Remodeling your home is a great idea, especially if you are thinking about putting your home up for sale through a real estate brokerage. Home improvement projects are a great way to drive up the value of your home. From tackling things like remodeling the kitchen to adding a deck to your back porch. Here are some of the best remodeling you can do to increase the value of your home.
The Kitchen
Remodeling your kitchen is one of the easiest ways to improve the value of your home. When you upgrade your home, you can get up between 60 percent to 120 percent back on your investment. When you are remodeling your kitchen, there are a few things to keep in mind. You want to be cautious about going overboard with your remodeling for starters. Your kitchen remodels should not stand out against the rest of the house. Your kitchen should fit the style of the rest of the house. Avoid wasting her time and money on creating a deluxe kitchen. Whatever you do, you should always keep in mind who the home buyer will be within the next five years.
Start with color. A little paint can really make all the difference. Stick with modern colors to give your kitchen a facelift. Instead of paying anywhere between $5,000 t0 $75,000, pick yourself up a can of paint and put on a fresh coat. It is recommended that you use low-VOC paint as it makes your kitchen more eco-friendly. You will also be protecting you and your family’s health by diverging the opportunity to breathe in dangerous chemicals that are typically found in regular paint.
You should also consider upgrading your appliances. Do away with the old appliances and replace them with more energy-efficient appliances. Make sure that your appliances are energy-star rated as it can not only help you save money, but they are better for the environment.
The Bathroom
Bathrooms are another great way to increase the value of your home. If you revamp your bathroom, you can expect to get back 80 percent to 130 percent on your investment. You can either use your renovations to add a bathroom or you can upgrade the one you already have. When it comes to adding an extra bathroom, you want to have at least 18 square feet for a half bathroom. If you are looking to add a full bath that includes something like a stand-up shower, you need 30 square feet.
Look at sinks and counters when trying to improve your bathroom. There are plenty of options to choose from. You can go for a free-standing sink or you can go for one that sits inside a cabinet. Either way, it can add new depth and dimension to your bathroom.
Use What You Have
If you are not able to spend thousands of dollars on various renovations around the park, use what you have and reinvent a room you already have. You want to make sure that you have a room that is versatile because they have a better appeal to potential buyers. Finish your basement, convert your attic to a bedroom, add a small apartment in or over your garage. The finished basement can be a second living room, game room or even a small apartment. As for your attic, it can easily be best for a craft room or game room for your children.
Windows
Adding windows is another way to update your home as buyers are keeping energy efficiency in mind when shopping for a home. Swap out your drafty, single-pane windows to windows that are more energy-efficient. Be sure that you have energy star rated windows as they can save at least $500 a year in heating and cooling costs. As far as getting a return on your investment, you can expect to receive 60 percent to 90 percent of your costs as well as a green energy tax credit of 10 percent as long as you install energy star rated windows. Depending on what state you live in or what utility company provides your energy, you could also qualify for additional credits.
Deck
Adding a deck shoots up the value of your home because outdoor living has become more and more desirable, now more than ever. Taking vacations at home is more popular than it has ever been. Adding a deck can give your backyard a facelift. You can expect to get 65 percent to 90 percent return on your investment if you add this to your list of home renovations.
The cost of adding a deck to your backyard varies as it depends on what you want to be included. If you want a big deck with all the bells and whistles that is going to cost you a pretty penny. Depending on what you want, it can cost anywhere between $1,2000 to $10,000 and up. You can either do the work yourself or you can hire a contractor. Of course, doing the work yourself is the most cost-efficient option.
Change Your Insulation
You want your home to be more energy-efficient as this is what new homebuyers are looking for. If you are living in an older home, more than likely you will be spending more money living in that house. One way to add extra insulation to your home is to add it to your basement or attic. Make sure that you seal the cracks around your house.
Find leaks in your home and address them immediately. You can typically find leaks around your doors and windows, around electrical sockets and light switches, in recessed lightings, around the attic hatch, in the basement, and anywhere ducts or wires go outside of the house.
Another option is to use CFL light bulbs in all light fixtures as they are 75 percent less energy than traditional bulbs. These bulbs also emit 75 percent less heat than regular bulbs. Another option to retrofit your home is to install a programmable thermostat. This could save you $180 a year on heating and cooling costs. You can also opt for a high-efficiency water heater or a tankless water heater, which could save you 24 percent to 34 percent on your water heating costs.
Overall Updates
There are overall updates that you can implement in your home. Make sure that you keep your paint fresh, fix the roof when it leaks, replace any rotting wood, and get rid of any mold that you find around the house. Getting these updates out of the way is a quick and easy way that you can keep your home updated. Remember those home buyers want to buy a home that is healthy, durable, solid, safe, and looks great.
Projects To Avoid
Not every home improvement project is going to increase the value of your home. If you intend on moving out of your current home in two to three years, spending money on these home improvement projects is not the best idea.
These things include in-ground swimming pools, gourmet kitchens with high-end accessories, whirlpool baths, sunrooms, expensive landscaping, certain room additions, home office remodeling, replacing the roof, adding onto the garage, and necessities like new septic systems and new plumbing are all things you should reconsider upgrading. You do not want to waste your money. More importantly, you want to ensure that you will get a great return on your investment.
