Improving Home's Value
Securing the value of our home is also an expensive tasks and needs crucial planning and understanding on how to maintain everything in terms of its importance.
Home as we call it, is the place where we spend most of our time with the whole family and maintaining the cleanliness and value of it is highly important.
Below are some useful guides on how to improve your place. Whether is your own flat, or renting it for time being.
Whether you just bought a house or you have lived there for a while, the fastest way to increase your home's value is by making a plan.
Start slowly. It's a marathon, not a sprint. If your home is new, get to know it. If you have already been there a while, get started. List the things you want to change and the updates you would like to make. Don't worry about organization, just write it all down. Take a guess on how long you may want to live in the house. If you're planning on selling, talk to your Realtor and make a selling plan.
Take the list and categorize by how much it may cost, including your time and money. Be realistic. It's OK to list an outdoor pool with a waterfall, but keep your financial picture in mind.
Once you have a categorized list, take a look and prioritize what is a real "must have" and what is more of a dream. See if you can come away with a reasonable balance.
Sure Ways to Add Value to Your Home
If you’re hoping to turn a profit when it comes to selling your home, follow this advice on the projects that will add value to your home.
Even if you are planning to stay in your home for the foreseeable future, understanding the improvements that will add value to your home will help you to establish which projects make viable economic sense.
Cosmetic changes like converting the loft or redesigning the kitchen are often the most obvious choices, but don’t forget the value that will be added through some basic structural repairs.
1. Identify and Remedy Structural Problems
Make sure you fix any major structural problems before tackling any cosmetic improvements or repairs like redesigning the kitchen or bathroom, changing flooring and redecorating.
These structural defects are likely to be amongst the most expensive work required in a renovation project but, in terms of adding value, they are absolutely essential.
Examples of structural defects include:
A sagging or leaking roof
Rising damp
Structural cracks to walls
Bowing walls
Rotten joists or roof timbers
Insect infestation
Missing or broken roof tiles
an unstable chimney stack
a collapsed floor/slab
If you are unsure about confusing structural defects with purely cosmetic faults, then consult a builder, surveyor or structural engineer.
2.Ensure Central Heating is in Working Order
Adding or updating the central heating system will always add more to the value of a property than it costs and needs to be done in conjunction with improving the general energy efficiency of the building.
Improving the efficiency will include:
sealing any drafts around doors and windows (but not air brick)
replacing windows that are beyond repair with double glazing
add insulation into the loft space
If the existing boiler is in reasonable working order and has adequate output for the heat requirement of the building, always try to make use of it except for boilers that draw their air intake from inside the house.
If the boiler has sufficient capacity, you could add new radiators and a heated towel rail, or underfloor heating to the existing system.
3. Update Services
Updating services, such as wiring and plumbing, is a disruptive job and will involve lifting floors and chasing out plaster walls, so it’s essential to complete the work before making any cosmetic improvements.
Electricity:
Updating the electrics may be essential if the house has not been rewired for some years. You should be able to tell by looking by the meter if there is an old fuse box, you probably need to rewire the house and install a modern consumer unit with an RCD (residual circuit device) for safety
Adding extra sockets will also add value to your home and in some cases it might be worth opting for attractive face plates for sockets and switches
If rewiring, use the opportunity to update lighting and to add extractor fans in the bathrooms
Plumbing:
Old pipework can be very furred up, leading to poor hot and cold flow, knocking or rattling sounds and other noises at worst, it can lead to burst pipes. Consider a pressurized plumbing system, rather than gravity fed, as it eliminates the need for a header tank, thus freeing up space, and ensures good pressure on both the hot and cold supplies
If you have room for a cylinder, you can still have stored hot water for filling a bath quickly. If not, consider a combination boiler that provides hot water on demand but make sure you choose one with a good flow rate you need at least 10 liters a minute for a decent power shower
4. Give the Kitchen a Makeover
An attractive, hygienic-looking kitchen is essential both to buyers and valuation surveyors. Before replacing a kitchen, consider the fundamentals such as its shape and position and decide if you are going to make any structural changes to the space, or if you want to relocate it elsewhere. Many existing kitchens can be given a new lease of life for a modest investment.
