Jese Gonzalez ~ The Real Estate Matchmaker

Preventive maintenance can mean the difference between maintaining the value in your home or depleting the equity you might have gained; keeping hard earned cash in your pocket, or throwing it into the wind with an unnecessary or unexpected expense.

The best way to help maintain any appreciation and protect your investment is to do minor routine tasks, proactively and systematically, to help keep the home operating and functioning normally. Avoiding major operating malfunctions or complete failures can easily be avoided if homeowners take just a few minutes to do some routine minor household tasks.

Many of these items can be done by the homeowner, cutting costs significantly, although the cost of hiring a professional is usually better than not performing the maintenance at all. Having to spend money on replacement appliances and installation costs can be several times more costly than the simple maintenance of them.

Maintenance Check-List

1. __ Service heat&a/c system once a year.

2. __ Change the filters in your heat&a/c system once a month.

3. __ Drain hot water heater once a year.

4. __ Don't leave light sockets without bulbs.

5. __ Periodically run a pitcher of ice cubes through garbage disposal to sharpen blades.

6. __ Replace dripping faucets immediately to conserve water.

7. __ Don't allow toilet tanks to drip - replace ballcock
assembly.

8. __ Check weather stripping around doors for air leaks.

9. __ Visually look at roof after high winds to detect loose shingles.

10.__ Visually look around outside roof line to find holes where animals might enter.

11.__ Check batteries in smoke detectors monthly/replace annually.

12.__ Wrap outside pipes in winter to prevent freezing.

13.__ Remove garden hose from outside faucet in winter.

14.__ Water around foundation during dry periods to prevent
cracking or shifting.

REMEMBER: better maintained homes sell faster and for higher prices

To search for houses currently available for sale within the entire El Paso, Ft. Bliss, and Horizon area don't forget to visit my website at www.JeseSellsHomes.com.

One of my favorite TV shows on HGTV is "My House is Worth What?". In this show there are three separate homeowners all over the country. Many of these families have done some major renovating and remodeling and want to know if their time and efforts were worth the money. As I was watching this show I started thinking...many homeowners put TONS of money into their home thinking that they'll be able to recapture all of it once they decide to sell.

As I go to several listing appointments I need to remind these homeowners that the value of their home IS NOT:

•· How much money they have put into the house;

•· How much the neighbor down the street sold his/her house for;

•· What some website said your house is worth (my favorite J );

•· What you need to net in order to buy another house;

•· What the Tax Assessor's Office says your house is worth;

•· And sadly, neither is sentimental value.

So how do we derive "Market Value"? The first thing that is done is to check the "comps" or the comparable properties that have sold within the last six months (or even up to a year if there are not enough comps). From the comps, choose houses that are within 20% of the same square footage, either smaller or larger. This will give you an idea, or range, of what the price per square footage is.

This gives you a baseline. Of course, adjustments must be made if your house has an unbelievable view that the Comp properties DO NOT have; if your house is the only one with a swimming pool, and you have upgraded your house by putting in hardwood floors and granite counter tops.

So what adjustments should be done? This is what I was given by an appraisal.

•1. View lots can range from $0-$40,000 depending upon the type of view and also the location of the property.

•2. Lot size range from $.25 per square foot - $1.50 per square foot. This could also depend upon location.

•3. Age adjustments are usually given for houses that differentiate by 5 years or more. This could be from ¼% to 1% per year.

•4. Upgrades done to a house such as hardwood flooring, granite counter tops, upgraded lighting and plumbing fixtures, clay tile roofing, wood shutters, etc can range from $1000-$6000.

•5. Swimming pools range from $0 - $15,000 (but not more!).

•6. Fireplaces $500 - $2000

•7. Bathrooms $2000 - $5000

•8. Garages from $1000 - $3000 per garage

•9. Surround Sound $500 - $1500

When thinking about polished floors, cushions in place, an exquisite flower arrangement, crisp and folded napkins on the table, take time to think about comfort, family time and kids activities also when decorating or designing your house. A lively place full of warmth and chatter is what makes a 'House' a 'Home'. There are times when we overlook some important details to give that 'Designer Touch' to our houses. Household accidents, unhealthy personal conditions and lack of family activities are the result.

