When it’s time to start making a to-do list for renovations, you are probably going to be looking for projects that will increase your home’s value. Most homeowners are, even if you aren’t ready to walk down the hardware store aisle yet. Here are a few ideas that will inspire you and add value.
Choose Eco-Friendly Materials
Energy efficiency is the hottest trend in home renovations. It’s what buyers want today. When a home can conserve energy, you tell the buyer they are saving money. The right kind of roofing material could mean you save 30 percent on your home energy costs. That’s something that buyers talk about after the open house. Solar roofing, slate, wood, and metal, are examples of some eco-friendly roofing.
Bamboo is another eco-friendly material that can be used in many products in the home. It looks like wood but is sustainable and durable. You can find bamboo in tiles, trim, countertops, deck, floors, and so many other areas of your home. Bamboo anything in a home is a selling feature.
A steel door is another energy saver that new buyers love. It is low maintenance and offers a resale value of 69 to 90 percent. A steel door can be as low as a few hundred dollars if you shop and do your research right.
Open Up With Light
Bright and airy rooms sell homes faster than dark and stuffy ones do. Adding more lighting to the home is one way to increase the resale value. You will get those costs back.
Open concept living is another way to open up the home, with light and with space. An open-concept room makes your home seem bigger and happier. You will feel the airiness of this idea as soon as the first wall comes down. Open concept living isn’t just a refreshing light change, it’s also a trend that many buyers are looking for.
Add Unique Home Features
Unique home features will sell a home and give you a return because they are things that buyers will talk about when they leave a showing. The rooms are big, the kitchen is great, the bathroom we can change if we don’t like it, but did you see that….insert unique home feature here.
When you have a unique feature that stands out, it sticks in a buyer’s mind. A wall that is completely covered with a mirror, for example, may make the room look twice as deep.
Storage solutions are another thing that buyers really love to see, and you can add some unique features that embody this. If you have a staircase, gut the inside of it and turn it into a pantry, winter storage, holiday storage, or just storage space. Find the spaces in your home where you can install some unique storage solutions and then show them off.
Customize a room into a home office. Home gyms are not the norm anymore, as the size of the remote workforce increases. Yes, people like them.
They are also easy to find in a new home. Take that spare room or basement and outfit it with remote workstations and cubbies that will stay with the home when you leave. It will be a talking point, and if that is in a finished basement, you’ll get a return on your investment.
Automate With Smart Home Technology
Smart home technology generally refers to any suite of devices, appliances, or systems that connect into a common network that can be independently and remotely controlled and bring your space into the digital age. It can also be referred to more loosely as a “connected home”.
For example, you can get a smart thermostat, smart TV, security camera systems, audio, smart locks, and more, all integrated and connected into a common system that you can control through your touch screen tablet or mobile device.
These devices make life easier and buyers love when they are included in the home.
Make Choices Meant For the Long-Term
When you are choosing these projects, make choices that will last. One way you can do that is through materials. Eco-friendly materials will last, but there are other ways you can do that too. Vinyl fencing for example is going to last longer than wood and will be stronger. It requires less maintenance and treatment as well.
Flooring options as well are the same. Vinyl flooring is easier to upkeep than other flooring materials. For every renovation choice, make the choices that will last.
Renovate Your Way
It doesn’t matter when you are planning on selling or moving, renovate your way. Choose the projects that you will enjoy after they are done. Think of a feature or idea that you would appreciate if you were buying this home.
Is it a customized remote workspace? Stair storage? When you are looking for projects that will increase your home’s value, think of what you need or want, and there’s a buyer out there that will love it.
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