How to Boost Your Home Value

Even if you’re not planning to put your home on the market any time soon, it’s smart to maximize your equity. The good news is you don’t necessarily have to take on a major renovation to boost your home value, but rather keep up with the repairs and make smart tweaks and improvements around the house that won’t break the bank but will surely add to your home value and appeal.

To help you get started, check out the following list of value-adding tips.

Renovate the kitchen

The surest and biggest way to add value to your home is to renovate the kitchen as it is, in most homes, the heart of the house and one of the most important rooms. People love to gather around meals, from the prep phase to the eating and share not only food but precious moments together. So, if you add an island or a peninsula with extra seating, buyers will love it.

Replace tired finishes with fresh, neutral materials and give everything an updated look. Clean lines that you can get from white subway tiles and new stainless steel appliances will give your kitchen a modern, timeless look. Also, replacing worn out flooring and old countertops for quartz ones will be worth the investment.

Update the bathroom

Despite being the smallest room in the house, your bathroom has quite an impact on your home’s overall value. If there’s room in your budget, add another bathroom and if not, update the existing ones.

It’s best if you keep your improvements simple and neutral so they don’t look like a project from a warehouse store. Removing the feeling of an overcrowded space can be achieved by adding a johnny cabinet where you can store small items. Choose a cool, deep sink that fits the overall style of the interior, and enjoy the extra space. Transform your bathroom with a shower curtain, or use beadboard wall panels and give your bathroom a totally new look. Think in terms of high-quality details such as pretty towel racks, upgraded hardware, a new floating vanity and a full wall mirror. 

However, none of these upgrades will make any sense if there is a pipe and leaking problem, so make sure you have that taken care of before you start any cosmetic work. Make a call to a reliable plumber to check for water leaks, drain blockage and repairs that might be needed.

Upgrade the lighting

When you’re preparing your home for sale, the brighter it feels, the bigger it will appear, so invest in upgrading the lighting to achieve the effect of a bigger home. Poor and outdated lighting will take the focus away from your home’s best features so replace your traditional lighting with LED lights. Consider modern recessed lighting and pendant lights in the living area and under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen. These will highlight key points in your home and attract potential buyers’ attention.

Make it more curb appealing

Curb appeal is your first and best chance to make a great impression before anyone even steps inside. Your home’s exterior needs to make a potential buyer wish to walk past the front door so your outside is really like an invitation to your home. Therefore, spruce up your landscape, plant some colorful flowers and put down new mulch.

Don’t forget to give some attention to your entry. If there are any cracked stepping stones, cracked porch pots and chipped paint on your front door, make sure you have that repaired. Give your door a fresh coat of paint and add a few potted plants so people can be excited to visit your home.

Increase energy efficiency

One of the most significant features that add to your home value is energy conservation upgrades. They may be more expensive upfront, but there are now many energy-efficiency mortgage programs that will allow you the option to invest more so you can cover both the purchase of your home and all the upgrades you want.

Upgrades you should consider are dual-pane windows, attic and basement insulation, energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting. If you’re ready to go bigger, install solar panels. As they cost more, they might not be a solution for a quick boost in resale value, but they are the best investment in the long run. It’s recommended you schedule an assessment by a certified energy auditor to inspect your home and determine where there’s most energy wasted and which upgrades would be your most effective option.

Make your home smarter

Smart technologies are slowly becoming an integral part of modern homes and the ones that top the lists are the safety-enhancing gadgets. These smart upgrades usually include thermostats, CO2 detectors, fire detectors, smart door locks, sensor-operated lights and security cameras. These upgrades may not necessarily add to the value of your home but they surely enhance its appeal and add to the overall comfort of your home. Buyers who consider themselves tech-crazy will definitely pay more attention and be more enticed to purchase your home.

Having your home as your biggest asset, it only makes sense to maintain it well and invest in those aspects that will add more value to it, both short and long term. Depending on both on your taste and budget, if you’re looking to add value in the first year and possibly sell your home soon, invest in these simple, cost-effective improvements that will offer big returns when the sale time comes. Investing only a few hundreds of dollars can easily pay off big time in terms of value boost. It can also mean a significant difference between selling your home fast instead of spending long months in the home market.

About the author: Amelia Atkins is an author at Smooth Decorator and a fresh architecture student. The love for architecture and design runs in her family and she knew what she wanted to do from a very young age. You can often find her with a notepad in hand, just looking at the clouds, dreaming about the next skyscraper.   Twitter / Facebook