Buying a house is a big investment, one that you want to make sure will pay off should the time come when you decide to put your property back on the market. The way housing markets fluctuate, however, the best way to boost your resale value is with the following home improvement projects.
Beautify Your Exterior
The strongest way to communicate value to neighbors and potential buyers is to make sure that the first thing they see when approaching your home is a beautiful, clean, well-maintained exterior. If you imagine the façade of a house as its face, then it’s important to greet visitors with a welcoming smile. A property with dirty siding, a broken porchlight, or a banged-up door is the equivalent of a frown.
There are a lot of ways to beautify your exterior, from making much-needed repairs, upgrading outdoor light fixtures, and replacing doors and windows to repaving the walkway, fixing up or adding a new porch, and applying a fresh coat of paint. One simple method of completely changing the look of your home is by installing new siding. With a wide variety of house siding options available, including vinyl, wood, metal, and stucco, it’s easy to increase your property’s value at a relatively small cost.
Upgrade the Technology
When people think of “technology” they often think of things like smartphones and computers, not houses. Today, however, everything from your thermostat to your interior lighting to the locks on your doors can be customized to be more safe, economical, and convenient through the use of “smart home” technology.
Upgrading your home’s technology isn’t as pricey or complicated as it might seem. In many cases, it’s just a matter of replacing an old fixture with a new one, then downloading an app that allows you to make adjustments and monitor your property even when on the go. If you’re not interested in going high-tech, you can still add value by switching to more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly options, such as LED light bulbs, or by updating common household appliances, such as the refrigerator or oven.
Add More Space
What does every house need more of? Space. Homeownership is all about privacy and comfort, two things that are a lot easier to enjoy when there’s enough room for everyone to get some alone time when they need it. For homeowners with large families or lots of belongings, it can be hard to find space to accommodate everything. That’s why bigger houses tend to come with bigger price tags.
The best way to add space to a property, is arguably by building additions. House additions can be basic, such as constructing an additional full-size bedroom or a smaller “bump-in.” But they can also be major, such as building a sunroom or a garage. Either way, it’s easy to see how such projects add value to a property. Although it can seem like a major undertaking, even a simple addition can earn back everything you put into it and then some.
Invest in Landscaping
If you think the only way to boost your home’s value is by making renovations to the building itself, you’re neglecting one aspect of your property with huge potential: the grounds. Whether you’ve got a huge backyard full of trees and rolling hills or just a small front lawn with a slender dirt path leading to your door, investing in landscaping is a great way to impress neighbors and attract buyers.
If you have the space, planting some trees, shrubbery, or even a full-blown flower garden is a surefire way to give your property some eye-catching flair. If that doesn’t interest you, though, at least make sure that your grounds are well-kept, neat, and healthy. Dead grass, weed-infested walkways, and overgrown shrubs will turn off most potential home buyers immediately.
Maintain the Necessities
When it comes to increasing your home’s value, it’s easy to get excited by all the big changes and stylish additions you can make. It’s important to remember, though, that keeping what you already have in good shape matters just as much. After all, what good is adding value by focusing on one project while neglect is causing you to lose value elsewhere?
No one wants to buy a house in disrepair. It doesn’t matter how pretty it is, if the foundation is damaged, the roof is leaky, and the wiring is on the fritz, that property is going to be a hard sell. Make sure to have a professional, such as an Owens Corning preferred contractor, regularly inspect your home and make any necessary repairs. If parts of your house in especially bad shape, you may need to replace them entirely, but putting in the work is vital if you want to maximize your property’s value.
