Protect Your Investment With These 5 Helpful Home ownership Tips
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011The average American homeowner invests a considerable amount of their income in their home, so it only makes sense to take care of that home so you can enjoy the home owner experience!
Here are 5 helpful home ownership guidelines:
DOUBLE JOB – If you want to save up to 50% on your heating and cooling bills you will need to install double pane windows throughout your home.
The investment required to buy and put in your new windows can usually be recovered in about 2 years.
FIXING TO MOVE – If you are looking to fix up your home to improve the resale value, a Forbes report indicated that the best investments when modernizing include the kitchen, bathroom improvements and any increases to the interior square footage.
Although swimming pools can make your home more desirable and easier to sell, they do very little to increase your home’s value.
AWAY WITH THE OLD – Replacing an aged air conditioner, heater or furnace with a newer, more energy-efficient item can save huge bucks on energy bills.
Changing from a unit that works at 80% efficiency to one operating at 95% capability can pay for itself in under 4 years.
DON’T PAINT YOURSELF INTO A CORNER – Using high quality interior and exterior paints around your house will save you more money that you can save by going cheap.
The higher quality paints last longer and cover much easier which means you do not need as much in the long run. They will keep your house looking clean for a long time into the future.
INSURE WHAT’S YOURS – Now that you are taking time to read hints and tips on maintaining your most valuable possession, don’t stop there.
Update your home insurance policy to ensure you are fully protected. Take pictures or a video of your valuable goods around your home. Store this with a written list of all your high tech gadgets outside the home for safe keeping.
Many homeowners have preconceived notions of what is insured under a standard homeowner’s policy only to discover after disaster occurs that their coverage is not adequate.
Read your insurance policy and ask your agent about any issues you have. Learn all you can about protecting your investments.
American homeowners are always looking for info to increase the value of their housing investment. Before looking aimlessly for housing related services, make sure you view Mark Bragg’s excellent home ownership content at The Association of American Homeowners, and get all your inquires answered on the concept of Home ownership from the official homeowners news magazine.