3/Not caring about your yard or balcony (if you own a city apartment)
I see this often, people forget to care about their yard (and balconies, terraces, etc.) and instead, use them as a dumping ground or as a place where everything just grows uncontrollably. You see plant pots all over, garden tools, flower beds overgrown, cigarettes in ashtrays, rusty abandoned grills, horrible satelitte dishes or broken ones that don’t even work, everything looks like a project that is never fully completed. This reflects negatively on homeowner, brings down the neighborhood and decreases home value. It also can irritate neighbors who take pride in aesthetics and work hard to keep their yards nice.
Growing up with parents who took pride in our home, my mother made our home and yard a gorgeous oasis filled with beautiful plants, grass, flower beds and trees no matter where we lived. My weekly chore included cutting the grass and weeding flower beds with my parents. Our neighbors used to ask my mom for tips and tricks because our yard was known to be the most beautiful around so neighbors felt inclined to work more on their own yard because they wanted to have a beautiful space like ours. In this way, having an impressive lawn can creative a positive wave of reaction in the neighborhood which can increase to living on a much more beautiful street.
Keep your lawn neat, cut your grass weekly, clear fallen branches and trash that may fly over to your property from elsewhere, make sure your mailbox and driveway are maintained well, trash cans should be neat and concealed and one color (not 5 different trash cans, all colors, overflowing, some with lids some without), and don’t use your sun porch or balcony, terrace, or deck as a junk room or storage area with mountains of clutter and rusty furniture and grills on them. This is such an eyesore. Keep outdoor seating areas neat and maintained nicely. Don’t be one of “those” neighbors who brings down the neighborhood because your yard or balcony is a disaster.
4/DIYing plumbing work
Please friends, plumbing needs to be left to the experts. You can make huge mistakes that will result in massive repair bills. You can also create water leaks that you won’t realize until it’s too late which could impact other rooms in your home. Hire out for plumbing, always. We have a neighbor who does his own plumbing which resulted in our ceiling having water damage (he lives above us). You can also cause mold to grow in the walls, unseen until it’s too late and your whole family is ill and the walls have to undergo extensive repair.
I hope that this post encouraged and help all of the homeowners out there (and renters!). Have a lovely day and enjoy enhancing your home, creating a space that you love to be in.
