Problems That Reduce The Value Of A Home (And How To Fix Them!)
When the time comes to sell up and move on, there are certain factors that can cause your home to devalue. Some are out of your hands, while others are not – but either way, it’s up to you to seek a solution
Below, you’ll find several common household problems that can cause your home to lose value, and how to fix them. Try and factor some of these in the next time you buy another property yourself.
Problem 1: Living in a common flooding area
What a pain. Or should I say, ‘water’ pain. Bad puns aside, living on a floodplain is a real issue, because it’s not something you can technically fix. Unless you have some godly power and can control the elements, that it.
Solution:
All you can do is flood proof your home. Start by moving electrical outlets so they’re a bit higher from the ground. This will prevent them from being damaged in a flood. Next, take the issue to the council/government and request they install some anti-flood features. This can make your home slightly more valuable than before.
Problem 2: Pests
We’ve all probably encountered this issue at some point or another. It can even be an exterior bees nest. Any piece of land that’s on your deeds and that’s infested, can reduce the value of your home. Whether it’s rats, spiders, ants or bees, it’s a real pain, and it’s a real pain to get rid of too.
Solution:
You don’t have a whole lot of options here if you want to do things humanely. A local rodent control expert would be able to do things safely, as well as rodent-proof your home. Elsewhere, there’s all the usual traps and pesticides you’d expect, but these will fatally injure the pest in question.
Problem 3: Pets
Most people will own a household pet like a dog, cat or rodent, and this usually isn’t a problem. The keyword there being ‘usually’. If the pets cause a smell, leave mess and hairs everywhere and are too many in number, you may turn off potential buyers.
Solution:
Thoroughly clean up after your pets and don’t buy too many. Having one dog or one cat is fine, and manageable, so don’t let things get excessive.
Problem 4: High crime rates
Much like flooding, there’s nothing you can do here to directly combat the problem. You could try appealing to the local’s goodwill, but I doubt that’ll work. Buyers can even check local crime rates using the internet, so it’s not like you can hide the issue either.
Solution:
Install as many anti-burglary measures as possible. Think burglar alarms, and locked windows. You could also start a neighborhood watch scheme, to instill confidence in any buyers.
As you can see, not every household problem has a simple solution. It’s likely you’ll have to fight very hard to ensure your home sells for a fair price! In some cases, you’ll see a reduction, but follow this advice and you can minimize that blow.
