You’re unlikely to make any purchase that involves greater amounts of money than when you buy your home.
You’ll have saved up years for a deposit, will be paying a sizeable monthly mortgage, and, hopefully, it’ll prove to be a smart financial decision. But it’s not guaranteed.
While it’s always possible for a home’s value to move in the right direction, there are some instances where a value can drop (or stand still, which in the long-term equates to a loss). Fortunately, whether this happens is in your hands.
Take steps to protect the value of your home, and you’ll see that the value slowly inches in the right direction.
Regular Cleaning
It doesn’t take much for a home to fall into a dirty state.
It’ll happen if that build-up of grime, dust, and other dirt marks are allowed to develop; if they’re not cleared away, then imperfections will begin to show!
As such, you’ll want to dedicate some time each month to giving your home a more thorough clean, one that goes beyond just making things look presentable on the surface. Instead, pull back the chairs, tables, and make sure the place looks spotless.
Some people prefer to just call this ‘Spring cleaning,’ but you’ll find it all easier to manage if you do it more regularly.
Don’t have time to clean your house yourself due to a busy schedule? Inexpensive house cleaning services like the Diamond Cleaning Company can take care of it for you at a great price!
Emergency Control
You never know what can happen!
When things go wrong in the home, they can go really wrong. Take fires, for instance. It might seem like an unlikely threat, but they occur more regularly than you might think — there is, on average, one house fire every eighty-six seconds, or some 350,00 domestic fires every year.
Following proper home fire safety guidelines, will, of course, be your first line of defense, but don’t discount the importance of having your fire alarm in full working order, and storing an extinguisher somewhere within easy reach.
They might just be the two things that save your home from a much a bigger problem.
From the Elements
We tend to think of our homes as places to sleep, unwind, spend time with our families, and so on.
But actually, these are all secondary functions of our properties. First and foremost, our homes function as a way to protect us from the elements. They’re our shelters from the storm! Or so goes the idea.
If our home is vulnerable, then we’ll find that mother nature is able to infiltrate our home, and cause damage that’ll affect the value.
While there’s not much you can do about the ferociousness of the weather, there are things you can do to protect your home. As a bare minimum, you’ll want to make sure the vulnerable spots of the home, such as your basement, are protected.
Get in touch with Helitechonline.com, and have your basement waterproofed. A whole host of problems that will affect your home’s value can materialize if water is allowed to seep in — make sure that doesn’t happen!
Update the Decor
You might not always feel like looking through the ideas booklet and coming up with new ideas about how to keep your home updated, and looking like it belongs in the modern world.
But it’s important to do so if you want to maintain the value.
While prices aren’t affected if a property doesn’t have the latest designs, if it looks like it’s been twenty years since it last received an update, then the value will dip somewhat. So keep things fresh — it’ll be as good for your own enjoyment of the home as it is for the value!
Roof Issues
Sometimes, the things that cause us the biggest problems are the ones we can’t see.
Indeed, the reason they cause us so much trouble is because they’re out of the way — we can see an issue with our front instantly, but problems in those places we see less often can be there for a long time, all the time slowly getting worse.
One such area to be especially concerned with is the roof. Roofs are easily damaged, and can cause big problems if they’re not fixed.
If you live in an area that receives heavy storms or snowfall, make a habit of checking that everything is in full working order every so often. It might just save you from dealing with a much bigger problem further on down the line!
Outside the Home
And talking of storms, they can cause damage to your property in more way than one.
If you’ve got trees — or outdoor furniture — outside your property, then all it could potentially take is one strong gust of wind for your home to have a serious problem.
Branches are particularly dangerous, so it’s worthwhile learning the signs that a branch may soon break off. Before every fall and spring, do a circuit of your property and make sure there’s nothing there that could fall onto your property.
Home Exterior
Most people know that they need to stay on top of their front yard area, in order to make it presentable.
But what about the front of your house, as in the exterior of your home? This is one area that some homeowners don’t pay as much attention to as they should, but it can make a big difference to the overall look and quality of your home.
And if it’s not in a good state, then you’ll find that your house is worth less.
If the paint or brickwork is beginning to look worse for wear, then take steps to correct the issue. Sometimes a $5000 exterior job can add $20,000 in terms of value — it really is one of the most effective investments you can make when it comes to selling your home.
Creepy Crawlies
You’d like to think that you know all the beings that are living in your house, but this isn’t always the case.
Depending on where you live and the type of property you own, you may also, on occasion, find that you’re sharing your house with creepy crawlies, of a rodent or insect kind.
If you notice that other creatures seem to be living with you, have them removed by a professional — they can cause serious long-term damage to your property if they’re allowed to live there for too long.
Neighbor Relations
Many a property owner falls into the trap of believing that it’s the quality of their home that most determines the value.
This is not the case. It’s the location that does most of the work. You could have a ten room mansion, but if it was located in the middle of a desert, then it wouldn’t be worth anything.
It’s the community, accessibility to downtown areas, and all around vibe of the neighborhood that matters.
Now, you can’t move the house — but you can do something about your neighbors. It really is worthwhile working to create a good atmosphere on your street, if only because it’ll keep bad behavior — which can drive down your home’s value — at bay.
Home Efficiency
We live in an age where people are, rightly, more concerned about the energy efficiency of their home, if only so their bills are lower.
Keep up to date with latest practices, and make sure your home has the last technology to use energy efficiently.
General Upkeep
Every house, even new homes, have problems.
When you’re spending so much time in one place, there are always going to be small issues creeping in here and there. It doesn’t matter what happens, exactly, but that you’re responding to them when they occur.
Don’t let small imperfections get a stranglehold on your property.
It’s well worth learning how to do basic home DIY so that you’re able to correct any issues — if you have to always call a professional, you’ll be more likely to save the time and energy, and just live with whatever’s wrong.
Get Covered
Finally, it’s always important to keep one thing in mind: you never know what’s going to happen.
Even if you took all the precautionary steps in the world, there’s always a chance that something happens that undermines the value of your home.
This is one reason (of many) why it’s so important that you have comprehensive home insurance. If something does happen to your home and you don’t have the cash to fix it, then you’ll be relying on your insurance to pay out.
If you don’t have insurance, nor the money, then whatever problem you have with your home will have to stay that way — and that can seriously compromise the value. Keep in mind that not all insurance policies are created equal, and it’s always important to read the fine print to ensure that you’ll be sufficiently covered.
Conclusion
Your home is your most valuable asset.
Don’t mess around with that value! If you stay on top of the basics, then the value will naturally inch in the right direction.
It’s when you begin to let your standards slide that problems creep in. Take your home maintenance duties seriously!
