Stop putting off these 15 home repairs and upgrades

This post comes from Marilyn Lewis at partner site Money Talks News.

Homeowners fantasize aboutmakingfabulous changes to their homes: adding rooms, beautifying the grounds, and remodeling kitchens and baths. In reality, however,these dream jobs may not be financially possible.

Don't let that stop you, however, from taking good care of the home you have.

Here are 15 small jobs that let youinvest in your home andhold down household costs:

1. Change HVACfilters

Your furnace and air conditioner filters trap airborne allergens and dust so you breathe clean air. These filters need changing on a regular basis while you're using your furnace or air conditioning.

Angie's List says 60 percentof furnace and air conditioner service calls are because of dirty filters. Those tiny particles of dirt can hurt yourfurnace's heating coil and fan. Changingfilters regularly also canlower utility bills$100 a year, becausedirty filters force HVAC systemsto run harder and use more energy.

Changing filters is a simple, important homeowner skill. Filters can be simple or higher-tech, as BobVila.com explains:

Consult your owner's manual to locate your system's filter. Inspectfilters regularly and install new ones every month or two, or even more often. Thatdepends on how dirtythe filteris (BobVila.com shows examplesof dirty and clean filters).

2. Fix leaky faucets

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Stop putting off these 15 home repairs and upgrades