Why It Is Important to Maintain Your Home

Home Maintenance is important when we get ready to sell our homes. It is also important to maintain our home’s value and condition on a day-to-day basis. Just as you would perform routine maintenance on your car, your house needs this kind of attention all the more. It is, after all, for most people, their greatest asset.

Take the time to get to know both the exterior and interior of your home. This helps you gain a better understanding of what is needed to maintain your home. Develop a checklist of routine items you will need to oversee. The National Center for Healthy Housing has a great checklist to get your started.

Protecting the value of your home is like protecting your reputation. Your home has a reputation, too. When you put your house on the market in the future, you want to be the house that your neighbors tell their friends about. They will tell their friends because they know your house to have always been meticulously maintained!

Speaking of your neighborhood, make sure that it lives up to the standards that one would expect. A vacant home in a neighborhood can give you a poor outlook while you are living there, but it can be even more of an issue for a potential buyer. So, see if you and other neighbors can get together to keep up the exterior of the property that is vacant and neglected. If everyone shares the project, it will make the neighborhood look better. This is something that not only helps you personally, but them as well.

Some items that will make a difference for your home:

• Curb appeal: Your yard, landscaping, and exterior are the first things that people notice as they drive up to your home. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so keep in mind the importance of things like: flower beds, a well-manicured yard and trimmed bushes.
• Updating your light fixtures: New light fixtures are not very costly and can make a world of difference in how your home looks and feels. New fixtures give an updated appearance and adding additional lighting helps to make any room appear larger.
• Energy efficiency: Take the time to do an energy audit. Many utility companies offer this service and even a discount for work done to improve energy use in your home. Clean ducts and ducts without leaks make a huge difference in both the energy use and the quality of the air in your home. Take the time to have the insulation in your attic checked and added to it as needed.
• Roof: Your roof protects the investment of your home and it contents. Keep an eye on the roof and check for leaks periodically. Take care of any little leak immediately as it can grow into a huge, expensive problem quickly.
• Kitchen facelifts: The kitchen is often one of the most important features for a buyer. Don’t wait until you are getting ready to sell your home to make changes. Make it a room you can enjoy and be proud of now while you live in it. Replacing old faucets, updating cabinet pulls/handles & putting in matching appliances are all less costly than a brand new kitchen, but help a room to feel updated.
• Bathrooms: This is another room that matters! While we all would enjoy a total renovation, there are lots of less costly ways to update your bathroom. For instance, making sure the caulking is not coming up. This is a small maintenance item that can keep a 30-minute project from becoming a total renovation due to procrastination. You can easily update floors, shower surrounds or replace chipped tiles. There are many “ugly” bathtub solutions. Something as simple as a new toilet seat and fresh paint job can make a big difference!
• Carpets: Start with having your carpets professionally cleaned. A good professional can make a tremendous difference in how your carpets look and smell! If your carpet is a little worn or you don’t love the color, an area rug will give it a boost. It will make the room feel cleaner and create a more welcoming atmosphere.

The bottom line is this – “Your home is your sanctuary.” Taking good care of it by maintaining the little projects which will benefit you both now, later and when you preparing to sell it in the future.