If you're looking to sell your home in the future, or if you simply want an upgrade for your lifestyle, you may be interested in finding meaningful ways to boost the value of your home—and with a few cost-effective adjustments, it's achievable. Here are some of the most valuable repairs you can make for the long-term, whatever your home plans may be.
1. Repair Your Exterior
You can increase your home's value by repairing the exterior—and give the overall appearance an instant upgrade for anyone to take in before they even enter. Remove and repair damaged siding with fresh new siding boards. Replace missing window screens, or paint and sand existing old, worn screens. Repairing broken fixtures or cracks in the front walk, along with fresh painting and landscaping, can vastly improve your home’s curb appeal.
2. Remodel the Kitchen
It's typically one of the first things a listing agent will tell you: The kitchen sells the home. A second sink, new appliances, cabinetry, soft-close drawer glides, and updated countertops are popular kitchen modifications that may be worth your time, and will help increase the value of your home.
3. Update the Interior
Consider refreshing your paint job, and also painting your walls a more neutral palette—especially if you hope to sell your home at some point. A neutral palette for your walls, amenities, and even decor will allow potential buyers to imagine living in that space and adding their own style. Before repainting, fill up any holes from nails or pins and sand the walls as well.
4. Create a Bright, Appealing Space
Include lighting options (like recessed lighting) in your darker rooms to brighten the areas, and consider bright, reflective surfaces to enhance the effect. Additions like new fixtures and updated tile in your bathroom can refresh the brightness and make the feel modern and inviting as well.
5. Repair Plumbing Concerns
Have you thought about your plumbing recently? Clear blockages in traps under sinks; you can unclog these often with a snake, or hire a plumber for overall repairs. Be sure to regularly unclog your sink drain and unblock your toilet with a snake to keep your system fine-tuned. It might even be time to fix or install a new water heater, especially if yours is 10 years old or more.
6. Restore the Flooring
One of the fastest and easiest ways to revive your home is to replace the flooring. For tile floors, you can update yourself by re-gluing loose tiles and replacing damaged ones. (You can use scrap flooring to repair bad damages yourself as well.) There are so many alternative options available today, from stain-resistant carpet, to engineered wood, to eco-friendly bamboo, that you can also update your entire look to just about any style that works for you and your home.
7. Fix Up the Roof
It all starts at the top, and for your home that means the roof! Fix damaged or missing shingles, clogged gutters and any detached flashing on your roof. Consider having your chimney swept yearly, and if you have an attic, be sure that you're aware of ventilation concerns. Does the roof allow enough ventilation that moisture from the air will not be trapped in the attic? In all cases, a contractor may be able to help you decide which projects are best for your home's value and your comfort.