up.
"Honestly, that was one of the big draws for me," Mosley said. "I can't tell you how many times I've called plumbers or handymen who said they would show up but then I never heard from them again."
On one of the first, clear spring mornings of March, Jae climbed atop the roof of Mosley's home looking for anything out of the ordinary. It was the first inspection of her home, and Jae said initial inspections can take anywhere from four to five hours.
Afterward, Mosley received a 17-page report outlining all the routine repairs Jae made that day, which included repairing a leak in the HVAC unit, replacing some light bulbs and more. The report also included what he would check for in the next few visits and what items he recommended fixing sooner rather than later.
"I thought I would just give him a walk-through, but he spent most of the day there and came back with photos and information on things that I was unaware of," she said.
One thing homeowners in the South need to be more mindful of is moisture intrusion, Jae said.
"In the South, it's so wet here. There's so much humidity," Jae explained. "You've got a lot of mildew growth, and it's so humid that anything on the exterior will wear out faster because of that. It's very important to keep vigilant."
For an extra fee, homeowners can have the Yu's assemble and install furniture, help with water remediation and flooding, set up smart home devices, gutter cleaning and more. Janie said they also want to open their services up to real estate agents who may need a go-to inspector or repair company when buyers or sellers need quick repairs, as well.
For the Yus, BuiltWell comes down to taking care of one of a person's biggest investments - their home.
"We want to make things streamlined and smooth, so that way you can just focus on living and focus on your family," Jae said. "We would like to take at least this part of it off of your plate."
Contact staff writer Allison Shirk Collins at ashirk@timesfreepress.com, @AllisonSCollins or 423-757-6651.