Is it worth it to dig up your backyard to put in a pool?
Or how about upgrading an old kitchen with new gleaming marble counter tops?
Or how about installing high-tech speakers throughout your home?
If you’re considering home renovation options, you probably have already asked questions like these.
If your renovation is all about increasing your home’s appraisal value, then the answers to some of these questions may be an unequivocal “no.”
To help ensure that your renovation money is spent well, real estate experts agree on what the top five home-improvements are to boost resale value.
• Renovation No. 1: Redo bathroom.
A cracked or dirty toilet that looks old, or doesn’t flush properly is a turn-off.
The same goes for a vanity, which should be eye-catching and practical.
Installing a vanity that recesses into the wall can save space.
Scott O’Dell of the Maple Ridge Rona Home Centre says bathrooms can often be spruced up by small adjustments made by homeowners.
“The majority of my home reno guys that I would get would probably be bathrooms,” O’Dell says.
“Things like that, people feel like they can do it themselves … replacing toilets, replacing sinks, and things like that.”
Correct lighting can also boost value, whether it’s adding a window in the bathroom to add natural lighting or adding new light fixtures. Simply updating knobs on vanity cabinets
• Renovation No. 2: Upgrade kitchen.
Just about all experts agree a kitchen renovation is at the top of that list as it’s the room where homeowners spend the most time.
Upgrading to stainless steel appliances and installing counter tops made from stone or granite are fairly simple changes that will improve the kitchen’s look.
Details like putting shiny knobs on cabinets or buying a new sink faucet can also make a significant difference.
Another smart kitchen upgrade could be knocking down a full or partial wall to connect the kitchen to a den or living room to make the kitchen feel more spacious.
• Renovation No. 3: Go greener.
There has been a growing demand, the last four to five years, for green housing, according to commercial and residential real estate experts.
Making your home more energy efficient is big a plus, especially anything that helps keep heat in during the winter months and out during the summer months.
Changes can be minimal – like adding storm doors or a ceiling fan in each room.
Or they can be substantial, such as double- or triple-paning windows for insulation.
O’Dell says annual maintenance helps in this area as well, “whether it’s insulating windows, caulking, replacing bumpers on your doors or replacing filters.”
• Renovation No. 4: Built-in speakers.
Prospective home buyers are impressed with high-tech homes that stand out.
Installing a centrally wire sound system in your home, with a speaker in every room so you can control music from anywhere in the house with one remote, will definitely improve a home’s value.
Installing surround sound in the den or living room, or wherever you watch TV, would make watching movies or sporting events more exciting and add to a home’s value.
– by Kevin Gillies, a freelance writer for Black Press.
