Whether you are looking at selling your home sometime soon, or it’s a part of your long-term plans, home improvements are always to keep in mind. Making minor and major home improvements will add value to your property to ensure the best return when you do come to sell up.
If you sit in the group of people planning to stay in your home for the foreseeable future, understanding that improvements will add value to your home will help you to establish which projects to get started on. There are some that make viable economic sense, and others that would make it more aesthetically pleasing.
There are different scales to home improvements, so it’s a good to assess your home thoroughly before you start. Sure, cosmetic changes like converting the loft or installing a brand new bathroom are often the most obvious choices but don’t forget the value that will be added through some basic structural repairs, especially to the exterior.
The exterior of your home speaks volumes, so working on the outer problems of your home tends to be a great place to start.
Here are six great ideas to help inspire you when it comes to working on your next home improvement project.
1. Entrance to the home
The entrance to your home may not always seem like an obvious place to add value to the house, but as it is the first focal point, it’s more important than you think. For example, the driveway is something you may take for granted, but visitors or potential buyers will assess this upon approaching your home.
The same can be said for the porch if your home has one. Especially if your porch features windows, which will be hard to ignore if the windows are poor or in bad condition.
It’s a common saying that it only takes a few seconds to form a first opinion, which is very true when it comes to properties. When someone pulls up at your home, whatever the first opinion that pops into their head, that opinion is hard to change – no matter what they see inside.
The value you are adding here by making updates to the driveway and porch is definitely key, and shouldn’t be ignored. We all know first impressions count – so make sure the impressions are good ones!
2. Roofing problems
When it comes to selling your house, new buyers will usually get a thorough survey done, which includes examining the condition of your roofs. This includes every roof, from the main roof of your house to the conservatory roof you may have at the back of your house.
Loose slats or old, cracked glazed windows in the conservatory will be flagged as a potential concern, so it’s best to keep these in tip-top condition and get these replaced. Even if you’re not thinking about selling up anytime soon, investing in a good company who are professionals in roofing, like Leka Systems, will add value to your home instantly.
3. Windows and doors
Double-glazed windows and doors tend to be the type of glass considered essential by most buyers when it comes to assessing a property. Plus, if you have double-glazing windows throughout your home, you’re bound to reap the benefits they provide.
Double-glazing can add considerable value to a property, so where windows need replacing, they should be replaced ideally with double glazed glass. Obviously, this needs to meet the current building regulations, especially on listed buildings.
Before you start replacing any windows and doors, make sure that your frames and fixtures are all well balanced and in-line, so you don’t have any fitting problems.
4. Rear garden and patio
Although in the UK we don’t always get the best garden weather, lots of potential buyers – especially those with families – will count of the garden being impressive.
A garden which is neat and tidy is always a huge ‘wow factor’. People nowadays opt for gardens with designated social areas too, whether that is a patio, decking area or outhouses and sheds. It can be off-putting if buyers see there is a mountain of garden work to be done on the property, therefore a well looked after garden is a huge plus point for potential buyers.
5. Front garden
Speaking of gardens, it’s not just the rear one to consider. The front garden is also one of the first impressions of your home, and it needs to be in keeping with the rest of the house. Think about things like whether your property requires extra space to park your car, too. If you live on a main road but have no driveway but a large front garden, is it worth making the garden smaller and getting permission to add a driveway?
This obviously depends on the property, of course. A country cottage, for example, would lose its appeal if the front garden was paved over and acted as a driveway. Yet those houses in busy built-up areas would be overly thankful for a space to park their cars.
6. Optimise that first glance
As mentioned above, most buyers will decide if they do or do not like a property before they even get out of the car. It’s essential to always keep this in mind before starting any exterior work, and view your house as an on-looker would.
An unattractive exterior will scare off many, so assess the following in detail, asking yourself the following questions and draw up a list of what needs repairing:
- Does my house need the brickwork repointing?
- What about the repainting of doors and windows?
- Should I replace an old garage door?
- Do I need to repair cracked or broken cladding – such as render or timber?
- Would I benefit by adding a porch?
- Is it easy to see the house name/number?
All these pointers above should help you get to the bottom of creating a home that looks attractive to not just yourself, but to potential buyers for the future. A well-presented exterior will form the first and lasting impressions – make sure you get yours right.
Image Credits: Flo Pappert
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