5. Don’t Forget the Garden
Making sure your garden is not only attractive and well-designed, but is also tidy, can not only add value but will also help to make the property more appealing to buyers.
Considering the following will help you to get started:
Privacy is vital and improving the feeling of seclusion will add value
Consider adding fences and even mature trees
You can raise boundary fences and walls up to 2m without needing planning permission (0.6m on the highway)
Structures within the garden, such as pergolas, can be up to 4m without needing planning even if they are right up to the boundary
Create distinct areas for each function, seating, eating/barbecue, storage, lawn, work area
A well-designed deck will extend a buyer’s perception of the amount of usable living space somewhere between the house and garden, and will add value
6. Add Bathrooms/Shower Rooms
This is often a good investment, especially if it creates an en suite to the master bedroom. Extra bathrooms can be added by remodeling existing space, or by extending. Ideally there should be WC facilities on every floor that has bedrooms, so if you are converting the attic, try to include at least a WC, if not a full bathroom.
In a traditional two-storey house, moving the downstairs bathroom upstairs can add value, but beware of losing a bedroom.
Make Your Property the Pick of the Bunch
Just by decluttering, adding a lick of paint and careful styling, it is possible to add 5–10% to the value of a property.
Valuers may find it hard to place a figure on the increase in value made by only cosmetic improvements, but the market will always place a premium on an attractively decorated and styled property.
Simple ideas that will make a difference include:
adding wooden floors
repainting throughout in neutral shades
reopening fireplaces
Decluttering
upgrading light bulbs
a makeover to kitchen and bathrooms
sanding floorboards
creating storage
stripping woodwork
styling with furniture, lamps, accessories and flowers
5 Tips for Increasing Your Home's Value
Tip 1: Spend an Hour With a Pro
Invite a Realtor or interior designer over to check out your home. Many realtors will do this as a courtesy, but you will probably have to pay a consultation fee to a designer. Check with several designers in your area; a standard hourly fee is normally less than $100, and in an hour they can give you lots of ideas for needed improvements. Even small suggested improvements, such as paint colors or furniture placement, can go a long way toward improving the look and feel of your home.
Tip 2: Inspect it
Not every home improvement is cosmetic. Deteriorating roofs, termite infestation or outdated electrical systems — you can't fix it if you don't know it's broken. Hire an inspector to check out the areas of your home that you don't normally see. They may discover hidden problems that could negatively impact your home's value. Small problems (such as a hidden water leak) can become big, expensive problems quickly; the longer you put off repairs, the more expensive those repairs will be.
Tip 3: Find Inspiration
An alternative to hiring a designer is to search for remodeling and decorating inspiration in design-oriented magazines, books, TV shows and websites. Simply tear out or print off the ideas you want to try, and start your to-do list. Keep it simple — when remodeling on a tight budget, do-it-yourself projects are best.
Tip 4: Cut Energy Costs
The amount of money you spend each month on energy costs may seem like a fixed amount, but many local utility companies provide free energy audits of their customers' homes. They can show you how to maximize the energy efficiency of your home. An energy-efficient home will save you money now, which can be applied to other updates, and is a more valuable and marketable asset in the long run.
Tip 5: Paint, Paint, Paint
One of the simplest, most cost-effective improvements of all is paint! Freshly painted rooms look clean and updated — and that spells value. When selecting paint colors, keep in mind that neutrals appeal to the greatest number of people, therefore making your home more desirable. On average, a gallon of paint costs around $25, leaving you plenty of money to buy rollers, painter's tape, drop cloths and brushes. So buy a few gallons and get busy!
Good thing these days we can easily hire a home painter.
Professional painters can cover all of your painting needs. They are using great painting products while offering you excellent service. You’ll feel great about your decision to hire professional painters. Call Paint Heroes LLC at (877) 596-2707.