Even if you’re not planning on selling your home anytime soon, it’s always a good idea to consider the overall value of your home and what you can to do improve it. Doing a bit of work on your home won’t just improve its value, but it will also help to make your entire neighborhood more desirable and may inspire your neighbors to take better care of their homes.
Luckily, there are a number of basic improvements and upgrades that you can do without having to dedicate a huge amount of money or time. In fact, by taking the following steps, you could potentially add thousands of dollars to the value of your property by the end of the summer.
Give Your Exterior an Update
Simple things like repainting your doors and trim can have a huge effect on the appearance and thus value of a home, and luckily, these basic repair tasks don’t have to take all that long or be that costly. In addition to your doors and trim, it’s also a good idea to clean and/or repaint your siding on occasion. For those with vinyl siding, power washing can help remove built-up dirt and grime to ensure the siding looks good and lasts longer. Similarly, brick facades also require a regular cleaning. On the other hand, if your home has wood siding, you’ll definitely want to have it sanded and painted regularly.
Make Your Home More Efficient
The more energy efficient a home is, the lower your utility bills will be. This directly affects the value of a home, as people are generally willing to pay more when they know their utility bills will be low. For this reason, it is important that you consider the overall efficiency of your home and appliances.
While it may not be worth it to replace your heater, air conditioner, hot water heater or other major appliance due to the expense, one easy way to make your home and HVAC system more efficient is to have new windows installed according to Ken Caryl Glass, Inc. Today’s double- and triple-pane windows are far better at insulating than older windows and can help cut energy loss by as much as 20%. If you can’t afford new windows, you’ll at least want to ensure that they are fully caulked and the weather-stripping is in good condition as this will help prevent air leakage from around the windows and doors.
Don’t Neglect Your Yard and Landscaping
The exterior of your home is the first thing potential buyers see, which means that it can have a huge effect on how much someone is willing to pay. For this reason, it is essential that you keep your yard and landscaping looking well-maintained. Still, this involves more than just keeping your lawn watered and mowed. People like yards and gardens that are naturally green, vibrant and full of color, which means you may want to consider planting some bushes, trees and flowers to liven things up.
You may also want to consider building a new deck, patio or even a gazebo. Basically, anything that makes it easier to enjoy full use of your yard and garden is a good thing. By putting a bit of time and effort into your landscaping, you can go a long way towards making your house more desirable and thus improving its value.
