How Can You Add Value To A Home?

Whether you’re planning to sell your home soon, or you just want to maximize its value for yourself, there are a lot of ways you can make changes to increase the market value. Whether you’re considering a simple paint job or a complete renovation, you can find ways to increase the value of your home in almost any project.

Here are five ways you can get the most bang for remodel buck when you want to improve your home and add more value.

Curb Appeal

Any real estate agent will tell you that one of the quickest ways to add value to a home is to improve its curb appeal. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so curb appeal can impact the perceived value of a home in a big way.

The great thing about curb appeal is, it can often be achieved with very little investment. The most important place to start with curb appeal is ensure everything is nice and neat. Common things to look for in checking curb appeal are:

• No bare spots in the lawn
• Even distribution of mulch
• No dead plants, shrubs, or trees
• No peeling paint or wood rot
• Clean windows with no cracks or torn screens
• Clean gutters
• No cracked or broken concrete in sidewalks and driveways
• Front door and screen door are in good repair
• Mailbox is in good repair

It’s easy for homeowners to overlook items when it comes to curb appeal at their own home. If you’re concerned, ask a friend or family member for an honest assessment of what needs to be improved.

Energy Efficiency

Improving the level of energy efficiency in a home can be another important way to add value. Financially, improved energy efficiency will save you and any future residents money on energy bills, and can help you qualify for a variety of tax breaks. 

Plus, saving energy is important to many people who are socially conscious, so it will appeal to people on multiple levels. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to make homes more energy efficient, including smart technology, energy-efficient windows and doors, Energy Star rated appliances, and more. 

You don’t have to do everything at once, but being aware of energy efficient options when making changes to your home can add value in multiple ways.

Keeping up with basic maintenance and repairs on your home is another important element that adds value, especially when you keep good records of the repairs and maintenance. Not only will keeping up with these items maintain the value of your home over time, it will also help reduce the cost of home ownership by keeping repair bills small. 

It costs a lot less to fix a minor problem that’s caught early than it does to repair a major problem that has gotten worse over time. When you’re ready to sell, and can demonstrate that a home has been well cared for over time, buyers are more comfortable paying a higher price, because they’ll have fewer concerns about hidden problems.

Bathrooms and Kitchens

If you want to add value to your home through some remodeling projects, the kitchen and bathrooms are usually the best rooms to focus on. Depending on the market, a smart remodel of a kitchen or bathroom can return up to a hundred percent of the investment when you sell the home. 

However, you should only spend the money on remodels if all the maintenance on the house is up to date. Buyers won’t overlook a leaky roof in favor of an upgraded bathroom. But if you are ready to remodel, upgrading the kitchen and/or bathrooms are always a good bet.

Good Design

If you’re looking for a less expensive way to add value to your home, then look no further than interior design. Adding a little paint and some designer touches can elevate the value of a home in the minds of buyers. 

It’s one reason that real estate agents often stage empty homes before putting them on the market. Great design aesthetics can absolutely help sell a home and don’t have to cost a lot of money. The internet has endless ideas for interior design and can help you get great pieces for low prices. 

Whether or not you’re planning to sell your home soon, good design will help increase the value of the space.

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to add value to a home. Elements like installing new windows, adding curb appeal, and sprucing up the interior design can be tackled no matter how long you plan to stay in the home, because they’ll pay for themselves in added value and/or cost savings rapidly. 

However, you should be wary of upgrades that might not appeal to a wide range of buyers when trying to add value to your home. 

If you’re adding features for your own personal use and taste, you should do so only if you’re planning to stay in the home for awhile, because upgrades like a theater room, or a pool might not appeal to everyone and could actually limit the number of buyers interested in your home. Remember, there are a lot of ways to add value to a home, so be sure to choose the smartest investments for your house.

What features do you look at first in a home? Have you made any upgrades that added value to your home?

At Portella, our goal is always to blend utility and beauty to create the best possible steel doors and windows for every design need. Whether you need custom windows throughout your home, or one custom glass door to fulfill an architectural vision for your home, we have the solutions you need. 

Portella’s specialists work with people to realize their visions of the perfect space, and we meticulously craft custom steel windows and doors to ensure the perfect aesthetic for every project.