Whether you are thinking of selling your home, or you just want to plan for the future, adding value to it is always a great idea. Most homeowners go through periods of feeling that their home needs a little something extra to make it more valuable. However, one of the things we will discover in this post is that adding more is not always the best way to go. Sometimes, increasing the value of a property has more to do with improving what is already there. Once that is completed, you then have the opportunity to add more if you feel that it is necessary.
One of the major concerns with trying to improve your home’s value is the cost. Anyone who has ever carried out serious work on their home will know that it is rarely cheap. Of course, the aim is to make it so that the added value means that it is more than worth it. However, you should bear in mind that you might not end up selling your home for quite a while. What this means is that you will potentially be out of pocket for a while first. That’s why it is important to make sure you really can afford the changes you make. Try not to rely too heavily on credit or other means of borrowing. All that being said, improving the value of your home can be an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. If you are looking for a little help on what sort of changes are the best to make, then read on. Here are the top ways to add value to your home permanently.
Structural Problems
Most people begin their home improvement mission by starting with a renovation, or possibly the redecorating of a room. While these are pretty certain ways to get more value into your home, they are not necessarily the best things to start with. Ultimately, there is little use in having gorgeous, brand new additions to the home, if the original building is falling apart. That’s why the prevailing advice tends to be to fix any structural problems first, before moving on to the more exciting stuff. More info on structural problems can be found at https://www.periodliving.co.uk.
What do we mean by structural problems? Here, we are looking at the basics of what holds the building together. Not only does working on this side of things add value, but it also means that you have a solid foundation on which to work. So, start with the most important parts of the building. The first thing to look at is the roof. Is it leaking, or damaged anywhere? Could it do with a bit of work? It is likely that you won’t want to go up there and look yourself, so it is worth getting the professionals in to analyse it for you. If you take a look at www.AdvancedStL.com you will be able to request a quote for the work. Now is also the time to check all the walls and windows. Go around the outside of the home, and check the walls with a spirit level. If your walls are leaning, you might have a problem with the foundation. This is a serious problem which would need to be sorted out as soon as possible, and certainly before you do any other work. Similarly, if there are any windows which need repairing, then organise to have that done as soon as possible.
You should, around this time, also be checking for signs of pest infestation. It is perfectly possible that you have a pest problem without even knowing it. With that in mind, be sure to check every nook and cranny for any possible signs of pests. Remember to check the loft and basement too, if there is one. You can find a list of signs of pest infestation here: http://www.batzner.com.
The whole point here is to get the building to a place of structural integrity. Once that has been achieved, it is much easier to carry out the work which you really want to do. If you build new projects on a poor foundation, then you might end up causing serious problems for yourself. It is worth spending a good deal of time on this first stage, so that you save yourself any headaches later on.
Cosmetic Concerns
With any luck, your home was not in a particularly bad way in structural terms. However, even if it was, it is all fixable. It might take quite a while (and a fair amount of money), but eventually you will get to this stage. Now that the essential repair work has been carried out, you can start to look at the aesthetic side of things. The projects which make up this stage are those which most people are thinking of when they decide to add value to their home. We are talking here of those everyday cosmetic concerns which all homeowners think about. The question is: where do you start?
There are two main schools of thought on this subject. One states that you should carry out all the minor work first, and leave big projects like renovations for later. The real benefit here is that you get more of a sense of ongoing progress. It feels like you have done a lot more than otherwise, and that can spur you on to continue. That is clearly a useful psychological trick; however, the other way of thinking has a lot going for it as well. If you carry out the big tasks first, then you can work on the smaller aspects at the same time. This then helps to give you a sense of completion right at the end. Whatever you go for is up to you, of course. Here, we will assume you are going to start with the smaller projects.
What kind of projects are we talking about? I would start with things like redecorating rooms at this point. Redecorating adds value – more than many people think – and it is easy to do. It doesn’t take very long, and with enough hands on deck it can be a walk in the park. You shouldn’t feel that you have to redecorate every room. Usually, one or two rooms is enough. Which rooms those are will depend partly on where you plan to renovate – if at all. More often than not, the kitchen, bathroom, and main bedroom are good places to start with redecorating. When you redecorate, be sure to stick to plain, neutral colours. These are better for your home’s value, as they are unlikely to offend anybody’s tastes.
Now is also the time to start thinking about rearranging or replanning rooms which you are not going to completely renovate. If you have the budget, consider getting new furniture for the living room or the bedroom. These little things can make all the difference. Work towards making the home look effortlessly modern. But be wary of making one room stand out – you should aim for consistency throughout the home.
New Additions & Renovations
By the time you get to this point, it is likely that your home already looks and feels like new. It is amazing what a profound difference a splash of paint can make. Now it is time to start thinking about any larger changes which you intend to make. In all likelihood, you will have already been starting to plan these out in your head. However, now is the time to get them down on paper – if you haven’t already – and start to plan them properly.
One of the main difficulties is knowing which rooms to renovate. This varies from home to home (and from budget to budget), so nobody really knows but you. However, there are some well-known favourites among homebuyers. So if you are planning to sell your home at some point in the future, you might want to focus on those rooms. The main one is the kitchen. Renovating the kitchen is one of the quickest ways to add a considerable amount of value to your property. Also worthwhile is any renovation which makes use of currently vacant space. If you have a loft, for example, turning it into an en suite bedroom could see your home’s value increase dramatically. Similarly, people love to see a brand new bathroom, so that is a very good choice for renovations too.
The key to successful renovations is to ensure that you really know what you want from the outset. You might be excited to get going; however, it is far preferable to spend a decent amount of time planning the project out first. With something as big as this, you can’t plan too much. It is vital that you are diligent at this stage, in order to avoid any serious problems further down the line.
Once you have carried out the renovations you would like to see, it is a good time to clean up. Spend a week or two giving the entire property a good spring clean. With any luck, you will have some interested parties come knocking any time soon. It is also a good idea to spend a little time on the exterior of the property, just to give it that kerb appeal.
