Five Home Improvements That Could Help Sell Your Home

If your current home is just a stepping stone towards your dream home, you may be looking to add value to it before you sell. However, it’s not always easy to know what improvements will add value and help your home to sell. So, here’s five practical suggestions that should do both including home improvements.

Create some parking

It’s no secret that off-street parking adds up to 20% to the value of a house. As many families now own two cars and roadsides tend to get very busy, a garage and driveway is something that people look for when buying a home.

So, if you have the space available, you might want to consider building a garage. Doing this typically costs between £3,000 and £20,000. A double garage will cost more to build than a single garage but it can also add more value and may be more practical – especially if you add in storage space and electrics.

If you don’t have the space to build a garage, it’s still worth creating some off-street parking, whether that’s a driveway or parking space at the front of your house.

Convert your loft

If you live in an area that’s popular with families, it’s wise to make your home attractive to this market. What lets a lot of homes down is the size and number of bedrooms. Often homes have two good-sized bedrooms and one small one, which can be a sticking point for buyers. Couple that with the fact that more people are working from home and you can soon see how important the extra space is.

Converting your loft to fit in extra bedrooms or a home working space, typically costs from £20,000 to do. But it can add around 20% to your home’s value and make it more desirable. So, it’s often a good investment.

However, if money is tight, you could improve the access to your loft space and board it over. This enables future buyers to see your home’s potential and gives you extra storage space in the meantime.

Add a conservatory

If you’re looking for a simple yet cost-effective way to add space and value to your home, a conservatory could be the answer. Although it’s thought that conservatories only add around 5% to a home’s value, you can get one installed for as little as £12,000.

If your home only has one lounge or there’s no room for dining in the kitchen, a conservatory can provide the extra space you need and ensure your home is attractive to buyers in the future.

Even if a conservatory is out of the question, it might be an idea to spruce up your patio. Not only will this make your garden more attractive, but it will create an extra seating or dining area to use in the summer.

Install a new kitchen

Families frequently put a nice kitchen at the top of their wish list when they’re looking for a new house – after all, they’re the heart of the modern home. For that reason, a kitchen refurb is one of those home improvements that’s almost guaranteed to help you sell your home.

It’s estimated that a new kitchen adds between 8% and 12% to a home’s value. But even if you’re not planning to move immediately, it’s a practical move. We use our kitchens every day and if you dine in your kitchen too, you probably spend a good portion of your time in there. Therefore, it’s worth spending money on.

Of course, a new kitchen is expensive. So, if your budget doesn’t allow for this kind of improvement, you could try upcycling your current one.

Go open plan

Going open plan can not only make your living space feel spacious and sociable, but it’s often more desirable for families. So, this can also help you sell your home.

There are various ways to do this. You might take down a single wall between your lounge and dining room or your dining room and kitchen or you could open the whole of your downstairs up. The only thing to bear in mind is the more walls you take down, the greater the cost is likely to be and the more redecoration you’ll have to do. That’s why costs to create an open-plan layout vary between £2,000 and £25,000. However, it can also boost your resale value by 10% to 15%, so you should see a return on your investment.

If you can’t justify these costs, decluttering is a cheap way to make rooms feel bigger.

Final thoughts

Whenever you decide to carry out home improvements, it’s important to weigh up the amount you’ll need to spend as well as the value it can add. There’s no point spending £40,000 on a loft conversion if it only raises your home’s value by £30,000.

That’s why it’s important to do your research beforehand. Look at the property market in your area. What type of houses are selling quickly? What do they have that yours doesn’t? And how are they priced? Don’t be afraid to go in and chat to your local estate agents to find out what features are desirable with buyers.

If it turns out that large home renovations aren’t the way to go, consider smaller improvements instead. Carrying out repairs, deep cleaning and painting walls all help to sell a home.