By Kelly Shue

THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

For years you’ve dreamed of making that last mortgage payment. Maybe you’ve even fantasized about what you’d do with the extra money now available in your monthly budget. Unfortunately, you are probably painfully aware that unplanned expenses are robbing you of your savings.

Many homeowners are finding that once their house is paid off, the expenses associated with home ownership continue to rise. That’s because houses that are 30 years and older often require constant repairs and maintenance costing thousands of dollars.

To make matters worse, basic upkeep on a 30-plus year old house remains constant. Add to that the reality of snow, wind, and rain taking a toll on roofs, exterior paint, driveways, windows, siding, and fencing, and home maintenance quickly becomes the great, unending money pit.

Now the savings you worked so hard to earn goes to maintaining a house with rooms you no longer use and time-consuming repair projects that eat up your free time.

However, if you were living at Riderwood all your maintenance repairs would be covered under your comprehensive monthly service package. You’d no longer have to worry about unforeseen repair needs such as a leaky toilet or a broken window. Riderwood’s highly skilled maintenance staff responds quickly to all inhome repair requests and is available seven days a week. And, in most cases, is completely free.