Maryland Homeowners TAKE NOTE:
Are You Neglecting Your Filters!
That was only one of many “bad home habits” blogger Annie Stevens admitted to in last week’s confessional outpouring on the Aussie web site “Domain”.
“Bad home habits” may not be a phrase most Maryland homeowners are accustomed to thinking about, but it’s an idea worth mulling – especially if selling your Maryland home is something that could be in your immediate future.
In its mildest form, a “Stevens” bad home habit would be one that needs to be straightened out and addressed before John and Jane Q. Public come to look your house to purchase when it’s listed for sale. In the extreme, a bad home habit can lead to escalating maintenance issues. Neglecting your air filters is definitely one of those!
Air filters for your HVAC system are usually very reasonably priced, (typically between $10-$25 each), and are usually VERY easy to replace (could take as little as literally 5 seconds). However, neglecting your filters can lead to an air circulation problem which can lead to increased utility bills in the short term… or even way worse in the long term to a burnt-out blower motor or even a completely burnt-out HVAC system when not addressed for a lengthy amount of time. This bad home habit sometimes can be blamed on the location of the filters. Being out of sight, it’s hard to remember they are even in there, much less that they require your tender ministration. Many people recommend changing them every 6 months, however because of the sometimes drastic seasonal weather changes Maryland experiences, ExecuHome recommends replacing them every 3-4 months.
Another of blogger Stevens’ bad home habits is “buying exercise equipment you will never use.” It’s easy to see why this is a bad budgeting habit, but not really a bad home habit. After all, if you turn the garage into a home gym, it could be a selling point when you’re ready to sell. And if you don’t ever use the exercise equipment, it will be appealingly shiny and new (even if you are more out of shape than you want to be). Potential home buyers won’t care about that. By the way, ExecuHome highly recommends simply leaving your garage a garage.
Stevens actually described eight bad home habits, but honestly a few of them don’t really apply to Maryland homeowners (she writes from Australia). For instance, leaving half-drunk cups of tea around the place is not a common Maryland homeowner failing. And sleeping with your phone is more of a bad lifestyle habit, since constantly checking an iPhone in the middle of the night disrupts a normal sleep cycle.
Much more applicable is Bad Home Habit #6: letting dirt build up on the things you forget to clean. It’s easy to forget to clean areas and things that are in dim, out-of-the-way corners, but when it comes to getting your home into shape for open houses and showings, it’s amazing how prospective buyers somehow seem to make a beeline for them. Fortunately, a few serious deep cleaning sessions should cure any vestige of bad home habit #6.
It’s a Murphy’s Law kind of rule that any neglected maintenance feature will tend to go completely kaput just when you least want it to. If you take anything at all from this blog entry, “PLEASE CHANGE YOUR HVAC AIR FILTERS”… if this blog can save a single blower motor, or even better yet, an entire HVAC system, then the effort we made writing it… won’t go for naught!
As you get your home ready to put on the market, turn to ExecuHome Realty for all the experience and advice that will put you ahead of the game and ahead of the competition. We are Maryland’s Own Real Estate Company, with 7 full-service locations and over 350 of Maryland’s most professional and experienced Realtors, we can’t wait to help you with your next home sale and/or purchase.
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