To avoid such a situation, take care to make your house a comfortable and healthy place to live in. Look around you and observe carefully if any difficulty and threats are being posed due to faulty placement and wrong choice of objects. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Rubber Mats: Though not much decorative, rubber mats are the best things to have outside your bathroom or near the kitchen sink. They will help avoid slipping and add safety to your home. Never use any kind of rugs at the top or bottom of stairs.

2. Work Delegation Diary: Keep a diary in a conspicuous place and write down in it, the daily chores of all members. Make sure everyone takes turn feeding the pet, mowing the lawn, dusting the furniture and setting the dinner table.

3. Sitting Space: Keep some extra, light-weight chairs or stools that can be carried to any place to make immediate sitting space. Garden sitting space, preferably under a tree or any other shade, is a lovely idea for spending family time. Get cane chairs or a bench placed in your garden. Chairs and a table in the porch is another great idea.

4. Door Knobs: Round door knobs give your room a nice appeal, but are down on the Comfort-level. Children and Elders suffering with Arthritis etc. find if difficult to grip them. They are also difficult to grasp with wet hands. They can be replaced with Lever Handles both on the inside as well as the outside for ease and comfort.

5. Showers: Though showers are top on Elegance list and Hand Showers are blamed for 'spoiling the look' with their long hose, there cannot be anything better than an adjustable hand shower with a hose for bathing big dogs and kids.

6. Lighting: Make sure that all your rooms have ample light. Reserve subtle lighting and other lighting effects for special occasions and parties. Good, clear light helps maintain everyone's health care easier and is especially good for school-going children and elderly people.

7. Artifacts: The next time you see your little kid hardly daring to breath when passing by your favorite antique lamp for the fear of breaking it, you know its the time for a revamp. Place glass objects and other breakable treasures in safer areas so your family members can move freely without worrying about spoiling your decor.

8. Comfort Level: At all times, keep in mind that your home needs to be comfortable and not rigid. Things get monotonous when they are 'too perfect'. A cozy nook by the window with a small coffee table, extra pillows thrown in for a comfortable tête-à-tête, a sparkling fireplace with a warm rug sprawled across are some examples.

9. Family Space: A 'Home' is all about a family! Include in your design/decor, special 'Family' places like a sufficiently large dinner table, a card table for indoor games etc. Like I said above in 'Sitting space', a mini dining table or wicker table-chair set in your garden or under a tree in the backyard is a lovely idea. If you have a spare room for your crafts, make a separate shelf for Family crafts like Scrapbooking. A Wall Gallery of photos is a great way to bind family members - past and present.

You know what works best for your family. So develop this list further according on the needs of your family and watch your pretty house take the shape of a 'Pretty Home'.

First impressions are extremely important. From the moment the prospective buyer pulls up in front of your home, you want to put your best foot forward. You want the buyer to immediately feel that this could be "home". The process of preparing your home for sale is generally referred to as "staging", and involves polishing up the exterior and interior of the home.

Have you ever seen "Designed to Sell" on HGTV? If not, try to catch it sometime. In each episode, some poor seller is told their home is a nightmare, and a designer is given $2000 to ready it for sale. Now, I don't recommend that you go out and blow a couple of grand to stage your home. But the show has some good ideas for showing off a home's assets, and downplaying its liabilities. Let me give you an example.

Recently, one of my listings had a kitchen that was in good shape, but a little dark and dull. It also had an eating area that was a little on the small side, but was suitable for a small 2-4 seat table. However, the homeowner left this space empty, which highlighted the fact that the floor was a little yellowed. In order to jazz up this kitchen, we: (1) installed a new but inexpensive light fixture, (2) installed inexpensive knobs on the cabinets that had previously no hardware and (3) the seller borrowed a small oak kitchen table to demonstrate to buyers that a table would in fact fit (and it downplayed the yellowed floor, too). The property soon sold, and at the highest price for that model.

I've included a checklist for preparing your home for sale in my other blog postings (including the one right before this post). I would also be happy to tour your home with you, when the time comes to sell, and provide some further advice.