11 Home Improvement Tips for Increasing Your Home Value

Summary: Small home improvements can help you increase your home’s value in a big way. However, before you hire a designer, it is important that you do a little bit of homework.

Making home improvements is a great way to increase your home value. If you try it should be easy to find a professional who can do it all for you. In fact many such professional home improvement services happen to contact home owners directly through home improvement leads. Before you sign up with any of them, it is better you keep a few things in mind:

Get a pro to check out your home

If you know of an interior designer or a realtor make sure you get him to check out your home once. Even a home improvement professional that comes to you through home improvement leads can be consulted. While some might charge consultation fees most might do this as a courtesy. This may not take more than an hour; but it will give you a lot of ideas that can go a long way in increasing the value of your home.

A thorough inspection may be necessary

It is not just the cosmetic changes that can improve the value of your home. You will have to look into various issues such as termite infestation, outdated electrical systems, and deteriorating roofs. A thorough inspection of your home by a home inspector should bring into light most of these issues. You have no idea how soon small problems can turn into expensive ones. The longer you wait to get those repairs done, the more expensive it is going to be for you.

Get your home painted

The most cost-effective and simplest improvement you can make to your home is to get it painted. Freshly painted rooms can make your home look clean and updated. Choose neutral colors that appeal to most people if you want your home to be desirable.

Find inspiration

Before hiring a designer through home improvement leads, it is better if you can look into a few design-oriented magazines, websites, books, and TV shows for some remodeling and decorating inspiration. Create a To-Do list and start printing out the ideas that you want to try. Keep it as simple as possible.

Cut down on your energy costs

Making your home energy-efficient should be one of your main goals if you want to increase the value of your home. Get your local utility company to provide a free energy audit of your home. Find out what you can do to maximize its energy efficiency. You might have to spend on a few things initially; but in the long run an energy-efficient home can save you a lot of money. It will also prove to be a marketable and valuable asset in future.

Make some landscaping improvements

You may not be planning to sell your home right away; but you may want to do it sometime in future. And when you do, you would definitely want a good price for it. Planting shade trees can be one of the best steps you can take while planning for the future. Once the trees grow and mature, they will not only cut down your cooling costs, they will also make your home more desirable. Mature landscaping can be excellent for the environment and might end up enhancing the curb appeal to your home. If you are worried about the cost you can purchase plants that are drought-tolerant and native to your region. Such plants require less maintenance, thus increasing your savings.

Add a money-saving luxury

There are many luxury items that can help you save a lot of money in the long run. One of them is a water filtration system. Once you install one in your kitchen you will no longer have to spend money on bottled water. This can bring down your grocery bills drastically.

Enhance the curb appeal to your home

Lawn should be the first thing you should set right if you want to increase the value of your home. You can hire a lawn service company and get your overgrown or patchy lawns trimmed. By spending a few dollars you can achieve a well-maintained curb appeal.

Keep it clean

Cleaning your home regularly is a must if you want to increase its value. Feel free to dispose of the items that you may not be using for long now. Get rid of all the junk and go minimalistic. Hire a cleaning service to do a thorough top-to-bottom scrubbing so that every nook and cranny of your home is sparkling. Take steps to maintain this fresh clean look of your home.

Increase the visual space of your home

You may not be able do much about the square footage of your home. But you can still make your home look visually spacious. Clear all the clutter and increase your storage space. Get rid of heavy closed draperies and go for vertical blinds or shutters that let natural light into your home. If possible, add a single large mirror to your room to double the space visually.

Make small bathroom and kitchen updates

If a full remodel is something you can’t afford, you can go for a few small bathroom updates.  It could be as easy as replacing the wallpaper or the lighting. You can go for a faux or textured wall finish and update your bathroom with some good lighting and plumbing fixtures. You don’t need an entire new kitchen to improve your home’s value. You can start by swapping out one item at a time, such as an ancient microwave or a stained sink with new shiny stainless models. Even these small things can make a huge difference when it comes to improving your home’s value.

Before you sign the contract with a designer who contacts you through home improvement live transfer leads, it is important for you to determine your budget and make a list of items that you want to change. This will make it easier for you to compare quotes and get the best deal.