5 Simple Ways to Increase a Home's Value

From the Daily Real Estate News, December 31, 2007

Good home maintenance is key to creating and preserving a home’s value. Not to mention, it also impresses potential buyers.

Here are five basic steps that every home owner ought to take — before spending money on dream bathrooms or gourmet kitchens.

1. Safety. Make sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are installed and in good working order. Check fuel-burning appliances to make sure they are properly vented and no gas connections leak. Make sure the electrical system is adequate. Flickering lights and popping breakers are the sign of a problem. Anchor handrails and grab bars adequately.

2. Preventive maintenance. Repair any leaks in the roof, seal gaps in the siding, paint bare wood, replace damaged decking, patch cracks in concrete, and caulk around tubs and showers.

3. Conserve energy. Install a programmable thermostat, weather-strip doors and windows, fix leaking faucets, upgrade insulation, and replace leaky windows.

4. Go green. Consider environmentally friendly materials for windows, doors, siding, decking, fencing, roofing, flooring, and insulation.

5. Improve comfort. Get rid of clutter, open up spaces, update window treatments to allow in more light, and organize closets and storage.

Note from Anita:  2 additional ways to increase your home’s value are:

1. Keep the interior and exterior paint in good condition on in neutral colors.

2. Update the flooring—neutral carpeting in living areas and bedrooms (no blue or red), re-finish wood flooring, neutral color ceramic tile or vinyl in dining areas, entries and baths (no carpet in these areas).

Comments

[Tim Harris]

This is a very good analysis of your current market conditions. Helping us to recognize the trends our market is taking is something important to keep in mind; another is to figure out ways to be more productive. I can think of 10 things I do each day to enhance my success...can you?