Best Home Improvements to Increase Your Home Value

Are you aware that you can make your home look better and increase its market value simultaneously? The trick is focusing on home improvements that will increase the comfort and appearance of your house, which will add value to any future buyer. So, if you are planning to renovate your home and plan to sell, then your main consideration should be a return on investment and projects with high recoup value.

Though all home improvement projects can increase your property value, some have higher returns than others. For instance, you will recoup about 93.8% of your investment by replacing the garage door with a newer one. Other home improvements with a high return on investment include bathroom upgrades, such as an en suite bathroom, kitchen renovation, and smart home technology or even simple cosmetic improvements like power washing your external spaces.

But remember this key fact, everything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. So make your property desirable to the masses to increase your chances of a sale for the price you want.

Increasing your kerb appeal will make a big difference and add significant value to your home and it doesn’t have to be rocket science or require you to be a DIY master.

You do not have to add extra bedrooms and look for planning permission as the existing layout and a fresh coat of paint to the rest of the house can be equally effective. Once you understand the trends in home buyers’ preferences, you are on your way to making a big profit in your next property sale.

Hopefully you have read our guide and now aware of homebuyers’ expectations in 2022. What next? Have a strategic plan to ensure your home meets the buyers’ expectations. However, improving the value of your house can turn out expensive, especially due to the recent trends in the property market.

One factor to consider if you are fearful of the rising cost of materials and labour is to remove items or features from your property. You may have too much clutter or design features that may be too traditional for the setting or similarly out of place in that particular room. All this could help you save money whilst increasing the overall worth.

And lets be honest, adding an extension or a loft conversion is a sure-fire way to increase the amount of square foot of the property and thus gives the most value. But hard to get that under the home improvement banner unless you are a builder or a very handy man an understand building regulations.

Make Your Interior Appear Spacious

Estate agents will tell you that one factor that makes people look for new houses is getting more space than their current homes or apartments. You can command a higher selling price by making your house appear more spacious or offer more living space. Wondering how to make your interior appear spacious? Here are a few tips:

1. Have an Open Floor Plan

Are you aware that 90% of home buyers prefer homes with an open floor plan? That’s not all. The most preferred open layouts are between:

• Dining room and kitchen – preferred by 85%
• Family room and kitchen – preferred by 79%
• Family room and kitchen – preferred by 70%

Open layouts enable various areas of your home to be multi-purpose. For example, the guest room can serve as the home office, while the garage can also be used as a gym or workshop.

Remove some furniture whilst you are showing buyers and agents around, move free standing objects so that you can see the full width of walls and adding pictures can all have a big impact.

The ideal layout has large multi-purpose spaces and several speciality rooms. These rooms include laundry rooms that are designed for a specific function. However, you should consult a professional before removing any walls.

None of these ideas have to be permanent but it is a great idea to show people exactly what kind of potential the property has should they decide it is the right place for them.

2. Upgrade Your Basement

You can increase the value of your property by converting unfinished areas such as the basement into functional spaces. For instance, you can upgrade your basement to serve as a playroom, home office, or gym. Making use of unused spaces and renovating them into useful rooms will increase your living area without hurting your pockets.

3. Make a Home Office

The demand for houses with home offices has been rising due to the increased number of adults working from home. Fortunately, you can convert unused spaces or lesser important rooms into an office. If it is big enough then a garage conversion that includes an office, laundry area, gym or playroom will make the space multi-functional for less cost than the equivalent separate spaces.

Enhance the Functionality of Your Outdoor Living Areas

The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns stressed the importance of having a home with various outdoor features. In 2022, buyers are looking for properties that offer comfort and luxury both indoors and outdoors. Here are a few ways to upgrade the outdoor area:

1. Make Cooking More Enjoyable with an Outdoor Kitchen

Who doesn’t want to gaze at the stars while making their favourite dishes? Or at least enjoy a good BBQ or homemade pizza now and again. Depending on the available resources, you can build a basic or lavish outdoor kitchen. Go luxury with the basic kitchen requirements and additional items such as a T.V. set for any big sports events and bar. Adding some lighting, outdoor heating and seating areas to enhance the outside space and annoy your neighbours.

