When you express love to a romantic partner, family members, or friends, you may bring them chocolates, roses, and cards with fond messages. You may even have Valentine’s Day treats for your pets. But what else do you love? Your home.

You and your clients can find ways to share the love with their home — and while flowers are lovely, there are other things you can do all year long to take care of your property inside and out.

Polishing the windows and cleaning gutters don’t just make you feel good about your home. Maintenance tasks benefit you now and in the future. Consistent care for your home can keep it running smoothly, add to your comfort, and prevent more severe problems that could be expensive and time-consuming.

But wait, there's more: a well-maintained home means less work to get a home ready when it's time to sell it. Better yet, a home that's ready for the market will sell faster and for more money than one that's been neglected or being sold "as-is." That's a message you can share with your clients now and periodically through the years they own their home.

Enhancing home value through maintenance

Even in a hot sellers’ market when inventory is low, buyers prefer a home in good condition. Buyers today don't have the time to fix up a property, especially if they're first-time buyers, they don't have the money either. Buyers who see a home being sold "as-is" that needs work are likely to discount the price first to accommodate an estimate of what it will cost to make the necessary improvements, then discount it some more to account for the hassle factor.

The National Association of REALTORS® 2023 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report found that just 6% of buyers purchased a resale property because they wanted to fix it up in 2023.

A home that seems slightly neglected, such as with cracked or chipped paint on a windowsill or fading paint, will make potential buyers wonder what else may have been ignored. They could make a lower offer or decide not to make an offer at all.

Millennials, in particular, are looking for low-maintenance homes and will make the tradeoff to buy a smaller home rather than one that needs work. They’re often unwilling to buy a home with outdated appliances or features that require extensive upkeep. Remember, Millennials make up the largest generation today and the biggest generation of future home buyers.

According to Revive Real Estate, a renovation firm, updated homes sell faster than "as-is" homes, and buyers are often willing to pay more for move-in ready homes.

Maintenance tasks to keep your home in tip-top shape

It’s the little things that mean a lot to people — and that applies to homes, too. Consistent care throughout years of ownership doesn’t necessarily mean you or your clients must replace the roof or other big-ticket items. Some smaller maintenance tasks to tackle include:

1. Clean or replace hardware such as doorknobs, drawer pulls and floor vents that can get corroded over time.
2. Have an annual HVAC inspection and keep up with needed filter cleaning.
3. Check for faded, dirty or cracked paint and touch up or repaint.
4. Keep up with your landscaping weekly or at least monthly to prevent overgrown and messy outdoor space.
5. Do a visual inspection of your plumbing pipes and hoses to check for leaks or damage.
6. Test your sump pump to prevent a flood.
7. Check and clean your gutters.
8. Maintain and clean your appliances, such as refrigerator coils.
9. Drain sediment from your water heater for a longer life.
10. Clean your dryer vents for better performance and safety.
11. Clean your window wells to prevent a flood.
12. Check your walls, ceiling and foundation for cracks or leaks and repair them.
13. Keep up with cleaning in bathrooms and laundry rooms where the humidity can allow mold and mildew to grow.
14. Do an annual walk-through of your house and list things to fix or improve in the coming year.

A well-maintained home is a well-loved home and is best protected when your clients have Cinch home warranty coverage. Learn more at cinchrealestate.com.