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What Adds Value to Your Home? 9 Ways to Improve Your Home

Whether you’re planning on selling your home in the next 6 months or the next 6 years, you need to start thinking about how you can improve it’s value now. You might be asking yourself – what adds value to your home?

From something small like yard work to completely reinventing your kitchen, there are many ways to increase the value of your home. Making sure your home is up-to-date and well maintained is extremely important when it’s time to sell.

what adds value to your home

We’ve come up with a list of 9 improvements you should focus on to improve the value of your home. Let’s get started.

1. Update Your Kitchen

When you ask someone, “What adds value to your home?”, the most common response is kitchen improvements. Many potential home buyers look for a recently updated kitchen and they won’t be afraid to spend a little extra money to get it. According to study by Consumer Reports, a “modern/updated kitchen” was most desired by millennials and first time homeowners.

Updating your kitchen could include getting new counter-tops, floors, appliances or windows. Make sure you monitor the condition of your kitchen and replace or update anything that isn’t working properly.

beautifully updated kitchen

What are some popular kitchen update options?

If you’re looking to replace any of your kitchen appliances, go with stainless steel. It’ll give your kitchen a clean and contemporary look that will attract the eye of many home buyers – especially millennials. Also, unlike traditional black or white appliances, stainless steel appliances show less dirt and grime and are easier to clean.

Quartz countertops are also a popular option for renovated kitchens. They’re made from 95% ground natural quartz and 5 % polymer. They’re sure to make your counters look gorgeous.

2. Replace Your Windows

living room windowsOld leaky windows will decrease the value of your home significantly. If you feel drafts or your home isn’t as energy efficient as it could be, it’s time for replacement windows. You shouldn’t just choose any replacement windows – vinyl windows are the way to go.

Why vinyl windows?

They’re exactly what potential home buyers are looking for. They look great, are durable and will trap heat and air in your home. It’s a great selling point for any home, especially Midwest homes where the temperatures are always changing and unpredictable.

If you’re not selling your home anytime soon, vinyl windows are still a great option. By trapping heat or air in your home (depending on the season), your furnace and air conditioner won’t have to work as hard to reach your desired temperature. You’ll end up saving money on your energy bills. Since vinyl windows are so durable, they’ll look great even when you decide to sell your home.

3. Bathroom Updates Make a Major Difference

Believe it or not, you don’t have to take on a long home improvement project to get the most out of your bathrooms. Small changes can make a huge difference in the value of your home.

Since your bathroom is used several times per day, it faces a lot of wear and tear. Your shower heads, faucets, handles and tile grout could be replaced to give your bathroom an entire new look.

This doesn’t mean you should ignore major bathroom appliances. If you need an entire new sink, toilet, shower or tub, you need to invest in a replacement. But if everything is working properly and your looking for a simple facelift, you can focus on the smaller aspects of your bathroom.

Also, Entrepreneur says it’s a good idea to add another bathroom to your home. Many people look at the number of bedrooms and bathrooms in a home before deciding whether or not they want to see it at all. Having another bathroom will open your house up to more potential buyers.

4. New Siding Will Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Don’t forget the outside when looking at what adds value to your home. Curb appeal is important to home buyers and improving your home’s exterior is a sure fire way to increase the value. Many people are interested in homes with vinyl siding because it helps trap heat or air inside, making it more comfortable year round.

replacement vinyl siding

Similar to vinyl windows, vinyl siding will save you money on your energy bills as well. So even if you aren’t planning on selling your home anytime soon, vinyl siding is a great investment. Plus, it looks gorgeous and will improve your home’s curb appeal. You can’t lose.

5. Keep Your Lawn Looking Beautiful

The condition of your lawn can effect the value of your home. You want a green lawn in your front and back yard, void of dead grass, weeds and uneven mowing. Make sure you mow the grass once per week and water it every other day to ensure a beautiful lawn.

If you’d like to keep your lawn looking beautiful, check out this video from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. They show the most energy efficient way to maintain it year round:

Lawn Care tips 11 min

6. Add a Fresh Coat of Paint to Your Home

According to Consumer Reports, a fresh coat of paint can bump up the value of your home 1-2%. That might not seem like a lot, but for the amount of time and money you’ll spend on painting, that’s pretty significant. Using a different color of paint can change the look of the entire room.

Be careful when painting your home. If you’re selling soon, the safe bet is to choose a natural color like white, off-white or beige. If it’s something more vibrant or dark, it may turn off a large demographic of home buyers. It’s important to keep it simple.

7. Get a New Entry Door

replacement doorsYou can make a great first impression with your entry door. You can also customize it to show-off your personality – simple and sleek or elegant and intricate. The last impression you want to leave with visitors is worn and warped.

When you get a new steel or fiberglass door, the value of your home will improve immediately. According to Realtor.com, entry doors have a 91.5% return on investment which is pretty awesome.

A new steel or fiberglass entry door does more than have a high return on investment. They have a foam core that prevents heat or air from escaping your home. That means you’ll save money on your energy bills like you would with vinyl windows or siding. There’s no losing with a steel or fiberglass entry door.

8. Insulate Your Attic

You know that heat rises. If you don’t have proper attic insulation, it will rise right out of your home. DIY Network says up to 30% of the heat your furnace produces escapes through your attic. This poor energy efficiency will lower the value of your home.

Adding or replacing your attic insulation is an affordable and easy update that you’ll enjoy the benefits of immediately. If you’re looking to sell your home, recently replaced attic insulation will catch the eye of potential buyers.

9. Replace Your Garage Door

Your garage door is the largest entryway to your home so it’s important that it looks and operates correctly. An old, worn out garage door will detract from the value of your home. A beautiful steel garage door is the perfect solution.

People looking for a new home are attracted to steel garage doors. Not only are they beautiful but they’re more durable than other garage door styles. They can also be foam-filled for better insulation.

replacement garage doors

Plan Your Home Improvements

Knowing what adds value to your home is only half the battle. All of these different home improvements can’t be done at the same time. Plan out what needs your attention first and which improvements can wait.

It’s usually smart to start will improvements that have long lasting effects like replacement windows, siding, doors and attic insulation. Not only do these improve the value of your home, but they’ll also save you money on your energy bills.

Now You Know What Adds Value to Your Home

Whether you’re selling your home soon or not, it’s important to know what adds value to your home. Home improvements will take time and money so you should stay up-to-date and make sure everything looks its best and functions properly.

New, energy efficient products are enticing to prospective home buyers. They’ll make your home more comfortable year round and will save you money on your energy bills. Who knew I’d be so easy to save money on your bills?

If you need replacement windows, siding, doors or garage doors, get a free quote from Feldco now. We’ve served over 400,000 homeowners in the Midwest that have improved their home values with our products.

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