Whether you’re couch surfing, renting, or own your home, there’s something you can do today to make a better place to live.

A Pew Research Study found that a huge number of people have lived in the same home all their lives. According to the study,

More than one-in-five U.S.-born adults (23%) say the place they consider home in their heart isn’t where they’re living now. And among those who have lived in two or more communities, fully 38% say they aren’t living in their ―heart home now.

Whether we want to make a home where we are or pine for a home elsewhere, making home takes a lot of effort. Even the most simple things are home take effort, like laundry and dishes. I constantly do dishes because I made a handshake deal with my wife of thirty-six years that if she’d do all the laundry, I’d do all the dishes . . . forever. So laundry I can check off my list as long as we both shall live, but dishes will keep piling up unless I do them daily.

One of my regular hobbies is making myself and others at home happy by fixing something, adding a decoration, or building something new for that makes home a fun place to live. My favorite way to do this is to accomplish something while my wife is away and surprise her when she comes home. This doesn’t always work out, because typically in trying to do something cool, I break things.

Three things you can do today to improve your home right now are organized by couch surfer, renter, and owner. The things you might want to do as a couch surfer or renter could be different from a homeowner but there may be some overlap in what you might do to make home a better place.

Couch Surfers

Whether you are a teenager, in your twenties, or a senior in the “mother-in-law” room, many people live in homes on the good graces of another homeowner. I will not assume every situation is ideal but doing the following three things can make the home where you stay a better place for you and your hosts.

3 things couch surfers can do to make a better home

1. Wash the dishes, clean the bathroom, whatever you have ability to do to help without asking the question below.
   
2. Ask your host, “Is there something I can do to help around the house?”
   
3. Contribute to expenses when and how you can.

Renters

A third of American families or individuals rent. As a property leaser myself, I am sensitive to issues that property owners face, like upkeep and property taxes. Because one of my values is the golden rule, I also often wonder how I can make the lives of renters better. One way I do that is by communicating with tenants clearly and precisely when possible about expectations of them and of myself as a property owner. I encourage them to let me know when their expectations of me as a leasing manager does not satisfy them, including of course when something is broken and needs repair, like an oven or washer.

Renters also make my life easier when they do simple tasks every home dweller might do, such as buying and changing light bulbs. This is spelled out in my leases and so tenants are not surprised at the expectation that they are responsible for changing an heat and air filter, but for elderly or disabled people, we are happy to install those things for them.

3 things renters can do to make a better home

Here are three things renters can do to make their home a better place, even though you don’t own it.

1. Notify the property owner when you see water spots on the ceiling or water anywhere it’s not supposed to be. Water that’s not dried up immediately in certain areas can not only bring mold but rot and eventually weaken the home structure and moisture from this can bring termites. Property owners appreciate very much and don’t see it as complaining at all when you notify them of water leaks, the most common under sinks or around toilets.
   
   Through no fault of the renter, water had run down the wall above this garage and damaged the sheathing or OSB so much that termites took advantage of the wet wood, kept moist by the insulation. Renters notified us, but we did not immediately remove the sheetrock and over time the water badly damaged the wall with repeated leaking from unsealed exterior veneers and windows without drip edge and ledges that were slanted toward the wall instead of away from it. In the image the dark parts are mildewed and rotted OSB (sheathing). This must be dried and rotted parts removed and replaced before re-insulating, replacing drywall, mudding, taping, and texturing, and finally painting the wall. It’s a lot of work that should be avoided as much as possible!
   
   
2. Keep the place clean. You’ll enjoy living in a clean home and feel pride in keeping a property in good shape for a property owner. Granted, some property owners may not treat you well, and you do not feel like keeping their property in good shape. If all possible, have a long-term goal to find a property where the property owner and you are on the same page about having a clean home for you to live in.
   
3. Hang pictures. A property owner that is reasonable does not care if you hang pictures with simple picture hangers. The holes are easily filled and painted, and it’s part of the regular work called “make ready” when tenants transition out and in to rentals.
   
   So enjoy the home you’re renting and don’t get bent out of shape or let the property owner get bent out of shape by a simple thing like holes in the wall. In fact, check out the Taylor Homes Way of hanging pictures. If you’ve ever wrestled with getting pictures straight, even had arguments with your loved ones over it, you need this video, and you might want to share it with friends and family!

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Homeowners

Finally, the majority of American adults live in a home they own, most of the time with help of a mortgage from a bank! It’s easiest to think of things to do for a home you own, because you will reap the rewards of your efforts more directly.

3 things homeowners can do to make a better home

1. Cover your attic with blown insulation. I live in a 100 year old house in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The attic had fifty-year-old insulation in spots and in most areas nothing. The heat in winter and air conditioning in summer struggled to keep up with all the thermal loss. I contacted a local insulation company and contracted for them to come and blow insulation in my attic, about 1,500 square feet of space. The job took about an hour and cost about $1 per square foot, and I was left with about 13” of fluffy white insulation across the attic. Through temperatures in the 90s and 100s, things began to change. The air conditioner struggle much less and the house felt much cooler. In the winter, the house was not as drafty. An analysis of our electricity bill shows a big difference before and after the insulation. My conclusion is that if you do not have good insulation, adding it in your attic is one of the best things you can do to make your home more comfortable.
   
   
   
2. Place a box or bag in your closet or garage for “Give Away,” and continually add items someone else can use more than you’re using them.
   
3. Get a home inspection. For peace of mind, I’ve known homeowners who have a professional home inspector come and check breakers, the HVAC system, plumbing, foundation, and attic. You don’t have to be selling your home to check the systems for safety and to know if anything is in need of repair.

Making changes to your home can make you happier. Whether you are a sojourner in someone’s home, a renter, or homeowner, pick one thing to do this week, pull out an old list of things you’d like to do and choose just one thing to make an improvement and do it today!