2. Add a Front Porch

Having a front porch improves the aesthetics of your home and gives buyers the impression of a luxurious dwelling. You can add a few cosy seats and a rocking chair on your front porch to make it appealing to buyers. Even if it is only to use as extra storage it then becomes a boot room which is yet another unique selling point of your home. It is also important to research your surrounding real estate market value for front porches.

3. Transform the Outdoor Space with a Patio or Deck

Homebuyers desire is to have a safe place to relax, enjoy a drink, and watch their pets and kids play. Adding a patio or deck will help fulfil the desire of your potential buyer and move them closer to the final buying decision.

One thing that is essential to create a good first impression is that you use quality materials as it can really be noticeable to most buyers if you use lower quality goods and that will have the reverse effect as they will instantly think about having to change the existing paving or timber.

The good thing is that decks have a recovery value of 70%, while a patio will recover about 50% of the investment.

Make Life Simpler with Smart Home Automation

Recent technology enables various features like lighting to be automated. This technology has increased the popularity of smart home devices that simplify life and future-proof your property. Turning your home into a smart hub will impress potential buyers and make your home 3-5% more valuable. The main technology that you will need is a strong and reliable Wi-Fi connection as without this so many of your upgrades just simply won’t be able to function at their full capacity.

Consider adding smart home devices such as:

• Smart thermostat
• Wireless security system
• Smart lights
• Smart video doorbell
• Smart locks

Install Low-Maintenance and Energy Efficient Features

Almost all of the things you can add that require low maintenance and save energy are among the most desirable features of a modern house (completely contradicting the demand for open plan living but there we go).  

This does not mean you have to pay for a new central heating system but just adding newer and more efficient accessories will be a selling point. These appliances reduce the monthly utility bills and also reduce negative environmental impact. Some energy-efficient features you can add include:

• Install low-flush toilets that reduce water usage
• Replace old HVAC systems with energy-saving units
• Change old siding
• Re insulate your cavity walls
• Install energy-saving appliances: Ensure your home has energy efficient rated goods such as lighting, windows, refrigerators, dehumidifiers, etc.

You can also install solar panels and improve your home’s insulation to make it more appealing. The main motive is to reduce the costs of maintaining the house whilst also improving your green credentials. This, however, is an expensive option with the average price for installation in the thousands and if you are selling your house, you will not get to reap the rewards.

Upgrade the Main Living Areas

The main areas that a crucial element for prospective buyers to purchase a house are the kitchen, living room, and bathrooms. Your property will command a higher selling price if these rooms are modern, well-furnished, and have the latest attractive element. Keep reading to discover the upgrades with the highest return on investment.

1. Refresh Your Kitchen

Kitchens are among the most expensive room to upgrade. However, you can cut the cost by doing a minor remodel. A minor kitchen refresh involves replacing old fixtures such as sinks, white goods, and counters. Rather than buying new cabinets, you can stain or repaint your current ones and take out any superficial defects to create an elegant look.

It would be best if you also aimed to have the following top desirable ingredients in your kitchen:

• Walk-in pantry
• Double sinks
• Drinking water filtration system
• Central island to offer more space
• Space for dining table

If your budget allows, you can make a major kitchen change that includes installing high-end ovens, refrigerators and replacing counters and cabinets with new units.

2. Upgrade Your Bathroom Suite

Another excellent way to increase your home value is renovating or adding a new downstairs bathroom. If your home has only one bathroom, it would be best to add extra, especially on the ground floor or add an en suite to the master bedroom.

