When it comes to ensuring that your home maintains or even gains property value, there are several factors you need to balance. One of the major elements that can impact your property’s value is your home maintenance. The following will explore some of the ways that maintenance can alter your home’s value for better or worse.
Weather Proofing
One of the most critical elements of home maintenance is ensuring that what’s outside doesn’t get inside (unless you want it to). In particular, the roofing contractors from KVN Construction in Portland point out that moisture from rainy seasons or even wet days can wreak havoc on your home and your possessions, resulting in walls that are slowly rotting away and thick growths of mold or mildew. You want to have your siding, roofing, and foundation inspected regularly and address any moisture problems immediately. The longer you wait, the more time water has to damage things. Look for a trusted local contractor that can take a look at your situation and point out any potential problems.
Plumbing Maintenance
Water doesn’t come from just outside your home; it also exists within it, right in the bones of the structure. Plumbing leaks need to be addressed as soon as possible because the water slowly warps and swells your home as well as invites all sorts of nasty poisons like mold and mildew. In addition to looking out for signs of dampness and dripping noises implying loose or worn elements in your plumbing, you want to pay attention to the smell in your home. If you detect a rotting or musty smell, this isn’t something you should just cover up with home scent products; it is likely a serious problem that needs to be diagnosed and treated.
Keep Things Clean
Keeping things clean is also part of home maintenance. Yes, this means mopping up spills for all of the water damage reasons above, but it also means keeping food and other similar items sealed up. It means sweeping up crumbs and wiping down surfaces after you use them. Food, especially grain-based or sugar-based foods, can attract all sorts of pests like mice, rats, ants, cockroaches, and fruit flies. Take the time to search out the corners of your home and ensure any entrances to the outside are properly sealed off so as not to make it easy for critters to get in.
Take Care Of Your Air Systems
Your heating, cooling, and air conditioning systems can work in pristine condition for quite some time, keeping your home at the right temperature all year round. Of course, if they’re not properly maintained, this is another story. Replacing these systems can turn out to be quite expensive, and no home buyer wants to deal with the headache of it. Make sure that you are getting regular inspections and changing all filters that need to be changed when they need changing. You’ll also want to clean exhaust fans, exhaust outlets, outdoor air screens, and outdoor air intakes.
Home Security
Many people don’t think of home security as maintenance, but it is. Property damage tends to occur when crimes occur, which means, if you can minimize the potential of these problems, you’ll also lower the chances of property damage. Things like keeping your bushes and hedges trimmed so that burglars don’t have a nice secluded entrance, having exterior lights on at night, and having a friend come and check on the place while you’re on holiday are all excellent starts. It is also a good idea to keep your vacation social media posts delayed so that you’re not letting the world know you’re not home for two weeks by sharing your beach photos. Wait until you get home to post, thieves, look at these sorts of posts when making their plans.
Properly Care For Pets
This is a major one that, unfortunately, is often overlooked. Not only will proper care of your pets provide them with a better life, but it will also keep your home from depreciating in value. Pee sunk down into the floorboards causes foul-smelling moisture damage. Stains from skat can permanently ruin the look of a carpet. Corners of drywall and trim and doors with chew marks are worth far less money than pristine ones. Be sure to clip nails to keep floors and walls and doors from being scratched, and watch over your pets when they’re outside so that holes aren’t being dug where you don’t want holes.
The above information has hopefully shown how basic home maintenance can impact your home’s quality and structure and, this, in turn, can alter the property’s value. If you’re considering doing renovations for the specific reason of increasing value, always speak to a real estate professional as not all renovations increase value.
