3 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR HOME

With the rising cost of real estate, it pays to always keep your home well-maintained. Maintenance not only delays the deterioration of your house, it can actually help make it more valuable in the market. With a few simple ways that cost almost nothing, you can convert your humble abode into a potentially expensive-looking investment.

Here are some ways easy ways to do it.

FIX LEAKS. All too often, we have seen how these nasty leaks eat away at the structural integrity of a house. Small water pipe leaks cause rusting and corrosion of metals. Especially when the climate in your area is humid, leaks also cause mold to form. Remember that a water leak, when left unfixed, causes a bigger damage on the main pipes. The constant exposure to moisture seeps through cracks and crevices, causing the parts of the house above the hidden water pipes to be compromised. I’ve seen huge cracks on the concrete appear right above a leaky pipe. Once this happens, the entire stretch of a building over the pipe has to be dug in order to repair or replace the defective pipe. This does not only prove to be costly, it also makes your walls and floors look ugly.

Another type of leak that needs immediate fixing are leaky roofs. How do you tell if you have a leaky roof? Unless you have buckets strategically positioned all over your house to catch rain, the best way to see is to stare at your ceiling, and observe if there are brown water spots at certain points. These brown spots will not appear if there is no moisture source – and usually, the moisture source is a small leak on a wall, crevice, corner, gutter or roof. The longer you procrastinate over fixing these leaks, the bigger the leaks get, and the bigger the damage on your house. Moisture attracts mold, which can cause respiratory and skin illnesses, and in some cases, death. Leaks also cause a musty smell – making your house smell like an old dilapidated house. Roof leaks also cause the ruin of your floors (especially if they’re wood) and some furniture and fixtures. Sometimes, the solution is so simple, like a simple application of roof putty or one small welding job – and your leak is fixed.

Wash your windows. Windows get naturally filthy over time. Why not, when one side is at the exterior., and the other is inside your house? If you invested in a house with a nice view, it makes perfect sense to clean your windows at least once a week. This way, your view is not inhibited by dirt and water stains. If you have screens, take them down and clean them. You can actually tell how clean a homeowner really is by the condition of her house windows. Only a really tidy person will take pains in scrubbing each square inch of the hard-to-clean windows. If your windows, on the other hand, are too difficult to maintain, then it’s time to replace them with more maintenance-free windows, like the sliding type, instead of jalousies. Think of all the added convenience of wiping easy-to-maintain windows!

PAMPER PLANTS. The added beauty and freshness well-maintained plants bring cannot be discounted in any home. Have you noticed some beautiful homes whose facades are muddled by unruly plants? Grooming your shrubs takes as much love and care as it would to raise a pet. However, all your patience and love pays off well eventually, because plants bring much freshness and appeal to your home. Landscaping is also no joke – it takes big bucks. Don’t throw away your investment by letting your beautiful greenery turn into an unruly forest. Uncontrollable plants are also breeding grounds of bugs and disease-bearing insects. When you fail to maintain your plants, you not only make your home less attractive, you also cause health threats to you and your neighbors. If you can’t be responsible, then dig up all your plants and apply concrete over the soil. This is not the ultimate option, but it’s definitely better than keeping greenery that you cannot be a responsible owner to.

Having a beautiful home entails hard work and sacrifice. Eventually all of your efforts will be rewarded, as a well-maintained home can be resold for major bucks. Do your homework and happily perform your household chores – you won’t regret it.