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How Important Is
Preventative Maintenance?

As you know, home ownership is one of the single biggest investments we will make in our lifetime. That's why proper home maintenance is so important. Regular home maintenance enhances the property's economic age (the number of years a house is expected to survive), ensures safety, prevents simple upkeep from turning into costly repairs and may even reduce energy consumption.

Having a well maintained home provides peace of mind and increases resale value. So for October, we've put together a home improvement and inspection checklist for you to follow.

Interior:

1. Remove or cover all window AC units with plastic.
2. Clean and replace filters in humidifiers.
3. Drain hot water heater (follow manufacturer's instructions).
4. Always be sure to change/clean your furnace/AC filter monthly during peak season heating/cooling.
5. Change the batteries in carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
6. Daylight Savings Time - reset clocks in all your electronics, especially your programmable thermostat(s).

Exterior:

1. Inspect gutters and downspouts for damage and repair as needed. Clean leaves, branches and other debris from both roof and gutters.
2. Change storm door and window screens to storm panels. Inspect screens for damage and repair for spring.
3. Drain all water from faucets and hoses. Store hoses for winter. Remove all water pumps from fountains and shut water valve to exterior sprinkler system OFF.
4. Clean, store or cover outdoor furniture and decorations.
5. Clean and store lawn equipment and tools.
6. Trim tree branches that interfere with your siding or roof.
7. Plant spring flowering bulbs.
8. Clean up fallen leaves, pine needles etc. from lawn and garden beds.
9. Build up soil with slow release fertilizer and mulch plants for winter protection.

How important is preventative maintenance? Without it, your home could easily lose 10 to 12 percent of its appraised value. Researchers suggest that regular maintenance increases the value of a house by about 1% a year. However, professional appraisers are quick to point out any gain is typically offset by the ongoing cost of maintenance.

According to the U.S. Census, over time annual maintenance can cost upwards to $3,300 or 1 to 3 percent of a home's initial cost dependent on its geographic location. To put this in perspective; owners of a $200,000 house should plan to budget $2,000 to $6,000 per year for ongoing maintenance and upkeep depending on the age of the home.

Best of America 2013:
Inspiring Stories

Need more reasons to love America? Add these touching moments, inspiring stories, and good deeds to the list.

Our Olympians stay in school. Gold-medal swimmer Missy Franklin, 17, turned down millions of dollars in endorsements to finish her senior year and swim for Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado.

Our kids will do anything for a dog. The Cordell sisters outsmarted their parents by crowd-sourcing their puppy. Mom and Dad promised daughters Cadence, 12, and Emerson, 9, that if they garnered one million likes on their Facebook page, they could get a dog. The girls posted a photo of them holding a persuasive sign and, after drawing a million likes in just seven hours, were allowed to adopt Millie.

Little libraries catch on. Todd Bol built a tiny version of a one-room schoolhouse and mounted it on a post in front of his Hudson, Wisconsin, home. To celebrate his mother, a teacher, he filled it with books for neighbors to borrow. Three years later, there are 6,500 little libraries across the nation.

One girl plastered her school with a dazzling message. Ashley Monroe, 16, got tired of "people putting themselves down every day," so she wrote "You're beautiful" on 1,986 sticky notes and placed one on every locker in her school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

We value passion over age. Born into poverty, Michael Tubbs gave a troubled city a jolt of energy when he was elected councilman in Stockton, California, at the age of 22—one of the youngest ever in the United States.

Get Rid of Stress For Good

Researchers are figuring out ways people can chill out and get more delight out of life. It's about balance; yes, we need tools to deal with stress, but it's also important to look at how we can intensify the good. That's because when you do, even the busiest days can feel full and happy, not frazzled. Here are some simple techniques to boost your joy.

1. Sweat to protect. New research suggests that working out may actually build new super brain cells that are more resistant to stressors. That means hitting the gym now could help keep you smiling no matter what problems pile on later.
   
   
2. Relive what's good. When a friend asks you how you're doing, resist the temptation to discuss a problem; instead, try to recall something pleasant, like the great deal you just scored on a recent purchase.
   
   
3. Take a joy break. When we're busy, our natural inclination is to cut back on pleasurable activities -- as if fun is a luxury. However, one study found that people who engaged in enjoyable leisure activities had lower blood pressure than those who didn't.
   
   
4. Be your own spin-doctor. When someone cuts you off in traffic, you get to choose how to respond. It's empowering to realize that it's up to you whether you're going to be happy or miserable.
   
   
5. Pay it forward. Performing small acts of kindness doesn't just feel good; according to research, it may actually lower stress hormones.
   
   
6. Take a photo walk. Head outside with a camera and photograph things you find interesting or fun or beautiful.
   
   
7. Slow yourself way down. One of the most powerful ways to savor is to share feelings and events with others as they unfold.