Appraising Your Home

If you were to get your house appraised today, what would it be worth? Who would you get to do the appraising? And would you agree with their findings? In this post, I'd like to discuss a little about getting your house appraised. However, the house that I am referring to is not the physical house that you sleep in at night. Nor is this house the one that you decorate for the holidays or prepare family meals in. The house that I’m referring to IS you and every thing that makes you who you are. This home truly impacts the quality of your life. Like regular homes, there are certain things that need to be done to improve its worth. I have four tips that will help you achieve just that.

My first tip? Clean out your garage. So many of us have garages that we can barely fit a bumper into, much less a car. We keep it packed with "stuff". Typically, a lot of us will find that our emotional homes are just as full. Clean it up. Go through your mental junk. What are we holding onto that we need to let go of? Take some time to clear those clutters of grudges, unpack those boxes of fears, and knock down those cobwebs of doubt. These things are useless and just get in the way of our own progress in life and happiness. This will not be an easy feat nor will it be quick. But, it will be worth the time and effort and will dramatically increase the value of your home.

While you are cleaning out your garage, you will want to be sure to install a security system. This tip is very important. You must protect your home from emotional thieves. Be careful of who you invite into your home. Not everyone that comes to visit will have your homes best interest at heart. Some will come to your home just to compare your stuff to theirs. They will come with the sole purpose of pointing out what is broken in your home and will not be content until they have made you aware of why your home is not as good as it should be. Be careful of these visitors. They will leave you feeling self-conscious and insecure.

Take a moment to evaluate your circle of influence. Who do you willingly involve yourself with? How do you feel about yourself when you leave their space? If you are always feeling like a part of you has been stolen or is need of defense, you might want to revise your guest list. You want to invite friends that will help you enjoy your home. Invite friends over that will support you in repairing your broken things; not those that will come just to point them out.

This brings me to my next tip: keep up the maintenance of your home. Don’t wait until your kitchen floor is flooded to decide that a plumber needs to be called. Go to the doctor when you are supposed to. Exercise regularly to keep your wiring and plumbing in good working order. We all know, the longer you put this kind of maintenance off, the more costly it will be for you later. If something is bothering you physically, emotionally, or spiritually, deal with it right then. If you do not, you may find yourself with another full garage.

Also, take time out for YOU. There is no crime, guilt or weakness in this. We are all human and we need to remember to allow ourselves AND others to be just that. Although I am VERY guilty of this, I feel that I must say: There are SEVEN days in a week. Yet, we seem to only live for 2 1/3 (Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday). If this is true, then that means out of 365 days, we are only looking forward to approximately 104 of them. Try to do something enjoyable with EVERY day that you are blessed to have. In today’s society, we are caught in a cycle of “work” and “prepare to work”. Let’s get out that cycle and focus more on living instead of merely existing.

This next tip is crucial. Do Your Own Appraising. No one could every appraise your home as accurately as you can. You are the only one that will truly know what it is worth. That dent in the wall may be invaluable to you. To the outsider, it is simply an eyesore. But to you, it may be a reminder of past life lessons that changed the course of your life. So, be proud of that deck that you built. It does not matter that it barely stands. No one could ever really appreciate the time and effort that went into building it. Just like the other things that you may have survived and accomplished in life. No one can evaluate your life as well as you can.

After applying all of these tips, I am certain that you will find a home that you can label as “priceless”. If not, go back into your garage, search for that box labeled “Expectations” and see if you have anything realistic in it.