New Year Resolutions for Your Home in 2022

Every year we make New Year's resolutions about exercise, diet, our outlook on life, etc. - but what about our homes? If it seems like the best time to prepare your SELF for the year to come, wouldn't it also make sense to prepare your HOME for the year to come, too? Whether you're thinking of selling your home, buying a new home, or just considering what you can do to make a better effort at keeping your house running smoothly - I've got a few great ideas for new year resolutions for your home in 2022.

Purge The Spaces in Your Home

Keeping your house clean is always a good idea for a variety of reasons, but in order to ensure a profound difference in things - you should really consider ridding yourself of things you don't need. 

I'm not talking about grabbing a couple of things to make a Goodwill run and I'm not talking about purging your entire house in one go. What I mean is making a plan to go room-by-room and ditching anything you haven't used or worn for the entire year. This should indicate that you really don't need it. Consider doing one room a week so you don't burn yourself out - but be ruthless and if it's not something you use frequently or as Marie Kondo would say "Brings you Joy" - it's gone.

If you love a good yard sale - by all means, consider making a little extra cash and hold a yard sale when spring rolls around. But, whatever doesn't sell gets donated or disposed of.

Ultimately, completing a purge of your home will make it easier to keep clean and organized on a daily basis - and should you decide to sell your home - it'll be much easier to get it staged, ready to list, and sold!

Schedule Regular Maintenance For Your Home

Your home needs regular tending throughout the entire year. If you wait until something breaks or stops working - not only are you setting yourself up for an expensive surprise, you're putting yourself in a position that's inconvenient for the whole family and could have easily been avoided.

For an in-depth look at what you should be scheduled for maintenance throughout the year, read my post: "The Ultimate Home Maintenance Checklist for Charleston Area Homes" which goes season-by-season listing the best tasks to knock out and keep your house in tip-top shape.

But, if you want to get really thorough and make sure everything is working properly in your house, schedule a home inspection. You'll get a comprehensive list of items a professional inspector sees that may cause potential issues with your home. This option is especially helpful if you're considering selling your home in 2022. You'll get way ahead of the curve and reduce risks with potential buyers when it comes time for them to have your home inspected.

Make Your Home Safe And Sound

You've cleared out your unwanted items, you've set up a regular maintenance schedule to keep things in great working order, so what next? Making sure you've addressed any potential health hazards in your home is another great way to set your home up for the new year.

Carbon Monoxide can be fatal if it accumulates in your home. Chimneys and furnaces can become blocked and the fumes can back up into your house - it's odorless so you won't know if you're ingesting it until it's too late. A carbon monoxide detector will alert you if there's any danger and they can be purchased for $40 or so - a worthwhile investment to keep you, your family, and pets safe. 

One of the last items on my safety list is dryer lint. I know that sounds incredibly innocent but dryer lint is highly flammable and something you rarely think about while it's building up in your dryer vent and consequently backing up into your home. Once that happens, it can start a house fire, so you should go further than just cleaning the lint screen before each load. Cleaning the vent hose and lint trap will help prevent a fire from starting. It also helps your dryer operate more efficiently which segues nicely to the next item on my list...

Shrink Your Bills

When you cut down on your energy usage at home, you can save money and help the environment. You don't need fancy equipment to do it either; all you need are some simple ideas. Implementing any of these things will help save energy and money:

• • Installing LED bulbs to replace your incandescent bulbs
  • Wait for a full load of laundry or dishes before running the wash cycle
  • Increase the temperature setting on your air conditioner when you leave the house and turn down your heater at night
  • Turn off lights and other electronics when you leave a room
  • Check the temp on your water heater and consider reducing the setting 10-20 degrees
  • Run the dishwasher and clothes dryer in the evening when most utility companies charge less for energy
  • Bump the temp up on your AC in conjunction with the use of your ceiling fans

Get Your Home Organized Once and For All

When you hear the word "Organize" in relation to your home - a lot of people will tense up thinking about hours and hours of neatly folding clothes, and placing your snacks in perfectly labeled containers to create ungodly perfect Pinterest-style pantries.

But the thing is this; if you purged your clutter from the first item on the list, you've already won half the battle! One of the best things you can do to get organized isn't by placing all your items in perfectly labeled containers and boxes - it's really about committing to routines.

If your family has a problem with dirty laundry ending up on the floor - start with a nightly routine of gathering everything up and dropping them into the hamper. If you're tripping over everyone's shoes as you walk through the house - keep a basket by the door and have everyone remove their shoes and drop them in when they get home. Mail everywhere? It all goes in one container and gets sorted once a week. Small actions that become habits like this will help your household stay organized and reduce the headaches later.

Get Financially Prepared

It’s easy to get into financial trouble if you don’t plan ahead. And if you're thinking about buying a new home in 2022 there are a few things that will put you in great shape when the time comes to start looking.

Start saving more for a downpayment and closing costs

If your credit score needs some work, start paying down debt and ensure bills are getting paid on time.

Speaking of credit, avoid adding any new loans or lines of credit in 2022 to keep your financial records healthy and your debt-to-income ratio in a good place. You can even consider signing up for a service like Credit Karma to keep an eye on any issues with your credit report.

A Few Things to Look Forward to in 2022

I have a few things to look forward to in the new year if you're considering buying a home but have had some trouble finding the perfect property: New Inventory in the New Year!

You'll most likely see an increase in available homes in 2022 for several reasons. Some home sellers are simply waiting out the holidays to put their homes on the market due to their own holiday plans and low interest from buyers as they enjoy the holidays with their families.

Some home sellers will be waiting until spring when flowers bloom, the grass is green and curb appeal is at its peak. 

And some home sellers are planning to coordinate the listing of their home for sale and their subsequent move with the school year. 

That's all to say that there should be a good inventory of available homes in 2022 if you're interested in buying.

Final Thoughts On Your Home's New Year Resolutions

Whether you've been sitting on the fence about getting your home ready to sell in the hopes of a fresh start. Or, if you're ready to buy your dream home and are looking for ways to get ahead of the game. Or, if you simply want to get your affairs in order to ensure your household is a well-oiled machine - these tips should at least get you moving in the right direction.

I'd like to wish you a happy and prosperous 2022 and here's to a fantastic year! If you or anyone you know is considering a move, please pass along my info or get in touch - I'd love to help them find a place to call home!