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New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home

Every year you tell yourself, “This year it’s going to be different. This year I’m going to stick to my New Year’s resolutions!” Well, at Coakley Realty, we agree—this year it is going to be different! That’s because we’re going to make New Year’s resolutions to improve our homes, and we want you to do the same. Not only does this make for a happier environment for everyone, but when you improve your home, you’re also increasing its value—something that is vitally important if you decide to put it on the market. Find out how you can improve your home and increase its value:

How to Improve Your Home in 2016

1. Care for your carpets – Rent a carpet cleaner and give your floors that deep cleaning they deserve. Not only will this improve the cleanliness—and possibly the indoor air quality—it makes your carpets look beautiful.
2. Wallpaper a small room – You can add a fun pattern to a small room like the guest bath or a walk-in closet by putting up some wallpaper. It will add character and can help you experiment with patterns you might not be ready to put up in the living room!.
3. Freshen up your paint or add an accent wall – Whether you want to go for a new color or simply freshen up the color you already have, investing in some new paint for your walls can greatly improve the value and look of your home. Spice things up by adding a bright accent wall in the kitchen or den.
4. Update the hardware in your kitchen – When you want to improve your home, sometimes the smallest changes can have a huge effect! Updating the knobs and faucets in your kitchen can completely revamp the space.
5. Update the hardware in your bathroom – Just like in the kitchen, updating the hardware in the bathroom will change the appearance of the room.
6. Improve your energy efficiency – One of the most important New Year’s resolutions you can make in 2016 is improving your energy efficiency. Schedule seasonal tune-ups for your heating and cooling systems, including checking the ductwork. If your HVAC equipment is old and outdated, you can also upgrade to newer, more energy efficient systems. This can do the double-duty of saving you money on your monthly bills and increasing the overall value of your home.
7. Improve your indoor air quality – There are many things you can do to improve the indoor air quality in your home, including cleaning, changing air filters regularly, and installing air cleaners and carbon monoxide detectors. These things improve the health and safety of your home.
8. Get organized and de-clutter – Maintain your sanity and your home in 2016 by getting organized and de-cluttering. Maybe this is the year you finally add those extra built-in shelves to the master bedroom closet!
9. Paint your cabinets – Ready for a new look in your kitchen? It can be as simple as painting your cabinets!
10. Spruce up your curb appeal – Another simple way to improve your home is to spruce up the curb appeal. Plant some bushes and flowers, paint the shutters, and consider some new paving stones for the front walk.

Pick and choose from our list of New Year’s resolutions to improve your home and increase the resale value—or do them all! They’re resolutions that will provide benefits throughout the new year. If you’re interested in improving the value of your home to sell in Maryland, Northern Virginia, or Washington, DC, contact Coakley Realty today!

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