We often make new year's resolutions for ourselves, but have you ever thought about making a resolution for your home? The start of a new year is the perfect time to make a pledge to keep your home in its best possible condition all year long.
Here's some resolutions you might want to enact for your home in 2016:
- De-clutter: Streamline your home. Throw away or donate anything you don't use or love. Clear your counters. Use hidden storage or attractive baskets to keep wanted items nearby, but still tidy. Getting rid of clutter will make your home feel cleaner, bigger, and more updated.
- Budget for improvements: A general rule of thumb is you should plan to spend up to 1%-3% of your home's initial price on home maintenance/upkeep each year. Put aside money ahead of time so when the washing machine breaks, or your roof has a leak, you aren't in a financial panic.
- Keep it clean: Spend a little bit of time each day to keep your home clean, especially in the high traffic areas - kitchen: put dishes in the dishwasher, clean the sink and counters, sweep floor; bedroom: put dirty clothes in hamper, make bed. Clean your entire house each week, including changing bedding. By making cleaning part of your daily and weekly routine, your home will always be spic and span and ready for any guest - expected or not!
- Make it safe: Check batteries and test all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Consider getting a radon test kit ($20). Clean the lint out of vents and ducts behind the dryer (lint causes over 15,000 building fires per year). Prevent mold by making sure all bathrooms and attics are vented to the outside.
- Save energy: Install low-flow shower heads. Turn off the AC when leaving the house. Set your computer to sleep mode when not in use. Turn off lights when leaving the room. Water your yard less and consider planting drought tolerant plants.
- DIY: Instead of hiring an outside professional, there are many maintenance jobs around the house you can attempt yourself this year that will save you money and keep your home in tiptop shape - gardening, building a fence, cleaning rain gutters, raking leaves, caulking windows and doors, mowing the lawn, interior painting, etc.
Pledging to keep one or all of these resolutions in 2016 will have your home thanking you for many years to come!
For all your real estate needs, contact expert DFW realtor, Stacey Perry!
Phone: 817.313.1833
Email: staceyperry@kw.com
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