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New Year’s Resolutions for the Savvy Homeowner

New Year’s resolutions are often treated as motivators for personal wellness goals, but what about your home’s wellness? If you’re thinking of selling a home in 2020, you might already be exploring ways to get your home in shape, but even if you’re not planning to sell, your home’s condition is still vitally important!

Here are some New Year’s resolutions for every homeowner.

Clear Out the Clutter

attic full of clutter

We’ve all got stuff. And the longer we live in our homes, the more stuff we seem to accumulate. What’s the problem with stuff? Well, for one, stuff takes up space. It makes your home feel crowded, and can even make it hard to store and find things that you actually do use. For another, clutter makes your home look dated and dirty (that’s what designers say, anyway).

Instead of living with the clutter or shoving it away in Junk Drawer 2.0, make 2020 the year you go through your home room by room, drawer by drawer, to remove the stuff that you don’t really use or need—and make an effort to think more about the new items you bring in.

Make a Cleaning Plan

mopping the kitchen

Stuff might make your home look dirty, but dirt makes it actually dirty. The problem with cleaning is that if it’s not done regularly, it builds up, worsens, and becomes a huge undertaking. The solution? Small, regular cleanings.

Instead of putting off cleaning until it becomes a major project, make 2020 the year you establish a cleaning schedule for daily (dishes, clothes, beds) and weekly cleanings. Dole out responsibilities to household members, or consider picking one room or area to clean each day (e.g., bathroom on Monday, kitchen on Tuesday, etc).

Go Green

replacing lightbulbs for LEDs

Even if you’re not too worried about your carbon footprint, going green still has a pretty appealing benefit—it shrinks your bills! And you don’t have to break open the piggy bank to have solar panels installed; money-saving energy conservation can be as simple as making an effort to switch off the lights or readjust your thermostat.

If you do have a little wiggle room in your budget, consider a few low-cost green updates, like LED lightbulbs, programmable thermostats, and low-flow showerheads. If you want to spend a little more, double-paned windows, efficient HVAC systems, and Energy Star appliances are all great choices.

Ensure It’s Safe

smoke detector

When was the last time you checked your smoke detector? How about your house for radon? Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? When did you last clean out the lint from your dryer or soot from your chimney? Is your bathroom vented to the outside? How about the attic?

Make 2020 the year you do a safety audit on your home to make sure everything is safe and sound (think: outlets and cords, vents and ducts, windows, attic, basement) and you’re not putting yourself (or your loved ones) at any unnecessary health risks.

Check for (and Tackle) Maintenance Issues

checking for maintenance issues

Small maintenance issues left unchecked can quickly lead to bigger, and much more costly, issues. A slowly-leaking faucet could mean mold. A small crack could lead to a big gap. A little window fog might spell a broken seal… and a future flood.

Make 2020 the year you root out (and correct) any potential maintenance issues in your home. Not only can small fixes NOW save you big money later, they’ll make your home overall safer, sounder, and more comfortable.

Big Real Estate Plans for 2020?

Are you thinking of buying or selling a home in the Bayonne, NJ area in 2020? Century 21 Viewpoint Realty is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you meet your real estate goals—from finding the perfect home to listing your home for top dollar.

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