The housing market is a bewildering but exciting place, and if you’re thinking of selling your home, but you want to make sure your house is valued at the optimum price, there are some home improvements that you can do to ensure that happens.
Render your house
Rendering your home is no easy renovation project, and it can cost anywhere between £35 per square metre to £90 per square metre, but it has a range of benefits that make it incredibly worthwhile. The process of rendering involves casting an additional layer to your home’s exterior walls. This extra layer is a type of cladding that can be made out of cement, polymer, monocouche, silicone or acrylic and it works to protect the house from weathering and rainwater.
The render keeps your home safe from damp and weathering, but it also boosts the house’s curb appeal. You can have numerous colours and styles of render put onto your home, giving it a splash of colour and setting it apart from the other houses on the market. In addition to boosting the curb appeal, it also helps to provide better first impressions to potential buyers and can improve the energy efficiency of a property, too.
It is important to remember that the cost of rendering a home can vary greatly depending on the materials used and the size of your property. It’s wise to consider all available options before you proceed with any renovation project. You should also take into account other factors such as maintenance costs and insurance when deciding whether or not to render your house.
Handle any structural issues
It is obviously important that any home you sell is structurally sound. Estate agents will hire surveyors to check for this, and if they find any structural damage or concerns within your property, it will without a doubt reduce the value of your home.
To ensure this doesn’t happen, have your home assessed by property professionals and see which building regulations it does and doesn’t meet. Check the property out for any dampness, cracks, or sagging in the roof and walls. Thoroughly check the property for infestations of insects that can cause continuous damage, and then tackle all of the structural concerns you and your team of property professionals find. Even tiny things like broken roof tiles can alter the curb appeal and affect the value of your home.
Improve heating
Houses sell better and for much more when they have efficient central heating. Check your property’s central heating system for any issues and have them corrected as soon as possible. These are not the kind of home improvements that potential buyers will be looking to make, so to get the most value for your home, it is important that you do this first. Your central heating should work, but should also be as efficient as possible. A higher energy efficiency will correlate to a higher asking price.
To further add value to your home, you might also want to add fashionable radiators. Elegant, modern and stylish radiators will add value to your home and also make it more memorable to those who came to view it.
Consider an extension or garden room
An extension or a garden room is a great way to add square footage and value to your home. You will need planning permission, but adding something like a conservatory, man cave, studio or garden space will provide more living space, storage space and give your property a garden appeal that it might otherwise lack.
Typical costs for an extension range from £1,100 per square meter to £2,500 per square meter. However, it is entirely likely that you will gain this money back when it comes to selling the property because of how much value an extension will provide.
Loft conversion
You should not need any planning permission to create a loft conversion, as it is within your pre-existing layout to an extent. You will need to add in a doorway and stairs, and then make sure that your loft is sturdy. Once your loft conversion is built, you can decorate it and make it into an extra bedroom, the master bedroom, an office, or whatever else you might fancy. The conversion will allow you to gain valuable space and square footage that will help to increase the asking price of your home.
As well as a loft conversion, you can add roof lights to your home by doing a roof light conversion. This will add lots of natural light and make the extra bedroom, master bedroom or office into an even nicer space.
Double glazing
Many old homes have single glazed windows. These allow all of the heat out of the property, and often allow all of the cool air in. To make a home more energy efficient, the first step is to replace old windows with double glazing. This will boost the efficiency by a substantial amount, and will also provide better first impressions. Double-glazed windows look much more modern and expensive, and first impressions count so if you cannot afford new windows consider getting your windows sprayed!
Consider layout changes
If you don’t want to get all of the necessary planning permission forms sorted to expand the property, you can do so by simply changing the pre-existing space. Some of the easiest money-adding layout changes to make are:
- Add in an en suite bathroom
- Make an open-plan living space
- Increase living or storage space
- Add bifold doors
- Add a new bathroom or new bathroom suite
- Create a designated parking space on the driveway
These are all jobs that may take some time and may cost you, but ultimately they will gain you more money when it comes to selling your property.
Rewire and replumb your home
If you have an old property, you may need to rewire and replumb your property. On a technical level, all houses should be fitted with a fuse box with an RCD for safety. If your property does not have one of these, it may be going against building regulations. Adding a modernised fuse box will certainly add value to your home, and will allow estate agents to better market the property.
You could also invest in more modern or sleek-looking outlets and switches. These will help to add value to your home without you needing to put in for anything like planning permission.
Checking out your property’s plumbing is also essential, as damaged or dated plumbing can lead to burst pipes. Surveyors sent by an estate agent will know this, and it will be used against you to reduce the value of your home.
