Although market conditions are improving in most areas, people are still generally speaking looking to maximise the value of their home by making a range of improvements and renovations. Some of these can be fairly minor, whilst others can become large scale building projects.
Quick fixes
If you’re inviting an estate agent around in the next couple of weeks and want to ensure your house makes the best impression it can without breaking the bank and changing too much, there are some quick fixes that can be applied.
First off, take a look at the front of your house. How tidy and welcoming is the front garden? Is the front door looking a little tired and tatty? The old adage that first impressions count rings true with your house, and if you can make the house look spectacular the first time it is seen, you will hold a lot more sway when it comes to talking figures. Ensuring that the front garden is neat and maintained, giving the front door a lick of paint if needed and even putting a couple of hanging baskets up can make a huge difference to the perception of your property.
On the inside
Again, if your estate agent visit is imminent, de-cluttering your rooms can make a great impression on potential buyers. Removing or finding convenient hiding places for your belongings will make your home seem larger than it may actually be. Remember that if occasionally used items such as a sewing machine or pedestal fan are out, this could be seen indicative that your home doesn’t have sufficient storage space.
Larger projects
If your drive to add value to your property is likely to entail a larger scale project with a longer timescale, there are a range of options that can be explored. Adding an en suite to a master bedroom is certainly desirable, but only if said bedroom is large enough to comfortably swallow the extra facilities. This can work wonders if you are selling a house with four bedrooms or more, easing the strain that large families put on the bathroom on a daily basis.
Extending your home
Extensions can be a great way to add extra rooms and more space to your property. The most common extensions are at the rear of the property, adding more kitchen space, and potentially an extra bedroom above. An extension of this type will require planning consent, but taking a look up and down your road will give you a good indication as to whether this is likely. If other properties in your vicinity have been granted permission to build this type of extension, then it is a good sign for your potential extra space.
If an extension isn’t viable, looking into your loft space could provide a solution for extra space. Loft conversions can give you an extra room or even two, without adding to the footprint of your property. The number of loft conversion ideas out there are only really constrained by your imagination!
Remember that the value of your property is only really defined as the figure that someone else is willin
