It is important that you focus your improvement work on the visible portions of your home. When you sell your home, buyers will be looking at it, not inspecting its guts. While it is true that some of the most important improvements are not obvious, for the selling of your house you need to focus on the obvious visual ones.
Interior Remodeling That Can Raise Your House’s Value
Inside your home, there are several obvious things to fix up that are a good financial decision.
Value of a Finished Basement
Finishing your basement is among the greatest investments a person can make. Finished basements add livable square footage for higher property values and greater enjoyment. Discount stores have everything you need as far as building materials. Some say that a finished basement can boost a home’s resale value by a third.
See our other articles on basements for more lower level renovation ideas and tips on good investments to make.
Add or Update Your Bathroom(s)
The bathroom is a very important part of a home when it gets sold. Living rooms and bedrooms can be custom styled by buyers, but you need your bathrooms to be in really good condition. Be sure the tub and sink are in solid condition, or else they should be replaced. If you have linoleum flooring, consider putting in tile.
You can go farther in raising the dollar value of your home by adding another bathroom. It is easy to understand that an additional bathroom is handy, particularly when each bathroom is on a different floor of the home. And, you will soon find that, in addition to increasing your home’s sale price, having an additional bathroom comes in handy!
See our other articles on bathroom renovation for more tips on making the best improvements to your home’s restrooms.
Invest in Hardwood Floors to Raise Your House’s Sale Value
Hardwood is a better investment than laminate. While laminate flooring looks like wood and requires less maintenance and cleaning, you cannot refinish this type of flooring. 10 to 20 years down the road, yourself or a new owner will have to replace the floor instead of just having it refinished.
A related way to add value to your house is to refinish your existing wood flooring. Floor refinishing is a major task but not terribly hard. You can find the proper equipment and maybe even classes at a hardware store near you. Doing it yourself can save you a lot of money over getting a brand new floor.
See our other articles on affordable DIY flooring for more ideas and advice on upgrading the floors in your house or condo.
Exterior Investments Likely to Improve Your Home’s Value
Always remember that people do get first impressions and they stick to your home.
Focus On Good Curb Appeal
Try improving your home’s curb appeal. Keep your lawn trimmed and free of leaves, and consider planting flowers. You can also add a tree or bush to liven up your yard. Keep your sidewalks spotless. Spray down your house to wash away dust and grime that age your home. Get your windows sparkling clean. All of these easy improvements will enhance the amount of your home’s curb appeal.
Find some other great ideas to boost curb appeal here.
Build a Pergola in Your Yard
If your suburban tract housing lacks distinction or visual interest, why not add a pergola? This fixture has gained quite a bit of popularity over the years, primarily because it has a nice, natural appearance and gives an area a romantic aura. With a kit and a few helpers, you can install the pergola in just a weekend.
Increase Home Value With a Good Porch
When you are making home improvements, spend some time on your porch. When someone comes to your house it will be the first thing they see, giving them an impression of what lays inside. So, clear the clutter up and spruce things up with some potted plants and furniture. This will pay off in real dollars, as a nice porch increases the value of a home.
See our other articles on exterior home renovation for more ideas for how to improve your lawn, roof, and the outside of your house.
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When performing home improvement projects, planning ahead is essential. If you wait until the project begins to make decisions, you may not be able to make up your mind or you may make bad decisions. Planning ahead will help the work go faster and will keep last minute costs to a minimum.
