For many of us, buying your first (or any) house is a big investment. Lot’s of people make sacrifices and find ways to save money where we can to make the purchase.
If you are like us, it becomes a long-term investment. With the house prices now increasing at a rate faster than most people can save, we are having to make our home work to the best it can for our family.
Of course, just because we are unable to move it doesn’t mean we are not looking to make the most of the value we can add to our home.
As it is the biggest asset we are ever going to own we are doing all we can to ensure that we increase the value alongside making it the best family home we can.
So, once you have purchased your home, what can you do to add the most to your house value?
Here are my top tips on how to add the most value to your home.
- Take care of your home – this one is something that you don’t even need to spend money on! Taking basic care of your home is one way to ensure an increase in value as the property market continues to boom. Simple things like ensuring the driveways and paths are de-weeded, cleaning the windows and guttering. All things that give your home the curb appeal to get buyers through the door when it is time to sell.
- Invest in the right things – When you start to renovate your house, no matter how big or small the project is, there is always a cost that comes with it. When you are starting to look at your plans, think through not only what works best for you but also what will add the most value in the long run. Of course, things such as new kitchens, bathrooms and windows will add great value, they also come with the price tag too! Things such as wooden shutters add a practical use but are also very stylish too.
- Neutral doesn’t mean boring – Going neutral throughout your home doesn’t mean you have to be boring. Keeping the walls and flooring fairly simple means you can add splashes of colour in your artwork, soft furnishings and pictures. It is a great way for prospective buyers to see your home for what an amazing space it is.
- Shop around when you renovate – Price doesn’t always mean quality when it comes to home improvement so be open-minded when you are looking for items for your home. There are some great stores around for home furnishings that come in a great selection of colours and patterns. If you are thinking of getting shutters, check out these best plantation shutters
When it comes to adding value, don’t be put off by doing home improvements. Although it may seem a bit daunting, not only the costs and planning involved but the dust. In the long run, it will make such a difference to your home whilst you live there too.
I have big plans for our home, with the view of us not moving for the next 10 years we are planning :
- Put a drive on our front garden. Our home is up steep hill so we would like to take this out and put a drive on, solving parking issues around out road!
- Extend to make it 3 bedrooms. In the short run, we will turn our large double into 2 small rooms so the kids have their own space but eventually, we will push our house out to make it into 3 good size bedrooms.
- Tier our back garden out, like our front garden our back garden is a bit of a mountain! We would like to make it into 3 useable tiers.
- Make our kitchen/living space open plan. We popped into a kitchen showroom near us and they had big island workspace that got us thinking about opening our kitchen and living room up to give us a more communal feel about it.
As you can see I have some big plans for our home over the coming years. It’s not all about making our house be worth more (which it should be) but making it more of a home we can love and enjoy for years to come. You can see more of my dream home ideas and garden makeover ideas on my Pinterest page.
This is a collaborative post