A proven reality in owning a home is that the more you put off necessary repairs, the more costly it will get in order to get it fixed. Postponing the repair of that leaky roof, or that broken door will hasten the entire breakdown process. In other words, a tiny hole in the roofing will quickly develop into a big unmanageable waterfall unless you fix the problem at its onset.
This is also true for home maintenance - when you think you save money by doing it once in 5 years instead of 2, the costs to get all the small details fixed escalates to more than double. This is the first tip in improving your home - don't postpone what is necessary. Replace what needs to be replaced; sacrifice a little now to eventually save big time bucks. Here are some more tips in home improvement:
The truth is, you have to spend money to save money. Start by replacing old appliances. Buying a new refrigerator will save you money on electricity. Why, because the motor of an old ref is outdated, using systems that are not energy-efficient. The newer, slick models are built in with motors that not only use up less power - they also cool food faster, thus not making it necessary for the motor to be on high gear for the majority of the day. It may be expensive to have it replaced, but when you compute the total money saved, after a few months, your initial investment is quickly re-covered.
Same principle applies to heating and air conditioning - these small sacrifices not only improve your home, they also improve the quality of your life.
Update your home. By update, we mean renovate, re-model to fit the current times. If you want the value of your home to escalate, the best way to do it is to have it renovated so that the look becomes current - not retro. Well, unless you're trying to preserve the antiquity of your home (like those castles with moats reminiscent of the 17th century), trying to sell a 70's style home with green jalousies and floor-to-ceiling psychedelic wallpaper to a young couple may not be easy. The look of the current time is minimalist, with clean lines.
Nobody young and moneyed wants to buy a house with gargoyles along the driveway. Of course all of my examples are a tad exaggerated, but you do get the point - the more modern, efficient, current and fresh-looking a house is, the higher the re-sale value. Newly renovated homes are fitted with new furniture and fixtures which will very well last for a decade or two, with proper upkeep. If you can't afford to update the look of your entire home, start with your kitchen - it's the part of the house that gets old the fastest, plus a house with a beautiful and new kitchen is attractive to most house-hunters.
Two rooms to add if you want to improve your home - a new bathroom, and a new living or lounge area. What home does not need a new bathroom? Well unless you have 5 bathrooms but only 3 bedrooms (like we do), having an extra bath is practical, and quite a come-on. No matter how nice your house is, if people living in it need to take a number to be able to take a shower, then living in such a house becomes a disadvantage. Imagine all the time you will save by having an extra bath?
Another significant improvement is the addition of a lounge or living area. This makes a house more livable, and more conducive to stay-in nights. An extra lounge area can also serve as a temporary emergency guest room - just put in usable and comfortable sofa beds instead of the traditional bulky sofas.
Small pocket-type sections in your house allow occupants of different age ranges and interests some comfortable bonding time. The television and movie watchers may stay in lounge area 1, and the board-game enthusiasts in lounge area 2, and online gaming and noisy teenagers can have lounge area 3 to themselves. The whole point is - having several rooms opens the house to more opportunities - opportunities which are attractive even to a future buyer - should you ever decide to sell your old home to move into your newer mansion.
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LME Electrical has been providing electrical solutions for both commercial and domestic properties for over 10 years. Servicing the Northern Beaches of Sydney LME Electrical prides itself with getting the job done right the first time. To get your free home electrical tips visit us at http://www.lmeelectrical.com.au
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