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How Can I Easily Boost My Home’s Value?

If you’re a homeowner, it’s natural to wonder what increases your property’s value, and to seek ways to boost it, whether you are selling now or in the future.

 While there are a lot of different projects and updates that would do it, many are complex and very involving of money, time, and effort.

Our expert home remodeling contractors at Home One Services have been involved first-hand with everything from smaller jobs, such as installing new lights, to total home remodeling, so we gathered a list of things you can easily do to boost your home value:

Exterior Maintenance

Curb appeal plays an important role in how well your investment sustains and grows over time. Landscape needs to be maintained, so keep your lawns mowed and shrubbery trimmed, weed the flowerbeds, and make sure trees and unkempt bushes do not obscure views, darken interiors, or foster mold.

Also, power-wash decks, driveways, and sidewalks to fight mold and give the property a clean appearance, and clean out the rain gutters seasonally and replace rusty gutters.

To give your home a nice facelift, make minor repairs to the façade, including painting the front door, and replace worn-out siding.

Your outdoor property is another opportunity to expand your home’s living space. You can achieve that by adding a deck or patio with area for seating and a built-in or freestanding grill.

Keep in mind the need for low upkeep. If your future buyer is likely to be a millennial, it’s good to know that they love outdoor spaces, but want low maintenance costs; they would much rather see an outdoor fire pit surrounded by a simple seating arrangement than a large pool or overly lush landscapes. Go for water-smart yards, and consider replacing a section of turf grass with native ground covers or pea gravel – it’ll reduce the maintenance costs but still add visual value.

Repairs and Fixes

Before jumping onto some fancy upgrades, it’s wise to address the basics. Since moisture is a home’s number one enemy, replace or repair leaky windows, see that your windows and doors are adequately caulked, install storm doors, repair plumbing leaks, etc.

Insulate the attic, inspect the heating and the septic system; also, perform annual inspection and repair as needed water heater, HVAC, and other water-related appliances.

Other things to focus on are those that make your home safer, and typically also protect your investment, including roof replacements, window replacements, broken or clogged plumbing, and faulty electrical.

Kitchen

Kitchen has always been a big focus for the buyers, but it seems to be especially true for the modern first-time homebuyers, millennials. A modern, updated kitchen topped the list of ideal home features in a survey. However, this doesn’t mean you have to demolish everything and build everything new – if you plan to sell, even a smaller investment can have a significant impact. For instance, you can create a fresh, coordinated look by adding a new countertop and flooring, a new coat of paint to the walls or cabinets, update the hardware, or get a new suite of appliances.

HOS Jan 18

Spaciousness

Strategically increasing the amount of living space and having an open floor plan is sure to boost your home value.

A lot of buyers are looking for spaciousness and open floor plans, so consider opening the space and creating a sense of flow in your house. This can be as simple as knocking out a non-structural wall for a wide open floor plan, where the living room extends from the living room and kitchen.

Flexible Living Space

One of the most desired features that will add value to your home is having flexible living spaces, such as finishing a basement and attic conversion.

Many buyers are looking for a dedicated office, as more people work from home nowadays. So what’s also going to boost the value of your home is flex rooms, also known as double-duty rooms. They are defined as additional living area that can serve a variety of purposes – from a guest bedroom to a game room to an exercise room to a study room.

If you have a budget and space for it, consider building a mother-in-law apartment, or granny flat, or accessory dwelling unit (ADU). This space can house an additional family member or provide rental income, and attract the right buyer if you’re planning to sell.

Updated Systems

To boost your home value, it’s important to keep the major mechanical systems in working order, as many buyers will want to know that the heating and cooling system, plumbing, and electricity have been recently updated.

New roof provides a peace of mind that there’s no water damage, ice dams, animal/insect infestation, and other home adversities that can result from an old, decrepit roof.

New floors: instead of carpets or tiles floors, longwearing hardwood flooring with a durable factory finish, or engineered wood flooring, is on top of many buyer’s list.

Lighting

Everything from a dimmer switch to the increasingly popular sun tubes increase your home’s appeal. Dimmers will allow you to create different moods, while sun tubes, or light pipes, sunscoops, tubular skylights, will funnel natural light from a ceiling fixture and into a room, bringing in the sunlight as well as the moonlight. Sun tubes are also less expensive than framing in a skylight.

Also, fix broken panes, consider lights that use motion detectors to turn themselves off, and use high wattage bulbs to make small spaces feel larger, and soft lighting to bring warmth to empty spaces.

Whether you have major issues with your property, or it just needs to get caught up with the 21st century, let our skilled and friendly home remodeling contractors help you with prioritizing and tackling home improvements and repair projects.

For all of your home needs, trust experienced Lancaster home contractors – contact Home One Services today.