Upgrading Your Home

Upgrading a home is a dream that many homeowners have. And why not, it can raise the resale value of the home. However, before you break out the sledgehammers and wall paint, it is important to be selective when it comes to what projects you choose to undertake. There are home improvement projects out there that can cost you more than they are worth. This article, however, will focus on the upgrades that will raise the value of your home and will not be a waste of your time.

Maintenance and Repairs

This isn’t necessarily an upgrade, but it is important for elevating your home’s value. Many times there are problems that occur in a home that are simply due to lack of maintenance. They could be simple things to fix in the future, but, when left unattended, they can metastasize into a terrible problem that will cost much more than it should. So, the next time you have a simple repair that needs to be done, take care of it as soon as possible.

Kitchen Upgrades

Many people believe that the kitchen is the most important room in the house—and that is true when it comes to selling. If you want to increase the value of your home, upgrading your kitchen should be a top priority. You can upgrade your kitchen in a number of different ways. The most simple could be just adding a fresh coat of paint. However, if you want to be a little more adventurous, try replacing, or adding, a backsplash. These can be done in many ways, but the simplest way is to adhere them all piece by piece.

Upgrading the Bathroom

Right under the kitchen in order of importance, is the bathroom. If the bathroom of your home looks ragged, it will be hard for prospective buyers to fall in love with the home. For many people, messy bathrooms, even their own, are not fun to think about fixing. So, if you can have the bathroom of your home clean and shiny and new looking, you will be one step closer to selling your home.

Curb Appeal

This is another important part of upgrading your home. Even though people are told not to judge a book by its cover, it still happens. So, be sure to make your home look as attractive as possible to get people off the street and in the door. There are a few things that you can do to help boost your curb appeal: paint, replace the hardware, and help out the landscaping.

Paint is a vital part of the cub appeal process because a faded façade can be the difference between a prospective buyer and a window shopper. Be sure to have your home painted if you are really wanting to raise its value. If you want to paint it yourself, make sure to get tips and advice from a professional and follow any and all safety protocols.

When it comes to hardware, it is important to not spend too much money. You can easily lose a lot of money upgrading your flag poles, door knobs, and lamps with expensive hardware, when, for a fraction of the cost, you can install just as beautiful alternatives.

Landscaping is another major factor as far as curb appeal is concerned. If the landscaping of your yard is in disarray, you will have a harder time selling the home. Make sure that, at least, the lawn is cut, the plants are trimmed, and any dead spots in the lawn are taken care of. However, if you have the money and time, you can add flower beds, reseed the yard, or even add a water feature. It doesn’t matter, what you choose to do, though, just make sure that they yard looks spic and span for your prospective buyers.

Space

Space can be a large factor in the value of a home. If you can make the home look and feel larger then its value will rise for sure. (Same goes for actually adding on to the square footage). This can be accomplished by taking out a wall when necessary, or even adding on an extra room. These can be dangerous and costly, so be sure to have the help of a licensed professional before you start any sort of remodeling project.

It is also very important to make the two spaces feel like one. This can be down with decorating and painting. After knocking down a wall, or adding on a new room, you might want to repaint the area so that the paint color is universal. You can then decorate the two spaces similarly to make them feel more connected.

Storage

Storage is always important for a homeowner. So, if you have the chance to add some storage here or there, do it. As long as it doesn’t sacrifice too much space, add it. This can easily be done by adding a shed or some other sort of storage in the backyard or side yard of your home; or you could add some shelves in a room or two. If you want to make your added storage seem like it is part of the home, you could also have cabinets or shelves installed into the walls. This will make the storage more permanent, and less intrusive to the home’s interior space.

Window replacement

There are many reasons why replacing your windows would be beneficial to your home’s value. Firstly, it can save you money. With thicker and better insulated windows, temperature will not transfer through the glass as easily. This will not only cut down on your energy bill, but will also allow you to control the climate in your home easier. Secondly, noise, like the weather, will have a hard time penetrating thicker glass. So, if you live in a nosier neighborhood, you can block out the disturbances.

Make Your Home Green

Going green has become increasingly popular in the last few years—especially in real estate. Our homes are the most expensive things we own, so it is not only good for the environment to go green, but for your wallet as well. Among other things, some popular things to do to ‘go green’ are to switch your regular lightbulbs out for CFLs or LEDs, install Energy Star certified appliances, and install solar panels.

When an appliance, or any other device, is marked as Energy Star certified, it means that the Energy Star agency has found that it is energy efficient. The most common Energy Star certified items are washers and dryers, computers and other electronics, and other appliances. If you are planning to include your appliances into the sale of your home, then it would be very beneficial to have Energy Star appliances installed. This will be great for the new homeowner because he or she will be able to save money on their energy bills the moment they are given the keys. Solar panels, though useful and popular, are also one of the most expensive ways that you can go green. Solar panel installation can cost a lot, not to mention the cost of the hardware. However, if you have the money for it, it could be worth your time to look into it.

Basement Upgrades

Basements have a tendency to be dark, dank, and largely unattractive. If you have a basement in your home and it is unfinished, you may consider finishing it up. You could turn it into a bonus room or a home theater, whatever suits your needs. However, if you don’t have the funds to completely finish your basement, it would be advised to at the very least clean it up and add some sort of storage shelves to it. This will at least make it attractive to prospective buyers and give them ideas to do with it when they buy it.

If you are serious about upgrading your home to raise its value, talk with a professional. A professional can help line everything up and get you the most out of any project. Also, remember to follow any and all safety protocols that are recommended—safety first.