5 Unexpected Things That Can Lower Your Home's Value

When it comes to maintaining or increasing your home's value, you probably think of major renovations, curb appeal, and market trends. However, some lesser-known factors can quietly decrease your property's worth. Whether you're planning to sell soon or simply want to protect your investment, here are five surprising things that can lower your home's value.

1. Excessive Personalization Your home should reflect your personality, but overly customized features can make it harder to sell. Bold paint colors, built-in entertainment centers, and unique room conversions (like turning a garage into a home gym) may not appeal to the average buyer.

How to Avoid This

● Stick to neutral color palettes for walls and flooring.

● Opt for removable or easily reversible customizations.

● If you’ve made major modifications, consider offering to revert them before listing your home.

2. Poorly Maintained Landscaping

Curb appeal plays a crucial role in a home's value, and a neglected yard can be a major red flag for potential buyers. Overgrown lawns, dead plants, or an unkempt exterior can suggest deeper maintenance issues inside the house.

How to Improve Your Yard

● Regularly mow the lawn and trim hedges.

● Remove dead plants and weeds to keep the landscape neat.

● Invest in low-maintenance plants to keep the yard attractive with minimal effort.

3. Unpleasant Odors

Lingering smells from pets, smoke, or even strong cooking odors can deter buyers and lower your home’s value. Smells can seep into carpets, walls, and furniture, making them difficult to remove.

How to Keep Your Home Smelling Fresh

● Deep clean carpets, drapes, and upholstery regularly.

● Use air purifiers to eliminate persistent odors.

● Open windows frequently to improve ventilation.

● Avoid smoking indoors and keep pet areas clean.

4. Outdated or Poorly Done DIY Renovations

While DIY projects can save money, poor craftsmanship can be a turn-off for buyers. Improperly installed flooring, uneven paint jobs, or outdated fixtures can make a home look neglected and unprofessional.

How to Ensure Quality Updates

● Stick to projects within your skill level or hire professionals for complex tasks.

● Choose modern, timeless finishes that appeal to a wide audience.

● If previous DIY projects are subpar, consider having them professionally redone before listing your home.

5. Nearby Foreclosures or Neglected Homes Your home’s value isn’t just about your property—it’s also affected by the neighborhood. Nearby foreclosures, vacant properties, or homes in disrepair can make the entire area look less desirable, which can impact your home’s worth.

What You Can Do

● Stay engaged with your local community and encourage neighborhood upkeep.

● Report abandoned properties or code violations to local authorities.

● Maintain your own property’s curb appeal to set a positive example.

Conclusion

Even small details can significantly impact your home’s value. By addressing these often-overlooked factors—like personalization, landscaping, odors, DIY projects, and neighborhood conditions—you can better protect your investment and attract potential buyers. Have you encountered any surprising factors that affected a home's value? Share your experiences in the comments below!

Home Search Frustration? How to Refocus and Keep Going

The best part of buying a new home is going out and touring homes. This is especially true for first-time home buyers. As time goes on, however, it can be frustrating when each home falls short of expectations. While it’s important to be realistic about what is available and affordable, there can be a temptation to settle when the right homes don't pop up quickly.

When this happens, it’s important to take a step back and reevaluate the criteria. Often buyers head out without a solid list of “must-have” and “like-to-have” features in mind. If finding the right home is becoming difficult, then this is the time to create or review these items. Consider lifestyle as well as willingness to renovate or remodel. Is it important the home is turn-key on day one, or is there a willingness and ability to make changes after the sale?

Focus on the “must-have” list first. There could be a beautiful chef’s kitchen on the “like-to-have” but if 4 bedrooms are critical for the size of the family, the larger kitchen will not compensate for long. That said, if the hope is to find a home with a pool, is there room to add the pool later?

Finding the right home is often a matter of timing. Patience is the best advice. With the start of the new year, new listings are hitting the market every day. The perfect home may not have been listed yet

Solar Rings – Cheap and Eco-Friendly Pool Heating

Everyone is looking for ways to save on energy costs. Many people have had to change the way they behave – larger laundry loads, fewer lights in the evening, fans vs air conditioning – and even more have looked to alternative options, such as solar. These methods are not always easy or inexpensive, at least not up front. The great news is that there is an inexpensive and eco-friendly way to heat your pool this summer and save hundreds of dollars in the process by using solar pool rings.

Solar pool rings are floating devices that contain UV-resistant vinyl material that traps the heat to warm the pool without using the heater. The rings are made of 2 layers. The top layer guides the sun to the lower layer which converts the rays to heat. Not only do these rings effectively trap and disperse heat to the water, but they also reduce evaporation, saving money on water bills.

Solar pool rings can also be effective as barriers against backyard debris, which can throw the chemical balance off. Solar pool rings typically come in sets of 6 and most pools can be covered for less than about $400. They are simple to inflate/deflate for storage and are suitable for all pool types. While solar rings will never heat a pool as quickly as a pool heater, with regular use and plenty of sunshine, these devices save money and extend the pool season in most climates.