Impact and Importance of Property Maintenance

Last week we talked about that state of housing in Elizabethton and took a brief look at future demands for housing. There is one element of housing that I did not discuss which is home values or property values.

The city and other local governments have a responsibility to help reduce and even deter the effects of one property owners choice on another property owner. Enter property maintenance regulations.
Property maintenance – this word is almost just as bad as any four letter word for a person who believes in strong property rights. I have heard many times that an owner can do whatever they wish with their property. For the most part, they are correct! However, because cities have high densities of homes, what one property owner does with their property often times directly affect the value of their neighboring property owner.

Now, don't get me wrong, I most certainly believe that by owning a piece of property entitles you to a great many rights and privileges that other citizens may not have. We must recognize, though, that what we do on our property has a much greater impact on our neighborhood and our community at large.

By simply making small repairs to guttering or slapping some fresh paint on your shutters has a positive impact on your property, your neighbor's property, and the community's property values as a whole. Conversely, a broken window left unrepaired has a negative impact on your property, your neighborhood, and your community and will eventually lead to lowering the value of neighboring properties. I don't think this is something your neighbors would appreciate!

The impact and importance of property maintenance are essential to protect neighbors from negatively impacting other’s property values. In Elizabethton, we have adopted a minimum standard for property

maintenance which still allows property owners to do as they wish with their property, but not to the point of negatively impacting their neighbor's property value.

The next time you consider making a change to your property, ask how would I feel if my neighbors did this to their property? What else can we do in our neighborhood to encourage better property maintenance? Let's talk about it!