10 Ways to Increase Your Home's Value
Increasing your home’s value is always a good idea, if you have stashed some cash and are thinking of how best to invest it. You can take ten simple steps to increase the value of your property without spending too much money on experts’ help.
1. Replace Your Kitchen Faucets With New Ones
If your house has just one leaky faucet at an average rate of ten drops of tap water per minute, it is wasting three liters of water per day, or ninety liters per month.
That makes 1,080 liters of tap water a year. Further calculations show that a leaking faucet will cost you about $20 a month, or $240 a year. The best kitchen faucets will be efficient and help you save money on your water bill.
2. Redecorate Walls
Redecorating the walls of your house or flat is one of the simplest and at the same time most cost-effective ways to increase the value of your home, given that a gallon of paint costs about USD 25 on average. You should go for neutral colors, as they are inexpensive and appeal to potential tenants or buyers.
3. Cut Energy Costs
It is worth spending some money to maximize the energy efficiency of your home, because it is estimated that the energy bills of a well-insulated home with solar panels on the roof are one third lower than those of a standard home without these upgrades.
4. Do Some Landscaping
If you own a house, it is worth doing some landscaping in your garden or backyard. Experienced home owners know that planting shade trees is always a good idea, because a single fully grown and properly placed tree can cut down your air conditioning costs by as much as thirty percent.
5. Install Water Filtration System
It may sound like an unnecessary luxury, but a water filtration system installed in your kitchen will save you at least one hundred dollars on bottled water every month. At the same time, it will add to the overall value of your home. For maximum efficiency, do not forget to replace the filters with new ones on a regular basis.
6. Improve Air Quality
Ditch all old carpets and rugs you may have in your home right now, as they are full of bacteria and allergens. There is no need to call in a professional company to test the quality of air in your home - just get rid of all these old mats, rugs and carpets. Hardwood floors are expensive, but you can go with tiled or laminated ones.
7. Fix Your Ceilings
Fixing and adding fresh colors to the ceilings of your premises will make them look larger and more airy. Get rid of your old popcorn ceilings and install some innovative lighting solutions to give your rooms a posh new look! Of course, it’ll be extremely difficult to carry this work out yourself. You’ll need to collaborate with custom home builders who will be able to complete this specialist kind of work to a high quality finish!
8. Consider Some Bathroom Fixes
Add a fresh look to your bathroom and you will see how much it’ll add to the value of your home. DIY guys know that even the smallest bathroom updates are always a winning move and they do not necessarily cost a fortune.
9. Don’t Forget The Kitchen
Some of the most affordable kitchen upgrades include getting new handles and pulls for your drawers, cupboards and cabinets; painting your cabinets and equipping them with hardwood doors. You can also consider buying new kitchen appliances. Adding a home infrared sauna could be another innovative feature to consider, appealing particularly to health-conscious buyers looking for wellness amenities within the comfort of their home.
10. Plan Your Home Improvement Budget
Before you start knocking walls down, make sure you have done your homework. All upgrades you make to your property should be carefully planned in advance. Home improvements should not cost more than 0.25 on the dollar. The other $0.75 that you spend goes directly back into the property as added value.
Bottom Line
Our advice is to try to do most of the work on your own. For example, do not order materials, if you can go to the local hardware store and buy them on your own. Also, stay away from interior designers, as most of them charge a fortune for a simple consultation.
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