Home Repairs That Actually Add Value

Even if home repair jobs add value to your house, only a few get back the money spent to do them.

It is the highly visible repairs that will help most. Unfortunately, the less obvious ones don’t attract much attention.

New energy-saving doors and windows are not likely to get back the expense used for installation. However, if you plan to live in your house long term, the substantial amount you’ll incur for changing the look of the old windows and doors can help you lessen your energy bills.

Painting is one of the biggest home repairs you can do to add value to your home. As long as you pick colors that are pleasant on the eyes your property will be more attractive. Crown molding is also relatively cheap to install but increases the resale value of your house.

Look at your kitchen and bathroom. Don’t think you need to spend a large amount of money on an entire room remodeling job. Replacing old wallpaper or paint will help tremendously. Painting those old cabinet doors will make them look like new. Replace the out-dated cabinet hardware for something more sophisticated and contemporary.

Anytime you can change empty spaces, like a basement or attic, into more functional areas such as a bedroom, office or media room, you have a positive change that should return most of the money you invested in the project. The national average is about 85% of the cost returned at resale. If your property only has one bathroom, you can get back approximately 90% of the cost by adding a second one.

Landscaping can also improve curb appeal and increase the saleability of a house. But don’t spend thousands getting an expert to do it. It won’t increase the value that much. Instead, deal with the landscaping jobs on your own and be more practical.

If you are going to invest a large amount of money, be sure everything you do will be worth it when it comes to trying to recoup your investment when you sell your home. This way you are assured that all the expenses for the repairs pay off and are not just dead expenses to you.