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April 5, 2011
With the price of gas, groceries and other necessitiesincreasing at a pace that’s almost too rapid to harness, homeownersmight be tempted to cut corners on home maintenance. But don’t givein to temptation.
Even if you don’t plan to sell your home in the foreseeablefuture, it’s always best to maintain what you have rather thantrying to make up time and money at a later date when it might notbe as convenient.
As much as we’d all like to have an unlimited home maintenancebudget, that’s rarely the case. These three tips will help improvethe marketability of your home but won’t bruise your budget in theprocess. Not only will these ideas help increase the desirabilityof your home to potential buyers when your home is on the market,but they’ll also increase its intrinsic value to you untilthen.
1. Get expert opinions.
If you want to update your home’s interior style there’s nobetter way to spend a little money and receive a large reward thanhiring an interior designer or home organizer for an hour or two.Sure, they’ll most likely want the job to be more sizeable thanthat, but you’d be amazed how much information you can access in anhour’s time if you prepare a list of questions beforehand. Forexample, plan to ask the designer questions about color ideas forthe walls or furniture placement to help make the rooms looklarger. Ask the organizer questions about methods to declutterclosets or other frequently overlooked areas (that potential buyerswill no doubt notice).
2. Create efficiency.
A home with thoughtful efficiencies is not only attractive topotential buyers; it’s also very beneficial to you while living inthe house. For example, make plans to install a programmablethermostat and replace all light bulbs with newer energy efficientones. Not only will these changes save money on your energy bill,but they’ll also send a message to a potential buyer that your homehas been thoughtfully cared for. This quiet message can equate topride of ownership and increased value. In a similar vein, taketime to repair dripping faucets, and replace air filters. And byall means, make sure your lawn and garden are kept tidy since firstimpressions on curb appeal count enormously when it comes to realestate value.
3. Update systems.
By taking the time to install or upgrade items like ceilingfans, water filters, light fixtures and security systems, you’ll besending a message to potential buyers that your home containsupdated conveniences so the new owner won’t have to worry aboutimmediately making upgrades when they take move in. And in themeantime, you get to reap the rewards of their installation. Forexample, spend time looking at a few current magazines to followtrends on lighting and other fixtures, and also look at websiteslike HomeSecurtity101to become familiar with the latest advances made in home alarmsystems.
Remember the adage that “information is power.” By taking timeto look at magazines or a site like www.homesecutity101.com youcan gain valuable information pertinent to hiring an expert,creating efficiencies, and upgrading systems of all types.
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