How to increase home value: 10 best indoor maintenance tips
Want to sell your home faster for more money? Well, Your home should be a lot more to it than meets the eye. Don't just focus on the exteriors. Check the inside too! Here's how:
SUMMARY
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Houston Properties Team listings sell for 7.2% more and for 43.7% faster.
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This article is part of a six-part Houston Home Seller Series outlining how we achieve these results.
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Here, we give you the top 10 home interior maintenance tips you can do to raise the value of your home while staying indoors.
HOUSTON HOME SELLERS GUIDE SERIES
Check out our other Houston Home Seller Series:
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Best Way To Sell Your Home In The Fastest Time For the Most Money
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AVOID MISTAKES! 9 Mostly Costly & Common Listing Errors From the HAR MLS
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20 Best Investments To Increase The Value of Your Property Before Selling
"Houston real estate can be really tricky. The smart thing to do is to have an expert show you the ropes. The Houston Properties Team has a long experience in handling complicated transactions and she does a fantastic job! They can assist you with anything you need in buying and selling homes, making the whole process much simpler. If you want to avoid dealing with the pain of buying or selling a home, I definitely recommend calling the Houston Properties Team." - Philip, Google Review
Table of Contents
- Home Maintenance Tips: General Interior Maintenance
- Fixing The Kitchen
- Upgrading The Bathroom
- Laundry Room Upkeep
- Sell Your Home In Houston Fast: Utility Conservation
Home Maintenance Tips: General Interior Maintenance
Wondering how to raise the value of your home? General maintenance can go a long way. Contact the Houston Properties Team for more home seller guides and tips on how to sell your Houston home fast and for the most money.
Inspect Your Window and Door Seals
Looking out for air leaks getting in through your doors and windows should be part of your interior home maintenance checklist. These air leaks can let the draft in and create cold spots in your Houston home during cold weather, possibly overworking your heating system.
You can hire a professional energy auditor to do this for you, but you can find a couple of ways to "DIY" it online.
Change The Rotation Of Your Ceiling Fans
Changing the direction your ceiling fans turn can change the temperature of a room. This helps put less strain on your cooling and heating systems.
Counterclockwise rotation pushes cool air down which is good for the summer, while clockwise rotation can distribute heat evenly, which is ideal for the winter.
You can change the rotation direction of your ceiling fan through remote control or simply by using the switch on the motor.
Fixing The Kitchen
The kitchen is a vital part of indoor home upkeep because it's an area that is often used. For more tips on home maintenance before selling, contact the Houston Properties Team, the number one boutique real estate team in the city.
Clean Out Refrigerator Coils
Deep cleaning your home is one of the best home maintenance tips you can do for free.
After vacuuming your rugs, carpets, and the like, add your refrigerator's coils to the list.
Clumped-up dirt, dust, and hair around the coils cause the compressor to work harder and shorten the lifespan of your fridge.
You can simply remove the cover at the back and vacuum, or use tools for an even deeper clean.
Unclog Your Disposal
A garbage disposal unit is something we use on a regular basis. Naturally, constant use can cause it to clog up and smell.
Monthly regular declogging can get rid of this problem efficiently. There are different cleaning methods you can try out until you find what works best for your unit.
Upgrading The Bathroom
Another essential part of doing home maintenance indoors is checking on another essential and commonly-used area: your bathrooms. Contact the Houston Properties Team for more tips on how to sell your home in Houston fast and for the most money.
Clear Your Drains
Since you regularly use showers and sinks, hair (for shower drains) and food particles (for kitchen drains) can build up, and you'll end up with drains that don't really do their jobs.
You can "snake" the drain using a wire hanger, or use a combination of baking soda and vinegar.
Clean Out Exhaust Fans
Like everything else, if the exhaust fans in your home aren't clean, they won't work properly. As a result, moisture can develop and mold might grow, which is a bigger headache.
Take the time to clean out your exhaust fans to maintain their hardware. There are step-by-step guides online for both kinds.
Laundry Room Upkeep
Keeping and following a home maintenance schedule can help you sell your home fast. Contact Paige Martin, the number one Realtor in Houston, for more maintenance tips for home sellers depending on neighborhood and property type.
Remove Lint From Dryer Vents
A clean dryer vent is a good indicator of a well-cared-for property if you ever decide to sell your Houston home.
If that doesn't convince you to give it a good clean, lint buildup in a dryer vent also causes more than 20,000 house fires every year.
Regular maintenance helps it run smoothly and efficiently, ultimately avoiding accidents.
Wash Your Washing Machine
Is your washing machine starting to give off a funny smell? Do you see small signs of mold or mildew when you use it? These are all clear signs that it needs good washing.
Get the gunk and funk out of your washing machine. Step-by-step guides online show different cleaning methods depending on what kind you have.
Sell Your Home In Houston Fast: Utility Conservation
Don't have the energy to go around the house and clean? You can do indoor home maintenance simply by sitting at your desk and working on utility conservation. Contact the Houston Properties team for a home maintenance guide suited to selling your Houston home fast.
Monitor Your Water Bill
If you have a habit of keeping old bills for documentation, you can also use your time at home to monitor your water consumption.
If numbers are higher than the previous months, you can know to watch out for potential water leaks that add unnecessary expenses and cause potential damage to your Houston home.
Do A Home Energy Audit
According to energy.gov, an average of $200-400 of your energy bill could be wasted on drafts and air leaks. While maintenance of proper door and window sealing can help prevent this, consider doing a home energy audit to help you conserve energy better.
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