Investing In Your Home

It’s interesting to note that all new car purchases come with a maintenance schedule intended to keep that engine purring throughout its lifetime. And yet, as soon as it’s driven off the lot, that car starts and continues to depreciate with little value left at the end. On the other hand, one of the largest assets most of us will own in our lifetime, and an investment that has increased in value 5 times over in the last 30 years, is often left to slowly deteriorate until that first roof leak, or basement flood, or peeling eyesore gives us a loud and expensive wakeup call.

Considering how much more time we spend at home most evenings, nights and weekends,  compared to behind the wheel, it would make sense to adhere to a maintenance schedule for our home too.  It can be a daunting task to keep things in good appearance and working order, but considering that you are investing money into an appreciating asset spread out over the time you plan on staying in that home, will only improve your return on investment. It’s a well known fact that a well maintained home with great curb appeal will sell faster and for more money than the same home that has been neglected. Home stagers know that a home that is uncluttered and visually appealing adds value to the bottom line. But what you can’t hide are curly shingles, water damage in ceilings, musty or mouldy basements, tired and worn out flooring, out-dated and dysfunctional kitchens and bathrooms, and antique, low efficiency furnaces, water heaters and air conditioning units. So consider treating your home like your car. Maintain and improve your living space as your home ages so that when it comes time to sell, your home will show AAA, and in the meantime you can sleep at night, knowing you won’t have any surprise leaks along with all the ensuing damage, or high energy bills from old furnaces and water heaters. Plus the bonus is, you can enjoy your renovations while still in your home knowing that you can recoup a good part of the expense of carefully chosen improvements upon selling.

Click here to see more from our blog.