The big question is, why should you update your home? 

Updating your home is important for a number of reasons. First and foremost, when you update your home you can avoid very costly deferred maintenance items that can end up costing you way more money than if you would have just updated in the beginning. A good example of this is keeping your gutters cleaned and updated throughout the years. If your gutters aren’t cleaned and water is left standing in your gutters, rust and erosion may cause you to have to replace the entire gutter system. Another example is making sure you have positive drainage close to your foundation. Colorado has expansive soils, expansive soils expand and contract vastly when water comes into contact with it. Expansive soil can cause major structural damage and can end up cracking and separating concrete and other vital building materials from your foundation. Secondly, updating your home is extremely important when it comes to selling your home. We aren’t saying you have to follow every trending interior style but we are saying that old linoleum flooring and laminate countertops won’t do you any favors when selling your home. Do yourself a favor and do a little home updating throughout the years so you can enjoy your home and potential home buyers can enjoy it too without having to renovate the entire place. Lastly updating your home is super important for your health and safety. Make sure you are having your furnace checked annually to avoid Carbon Monoxide leaks and to ensure your home is being heated as efficiently as possible. It also isn’t a bad idea to get your roof inspected annually for wind and hail damage that can lead to leaking and interior dry wall damage. Last but not least make sure your electrical panels can handle the amount of energy that your home requires to avoid electrical fires that can cause extreme damage to your home and be potentially lethal. 

So now you know why you should update your home but let’s talk about what you should update in your home.

Like mentioned before always, always, always make safety and structural updates your number one priority. Make sure you have proper drainage, carbon monoxide detectors 15 ft or closer to every sleeping area, ensure your smoke detectors have new batteries and are working properly, get appliances checked and maintenanced if needed and so on. If you are worried about the safety of your home we recommend calling a licensed contractor to conduct a thorough inspection in that specific area of concern. For example call an HVAC contractor for furnaces and hot water heaters, use a licensed electrician to inspect your home’s wiring and electrical panels, use a licensed engineer for structural cracking, call a licensed plumber for leaking pipes and lastly use a licensed roofer to inspect your roof. Now that you know how to make your home safe and sound let’s talk about the aesthetics of your home. Here is our opinion on how you should be updating your home to maximize buyer interest.

1. Paint or stain your front door. First impressions are lasting impressions. Make your door set the stage for the rest of your home.
2. Update that floor! Get rid of the dirty worn carpet, and any extremely dated flooring. Put in new carpet and hardwood to make your home feel and smell brand new. (P.S. Vinyl plank flooring works well too if you don’t want to break the bank putting in new hardwood flooring)
3. Give your home’s interior a new coat of paint. This is extremely affordable and can absolutely transform your home.
4. Update your kitchen and bathrooms. Although this is one of the more expensive updates, kitchens are bathrooms are a huge part of the selling process. According to National Association of Realtors kitchens and bathrooms have the highest return in investment. Invest in refacing or replacing the cabinets, updating appliances and hardware, and putting in new lighting