Congratulations! You’ve just purchased a home, and whether this is your ‘starter home’, ‘move-up home’, your ‘forever home’, or your ‘down-size home’, it is an exciting experience, and a big commitment. Beyond the financial commitment to make payments on your loan there is also a commitment to take care of the property. Not only is that commitment part of your promise to the lender, it is critical to your maintaining and improving the value of your investment.
Unfortunately, some buyers lose their enthusiasm once they realize that there is no landlord to call, and small repairs and mowing the lawn starts to eat up their weekends. At the other end of the spectrum there are those who are eager to tackle a long list of home improvement projects. Wherever you lie on the home project scale, here are a few tips that will help keep the romance with your home alive:
- Home maintenance is like laundry: If you just keep putting it off, the task becomes overwhelming. When small problems appear, try to take care of them before they become a major issue. If a faucet has a slight drip, fix it before you waste hundreds of gallons of water. If a storm loosens a fence post, re-set it before the next storm takes down the whole fence. Just remember, these small problems will not fix themselves and will only get worse. If you can't fix it, hire someone.
- Do not attempt DIY projects for which you are not qualified. One of the quickest ways to ruin the value of your home is to fill it with unprofessional finishes. You can certainly learn, and DIY projects are fun, but do seek advice and start with a project that is manageable like painting a room, or hanging a light fixture, versus adding a tile backsplash or crown molding. And whatever you do, finish it! Nothing is worse than a house full of half-completed projects.
- If you plan on selling in the next couple of years try to avoid decorations or improvements that are too taste specific. For instance, lining the living room walls with knotty pine for that cabin feel, or hanging zebra print wallpaper in the guest room could be a big turn-off for many buyers. If you’re planning to stay indefinitely, go for it and satisfy your inner decorator.
- Have some money saved for unforeseen repairs, like when your dog runs through the screen door or you manage to spill a gallon of paint on the living room carpet. Things happen to homes and they aren’t always covered by insurance or a warranty.
Be proud of your home and respect the money you’ve invested. Show it some love and you’ll enjoy many years of happy home ownership.
Photo courtesy of eaglebuildsolutions.com
Comments(2)