3 Safety Improvements that Can Impress Potential Home Buyers

  It is important to make safety upgrades to your home because it shows that your home is a safe, pleasant place to live in. Safety upgrades boost up the value of your home. Here are three safety upgrades that can impress potential home buyers.  

Retrograding for Earthquakes

  A lot of people kind of just shrug their shoulders when they hear about the danger of earthquakes and how some regions are due for big, deadly ones. However, depending on where you live, earthquakes can be a serious concern—despite those people who don’t think that it is. Retrofitting your home for larger earthquakes is one of the most impressive safety improvements that you can make to your home. Retrofitting involves improving a structure that already exists so that it can withstand intense shaking, ground movement and soil movement.  

Getting Rid of Toxins

  Unfortunately, some homes have various toxins in them that are hazardous to people’s health. For example, some homes have mold, mildew and asbestos. The problem is that nobody likes to be in a home where these things exist because they are icky and toxic. It is quite a turn off to walk into a home and see these toxins.  

Waterproofing

  Another very impressive safety upgrade is basement waterproofing. The presence of water is a common problem in basements due to the fact that they are underground and vulnerable to certain elements. For example, water from the ground tends to soak through walls—even concrete walls. Pools of water may collect near windows. A high level of humidity may result in mold growth.   There are many ways to waterproof your basement. One way is to paint a sealant onto all of your walls so that water does not absorb through. Another way to waterproof your basement is to install a window well drainage system so that water does not pool up near your windows. If you do not want to spend a lot of money on a well drainage system, you can dig a hole that is a couple of feet deep into the area of the well and cover it with gravel so that rain water can go somewhere. If there is a problem with humidity being present in the air, you should get a humidifier.   In conclusion, these are three safety upgrades that are important for impressing potential home buyers. Getting rid of toxins, retrograding for earthquakes and waterproofing your basement are all things that you can do to impress people. Emma is a freelance writer based out of Boston, MA. She writes most often on health and education. When not writing, she enjoys reading and watching film noir. Say hi on Twitter @EmmaSturgis2