Add value to your home, now, and you will reap the rewards when you sell it.

A home may be absolutely to-die-for fabulous inside, but if it is lacking in exterior charm, it is not going to bring a top dollar when it is put on the market. House hunters won’t take the time to come inside. Curb appeal is mandatory. You can add value to your home by a lot of means. Read on.

The exterior – the landscaping, the roof, the gates, the front door, and the windows make an immediate first impression on those who are in the market for a new home. There are ways to add value to a home that pays off royally when it is time to sell. In the meantime, enjoy the improvements that have been made to the home, inside and out, while waiting to hear Sold.

Gates and Fences

The first impression is the impression that can make or break a deal.

Installing beautiful, perhaps even ornate gates and fences can go a long way to add value to your home. Gates and fences define an area, and they are functional: They keep pets and children in and those who shouldn’t be in your yard out.

Additionally, installing a fence around a swimming pool is imperative because a pool with no fence is going to scare off potential buyers. Investing in a new fence or gate will help you garner more money for your home when you put it on the market.

Of course, you don’t have to be putting your home on the market to make these improvements. Make them now so you can enjoy the beauty of your new fence and gate as long as you live at this address. 

Landscaping

If the yard looks like it is neglected, because it is, forget it.

No one is going to want to come inside your home. Mow; plant new grass. Landscape the yard. Add some beautiful flowers, bushes, and trees. Create a new walkway out of flagstone or some type of paver. Install path lights. Add some exterior lights that serve two functions. First, they highlight and show off your home’s exterior at night but also safeguard against burglars and intruders. Add value to your home by considering this.

Roof

If the roof is in shambles, the home is not considered a great value because it will require that the new owners invest a good bit of money to fit it or replace it. Repair the roof before putting the home on the market.

There is such an awesome variety of roofing shingles and slate available nowadays. This makes it hard to decide which one to go with. However, whatever the choice, rest assured a good-looking roof that is in top-notch condition is going to add value to your home. While at it, paint the house if it needs it and consider putting up new house numbers, new porch lights, and creating an inviting scene. This includes — wicker chairs and plants — on your front porch. 

Home Office

If there isn’t already one, add a home office to your residence. More and more people are working from home, telecommuting, and requiring an office. If one is already established, this is a big thumb’s up and will instantly add value to your home. Transform an extra bedroom or an area in the basement or attic into a home office.

Sun Porch

Potential homeowners will be overjoyed to see a screened-in sun porch or a deck or a patio with an outdoor kitchen. Any way that the square footage of your home can be expanded is going to pay off. People are spending more time at home, and less time taking vacations, because of the economy. 

When space is provided where a family can hang out, cook, entertain and enjoy the outdoors, value is immediately added to the home. Installing wall-to-wall glass doors that can slide into the wall and virtually disappear makes an indoor living area look two- or three- times the size that it actually is because there is no obvious demarcation between the inside and the outside living space.

Master’s Bedroom

Most prospective homeowners want a large master bedroom with an en suite bathroom. Figure out a way to create an en suite bathroom, if at all possible. Lots of storage space in the master bedroom is also at the top of the list. Keep in mind that house hunters do on average pay 33 percent more for a home that has been renovated. 

Kitchen and Bathroom

If a kitchen is too small, outdated, dark, cramped, and has a poor traffic pattern, even if the rest of the house is magnificent the sale will be lost. House hunters can’t get past poor quality or poorly designed kitchens. In most families, cooking is a must, not an option, and everyone knows that the kitchen is the gathering spot. If the kitchen in the house is in desperate need of some loving care give it some, and the value of your home will skyrocket.

The same goes for bathrooms: House hunters love two-sink bathrooms, soaking tubs, and a large, accommodating shower. Re-grout, get rid of stains in the tub, toilet, and sinks. You can also put down new flooring, give the walls a fresh coat of paint. By doing this you will reap the financial benefits for your improvements.