Sell Your Houston Home for Top Dollar with These 10 Summer Maintenance Tips

Summer is in full swing, and it’s one of the best times to sell your Houston home. But before you put up that “For Sale” sign, you need to boost your house’s curb appeal. Here’s your summer home maintenance checklist of the top tasks you can do yourself – and those that are better left to the professionals.

Top 10 Summer Home Maintenance Tips for Houston Homeowners

1. Touch up exterior paint.

Scrape, sand, and prime first, if necessary. On older homes, walls may fade differently, so take a paint chip to the store to get the best color match. Or you can hire professional painters for about $650 for a small project, or $2,700 to paint the Average home.

2. Change your air conditioner filter.

Consider getting a cleaning and tuneup now, before HVAC companies get booked solid later in the season. Having your ducts and vents cleaned costs $350 on average.

3. Prune trees, bushes, and shrubs.

Or hire a professional to do it for you. The average cost is $700.

4. Power wash.

Clean your siding, walkway, patio, driveway, and sidewalk. You can buy or rent a pressure washer and do it yourself, or hire a professional for about $300.

5. Check your gutters.

Hard summer rains can fill them with leaves and debris. Make sure your gutters and downspouts are securely attached, then clean them out. Professional cleaning costs about $150.

6. Clean your chimney.

Call a chimney sweep company now, while you’re not using your fireplace. The average cleaning cost is about $230, but you may be able to find a deal now since summer is the slow season.

7. Check your dryer vent.

Make sure that it’s venting properly. If the exhaust is slow, check for blockages and vacuum out the vent. The average cost for a professional cleaning is about $140.

8. Carefully inspect screens.

Look for tears or holes. Clean debris away from doors and windows before it attracts bugs. New screen installation costs $275 on average.

9. Check your roof for any loose or missing shingles.

Also inspect the flashing around the chimney or any skylights for potential leaks. The average roof repair costs about $700.

10. Clean out the garage.

Do it now, while the weather is nice. If your garage is too much of a disaster to tackle alone, you can hire a professional organizer for an average cost of $1,400.

The City of Houston Can Help with Major Repairs

If summer maintenance seems too overwhelming to handle, the Houston Home Repair Program may be able to help. The city organization provides financial assistance to Houston homeowners to help with home repairs. Low-income homeowners who are elderly or disabled may qualify for assistance to fix home repair problems. For more information, contact the City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department.

Can’t Keep Up with All This Seasonal Maintenance?

When you’re trying to put your home up for sale, a long maintenance checklist can be overwhelming. But you can skip all those repairs and simply sell your house as-is to HomeVestors, the “We Buy Ugly Houses” people. Call HomeVestors today and find out how you can get a cash offer on your Houston home without having to fix a thing.