However, if the house already has several bathrooms, upgrade them in the following ways:

• Install a new floor
• Update bathroom fixtures such as sinks, showers, and radiators
• Install a walk-in shower
• Repainting the walls
• Additional elements such as mirrors, storage space, lighting and individual pieces of furniture

3. Repaint the Walls

Repainting the walls is one of the simplest yet important home improvements to ensure your house achieves a higher selling price. If your walls have scratches or faded paints, you can transform them with new paint. To add more value and make it appealing to numerous buyers, use a neutral colour in the entire house. I would resist in adding too many personal touches or extravagant wallpaper as your taste may not necessarily appeal to all.

4. Refinish the Floors

If your house has a wooden floor, you should re-sand or replace them entirely if they are too squeaky and worn out. You can also upgrade your wooden floor using luxury vinyl planks (LVP) or laminate as it is known in the UK. The LVPs are long-lasting, easy to clean, and have appealing looks and come in an amazing variety of colours and finishes.

Boost Your Kerb Appeal

The appearance of your property from a distance can improve or hurt your potential sale. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the exterior of your home looks inviting from the street or pavement. Here are a few ways to boost your kerb appeal:

1. Replace the Front Door

Replace your current front door with a uPVC door that requires low maintenance and insulates the house from cold temperatures. uPVC doors have a good investment recovery rate, ranging from 65% to 91%. If you are on a tight budget or already have a wooden door, you can paint it to give it an elegant look. Making the door stand out with a bright colour has great appeal and if you are adding a coat of paint then why not add some new door furniture, a new letter box, door knocker and smart technology bell.

2. Invest in Cladding

We are not talking about the stone cladding that was once all the rage in the 1980’s but a natural wood cladding like cedar which will look beautiful when installed and age wonderfully with the house. Nowadays there is also the weatherboard option which is a cement board made to look like wooden cladding that comes in an array of colours to suit the overall appearance of your residence.

Though artificial, it looks like a real timber and is almost zero maintenance which adds to its longevity. Matching the colour of any new cladding to your existing windows, doors or even fascia boards will add the wow factor potential buyers are looking for.

Exterior Lighting

Illuminating the exterior of your house will make your property more attractive and boost its security. Start with replacing any dead bulbs on existing lights, then proceed to add illumination such as:

• Patio/deck lighting
• Front walkway/door lighting
• Garage exterior lighting
• Garden lights
• Staircase lighting

You can be creative and add other exterior lights that beautify your place. For instance, you can include LED lights, lights to illuminate house number or outdoor ceiling lights. These are a great idea if set up on a timer that only uses electricity at the most necessary times.

The use of warm lighting as opposed to stark bright lighting makes the effect more homely and inviting but as a rule, we would advise to keep it to neutral, plain colours. You can always add colour to them at Christmas but changing bulbs or adding filters and that way you are decorating the front of your house without too much extra cost or effort.

4. Change the Garage Door

Besides high return on your investment, an upscaled garage door will enhance your kerb appeal and boost your intended value. Go for durable doors made of aluminium, wood composites, or steel. It would be best if the door offered insulation, energy-saving feature, and other useful additions. Try to match the colour to your existing door and window frames for that impression of quality you are after.

5. Exterior Painting

Before selling your house, give it a new look by painting the outside. This inexpensive project will make a huge impact on the appearance and value of your abode. While at it, power-wash the entire outdoor area, especially the front walkway, patio and driveway.

Go the extra mile and enhance your landscape by mowing, replanting dead trees, reseeding the lawn, and trimming the bushes and cutting back any overhanging branches.

6. Add a driveway

If getting a parking space on your road is a difficulty, levelling some or all of the front garden for a driveway can not only improve it visually but offer any first time buyer or new family the perfect easy parking option on their front door step.

Make the Biggest Profit

Making the biggest profit requires various home improvements. With the best quality and highest standard of improvements that will enhance the value, you are on your way to making the biggest financial gain.

Do you have more ideas to increase home value? Share the ideas with us in the comment section. One more thing; share this article with your friends to help them make a profitable sale.