Home improvements are a great way to add extra value to your home. Also, such projects are critical for keeping your house in good shape. There are a variety of different projects you can complete to upgrade your home, from the very simple to the monstrously complex.
If you plan to sell, it’s time to improve your home. In a buyer’s market, it is too hard to find someone to buy your home at the price it is valued. Instead of dealing with the real estate hassle, why not improve the home you already have?
Here we’ll discuss ideas for home improvement projects that can significantly improve your current home and your overall quality of life.
Invest in Renovating and Redesigning the Right Aspects of Your Home
When you start to think about all the aspects and areas of your house that you could make better, you can get distracted by less-significant options.
See our dedicated article for suggestions on what you should fix up first around your home: Best Ways to Add Value to Your House
Look First at the Kitchen, Bathroom, and Basement
While there are many areas of your home, it’s widely agreed that when you fix up the kitchen, bathroom, and basement, you are likely to get some of the best mileage out of your investment.
See our dedicated articles for more information about each of those renovation projects:
- Making Your Home More Valuable (and Enjoyable) with Kitchen Renovation and Remodeling
- Renovating Bathrooms to Raise Your Home’s Value
- Ideas for Improving Your Home Basement to Raise Value
Keep Up Your House’s Curb Appeal and Yard
One aspect of your home that will either gain or lose prospective buyers is its exterior appearance. In addition to the front “curb appeal” of your house from the street, there is also the question of how kept-up the yard is, what landscaping you have invested in, and what unusual features you may have added.
Take a look at our Exterior Home Renovation and Decor section for some ideas on how to make your house as marketable as possible from its outside appearance.
Other Key Tips to Maximize Value of Your Home
In this final section, consider a few key principles that could lead to a higher dollar value outcome once your house sells.
Make Sure All Home Spaces Have a Clearly Named Purpose
Make sure that you utilize all the space in a home when you plan to sell it. For example:
- A dining room should stand out as a dining room
- Your office should have the right furniture and accessories for a typical home office
- Family rooms must include coordinating furniture and accessories
- If you’ve converted a bedroom to an office, you should communicate it
Potential buyers can more easily see themselves using the space. Fill each room with the furniture that suits the room’s purposes. Well defined spaces make a house attractive, and it will likely be easier to sell.
A Real Estate Market Slump May Be A Good Time for Home Renovation
In some cases, a real estate slump is the perfect time for homeowners to invest in renovations and additions. Consider renovating your home when the real estate market is not performing well.
Because contractors are lacking enough work in a bad economy, they often charge less for working on large projects. So homeowners save a lot of money during this time—although the costs of improvements go down, their values do not. Many types of renovation you may make now should have a good chance of remaining relevant once the market bounces back and people again start to purchase homes.
If you renovate your home during a slump, you will benefit from the increased value of your home when the market rebounds.
Only Do Home Renovations that Make Sense
Be mindful of your environment when doing home improvement, and only tackle upgrades that fit the overall picture. Making strange changes to your home that do not take its setting into consideration can cause problems when you want to sell. Do things to a home that need to be done, but don’t do anything extra that the climate won’t allow.
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To make the renovations to your house that will help you the best when it comes time to sell it, prioritize what you plan to improve. Just improve different rooms or areas gradually to save you some money and time. Plan remodeling projects ahead of time—and be on the lookout for sales. Long-term planning can help you achieve great home improvement results on a modest budget.