Bay Area Edition | July 2023

GUIDE

Local businesses oer home improvement tips

2023 HOME EDITION

HOME IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE

ASK AN HVAC EXPERT

John Van Drunen with AirVantage has been a heating, ventilation and air conditioning professional for 40 years in the Houston area. He covers the Bay Area currently.

COMPILED BY JAMES T. NORMAN

house has it, but if it’s dripping water your clog line is getting clogged up. Another thing is it’s taking a long time to cool down. If it’s taking a long time to cool down, you know something’s wrong. ARE THERE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS IN DIFFERENT SEASONS? Heating is a dierent animal than cooling. In the heating season, we have all sorts of dierent kinds of things that go on. Byproducts and buildups in gas furnaces. The byproducts of the gas will build up a powdered substance on the controls and cause it to shut down. It’s not a very serious problem, but it can happen. Another thing that might sound strange is birds build nests in vents or exhaust pipes of furnaces. They build them during the summer time, and when you go to turn it on later in the year, there’s a blockage. WHEN SHOULD SOMEONE TRY TO FIX A UNIT THEMSELVES, AND WHEN SHOULD THEY CALL A PROFESSIONAL? That’s going to depend on the ability of the person. For the sake of doing it right and the sake of the safety of the homeowner, I couldn’t recommend they attempt to x their own unit. I recommend calling someone out to do it for them. That said, if they’re highly mechanical and want to educate themselves because there’s a lot of info out there, if they feel condent or comfortable, then I’m all for them giving it a try on their own. The other thing, there’s a lot of people who don’t have a checkup done in the spring or the fall. I think it’s money well spent. You can’t head o every single problem, but you can start to see things and prepare people for things. I think it’s worthwhile to do it every year or at least every couple years.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS PEOPLE CAN DO TO MAINTAIN THEIR HVAC SYSTEM? Replace their air lter. Some people don’t realize what a big dierence it can make, especially when it gets near 100 degrees. Every little bit counts because air conditioners are not sized to handle that heat. Another thing a lot of people don’t do is clean the grill [of their air lter] o. The grill that holds the lter usually up in the ceiling or on the wall will get a build up of dust on it. The next thing they should consider doing is allowing the outside unit to breathe. It’s got to have some air ow. A lot of times people will mow their lawns and get lawn clippings in it. If they take a garden hose and lightly rinse it o, it can help. WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON THINGS THAT GO WRONG? It depends on the time of year. Toward the end of the year we’ll see some drain lines clog up. [In the summer] we see a lot of capacitor failures. Those are caused by higher temperatures. It basically helps the fan and engine run, and without it, it’ll quit, and you’ll know it pretty quick. WHAT ARE SOME EARLY SIGNS THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG? People need to listen to their air conditioner units when nothing is wrong so they can get a good baseline of what is normal. And if they hear something that’s not normal, they need to do something about it. Indoor motor and outdoor motor failures will tend to squeak. It’s a sign that troubles are on the way. Another example is water dripping coming out of the pipe of their house. Not every

ASK A REALTOR

Jimmy Simien is a Realtor who has lived in the Clear Lake area for nearly 40 years. Simien has developed an in-depth expertise in the market.

you’re a little cash-strapped going into a house and you need a new roof. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE HEALTH OF THE MARKET? We’ve got a lack of supply. About a month ago, we had about ve houses we put up, and they all had multiple oers. I’ve done this for a long time. To me, we’re more in a normal market. And what I mean by that is a couple years ago, it was just insane. People were irrational in their oers. But it was also because rates were low. When rates ran up on us last summer, people kind of came to a screeching halt. Now those rates are the new normal. And I think people have settled into that’s where we’re going to be. Buyers have gotten o the sideline, and now they’re back in the game, but there’s less inventory. And that’s driving prices. WHAT FACTORS AFFECT THE PRICE OF A HOUSE THE MOST? First and foremost, it’s going to be location. That’s going to be a function of the school district and proximity to jobs. And then it’s going to be based on your family. Large family or small family? Are you upsizing or downsizing? Then we dive into the houses. If you have an updated primary bath and kitchen, those are going to be nice amenities that buyers don’t have to remodel. If both of those are dated, people will ... spend a little bit more money on updated homes.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE IMPROVE WITHIN THEIR HOMES TO MAKE THEM MORE VALUABLE OR MARKETABLE? At the end of the day, your kitchen and your primary bathroom are going to be where you get most of your value. That’s where you get the most bang for your buck and where your value comes in. Other rooms are just rooms. If there was one upgrade, I would tell you newer granite or quartz countertops. Appliances are less expensive, but ripping out granite after a sale is pricey and more of a mess. WHAT EFFECT DOES HAVING A WELL KEPT YARD HAVE ON YOUR HOME’S MARKETABILITY? It’s hard to quantify. If someone is maintaining their yard, then they’re probably taking care of the rest of their house. The yard is the easiest thing to let go. It goes to value because of a rst impression. It may not add a lot of dollars and cents, but you can’t discount the yard. It’s very much how people feel about things. You only get one shot at a rst impression. From the moment they drive up, how do they feel about your house? IF I’M LOOKING TO BUY A HOUSE, WHAT SHOULD I FOCUS ON? I think the biggest thing is everyone gets caught up in the “wow” factor. That’s great, but what you really want to make sure is to focus on the roof, foundation, HVAC, electrical and plumbing. Focus on the big-ticket items. It’s a problem if

John Van Drunen Owner of AirVantage 2600 South Shore Blvd., Ste. 300, League City 409-354-1234 www.airvantageco.com

Jimmy Simien Owner of Simien Properties 711 W. Bay Area Blvd., Ste. 500, Webster 281-280-8675 www.simienproperties.com

SOUTH SHORE HARBOR

LIGHTHOUSE BLVD.

SOUTH SHORE BLVD.

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6640 South Shore Blvd., Suite 100 League City, TX 77573 713.852.6700

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