17 Things to Never, Ever, EVER
Do to Your House
Keep the vintage wallpaper, but upgrade that time- and money-draining retro thermostat to programmable.
What may seem like a good idea, often isn’t.
Here are 17 common mistakes new homeowners often make that prove it.
#1 Get Rid of Your Only Tub
If resale value is important to you, don’t get rid of your only bathtub no matter how dreamy that walk-in shower looks.
It will make it harder to sell when the time comes. You’ll flat-out lose buyers who love a good soak or need a tub to bathe little ones (both human and four-legged).
#2 Leave Cabinet Doors on While Painting
Painting your kitchen cabinets pays off big at resale — it’s a small investment for a big “wow.” But the job’s time-consuming, so it’s tempting leave the doors on.
RESIST. At all costs.
Because no matter how hard you try, it’s not going to look good. Even the pros don’t do it. That should tell you something.
#3 Put Starchy Food Down the Disposal
Today’s garbage disposals can handle more challenging foods than earlier models, but starchy comestibles like potatoes, rice, and oatmeal still stump them.
Fun fact: Every Halloween, plumbers see an increase in calls because people are dumping pumpkin guts into the disposal.
Starchy foods clump when they hit water, clogging disposals and pipes. Instead, put them in the garbage can or, even better, your compost pile.
#4 Plant a Tree Close to Your House
That young sapling just a few feet from your door seems so harmless. Until it grows up.
In addition to the risk of falling limbs, tree roots from mature trees can weaken your home’s foundation and clog plumbing and sewer pipes.
Plant medium and large trees at least 30 to 50 feet from the house. Put small trees (30 feet tall or less) at least eight, preferably 10, feet away.
#5 Flush “Flushable" Wipes
Sewer systems are facing a growing menace: flushable wipes. Despite the name, most don’t disintegrate, even after 10 minutes (compared to a few seconds for toilet paper).
Until a truly flushable wipe exists, don’t flush them — or anything non-organic, for that matter. Stick with good, old TP instead.
#6 Cover Wallpaper with Water-based Paint
#7 Paint Exterior Brick
Brick needs to breathe. Paint chokes it.
Paint can destroy the brick and mortar, and even cause the foundation to crumble. Talk about a hidden cost!
If you’re itching for a new exterior look, try new shutters, paint the front door, or update your landscaping. Those moves can scratch your itch and boost your curb appeal. If you just can’t live with your brick color, try brick stain, which bonds with the brick, allowing it to breathe.
#8 Skip the Last Mow Before Winter
#9 Let Ceiling Fans Run Forever
Ceiling fans don’t decrease the temperature in a room; they increase how quickly your sweat evaporates, making you feel cooler.
Since it’s only beneficial to run the ceiling fan when people are in the room to enjoy the breeze, save money by turning them off when you’re out.
#10 Tear Out Original Architectural Features
#11 Change Your Mailbox Without Checking with Your HOA
Or make any other change to your home’s exterior, such as replace your front steps, add shutters, etc. Homeowners associations work to keep neighborhood elements maintained and consistent in an effort to protect everyone’s home value.
That often includes seemingly small details, so let your HOA know of your upgrade plans. Otherwise, you could risk a citation or fine. Or worse, be told to undo it.
#12 Leave Hoses Connected in Winter
#13 Keep an Old-Fashioned Thermostat
Maintaining a cozy home temp while you’re at work or sleeping wastes money and energy. If your house came with a non-programmable thermostat, you’ll have to manually change it multiple times a day to avoid all that waste (like you need another task on the way out the door).
Install a programmable thermostat, stat. One in the $150 range saves a typical household $131-$145 annually, so it’s practically free.
#14 Put a Brick in Your Toilet
To decrease water use and save money, many people put bricks in their older, high-water-use toilets. But bricks crumble in water and can damage or clog pipes.
Replace the toilet ($350 or less) or fill a half-gallon milk jug with sand and drop it in the tank instead (saving about half a gallon per flush).
#15 Water Grass at Night
#16 Clean Windows on a Sunny Day
#17 Pour Bleach or Drain Cleaner Down Pipes
Bleach seems like a great agent for keeping pipes unclogged and smelling fresh — and drain cleaner is literally for pipes, right?
Unfortunately, bleach can react with substances in your pipes, and cause more clogs than it prevents. Even drain cleaner is rough on pipes — and both are environmentally awful (plus, as little as a teaspoon of drain cleaner can destroy a septic field).
Instead, use a pipe snake, or augur, to keep pipes running smoothly.
RE/MAX real estate
Email: joel@lehighvalleyhomes.com
Website: http://www.LehighValleyHome.com
Location: 3120 Hamilton Boulevard, Allentown, PA, United States
Phone: 610-770-9000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LehighValleyHome/