You can preserve and even increase the value of your home by maintaining both the exterior and the interior of the dwelling.
Whether you are planning on selling your home in the near future, or you are going to live there for the rest of your life, it is still important to keep the value of your home from depreciating. Of course, there may be times during your role as a homeowner in which you must spend an exorbitant amount of money for repairs or remodeling. However, there are several steps you can take to ensure that your home appreciates in value over the years. Your home should be one of your major investments. You do have to nurture and care for your home, though, in order to get a substantial return on that investment.
If you are already a homeowner, you probably already realize that maintaining a house is a never ending process. Your maintenance projects can probably be divided up into weekly, monthly, and yearly schedules. Of course there are also some necessary jobs that are only needed every so many years.
If you live in the South, you will need to do yard maintenance weekly a majority of the year. This entails cutting your grass and trimming your weeds and shrubs. Even if you live in the North, you will still have so many months out of the year that you will have to maintain your lawn on a weekly basis. One of the first indications that a house is vacant is a yard that is growing out of control. You should also keep extra toys, tools, etc. picked up in your yard. Don’t let your trash pile up and create an eye sore. If you are planning on selling your house, keeping your yard neat and trimmed will contribute greatly to your home’s curbside appeal.
Don’t forget, most potential buyers do a drive-by before they ever stop to tour a home.
If the yard is a mess, the property value will become much less appealing, thus lowering the value of a home. Remember, no matter what the appraised value of a home might be, that dwelling is really only worth what someone will pay for it.
You should keep a close eye on the plumbing of your home. Unfortunately, many leaks are not noticed until a major problem has already occurred. If the pipes in the walls of your home are leaking, you may not realize that there is a problem until you notice water damage. Pay attention to water sources such as outdoor faucets, washing machine hoses, sink and commode plumbing. If you notice anything unusual, such as water on the floor or a running water sound, you should get to the root of the problem immediately. If you are planning to sell your home, make sure your plumbing is in good condition. Your faucets should not drip, and your commodes should flush easily and with adequate water pressure.
Check your gutter system around the eaves of your home. All of the seams should be flush with each other, and there should not be any leaking along the gutters. You will need to clean out your gutters at least once a year. You may have to clean them more often if your home is surrounded by trees. If your home doesn’t have a gutter system, you should seriously consider installing one. Gutters will help to protect your home from excessive water damage due to inclement weather.
If your home is made of wood or aluminum, you will probably need to touch-up its paint. Every so many years, you will probably need to clean off chipped paint and re-paint the entire house. Other years, you may need to only paint trim and shutters. It is just as important to maintain the walls on the inside of a home. If you have any type of damage, you should repair the walls and repaint as necessary.
Make sure you periodically look at your ceilings. If you see any discoloration, this is probably an indication of a leak in your roof. This is something else that can depreciate the value of your home. Because purchasing a new roof is a major expense, many potential buyers will hesitate to buy a home if the roof is in disrepair.
You can ensure that your home holds and even increases its value by simply anticipating and taking care of problems as they occur. Your house doesn’t have to be expensive to look appealing.
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