Attention all landlords and house sellers across the UK – it’s time you started adding value to your property with some simple home improvements! Yes that’s right, adding value to your home needn’t be too expensive or laborious; as there is a mixture of large and small scale jobs you can undertake to produce the desired effect. With this in mind, here’s our top ten most value adding home improvements:
Install a Conservatory/Extension
This is perhaps the most expensive suggestion on the list, so we thought we’d get it out of the way first. House extensions, such as a conservatory, are a great way of adding space and a fresh dimension to your property. As the options are so vast, it is difficult to place a price tag on such an operation, or predict how much value it will add. Nevertheless, a well designed and constructed extension will indeed increase interest in your property and provide extra space in a way that is sympathetic to your existing structure.
If you’re thinking of a conservatory don’t forget that you will have to sacrifice some garden space. However, one plus is that if your conservatory is under a certain size you will not have to seek planning permission. It is widely believed that a conservatory can boost your property value by 5%.
A Loft Conversion
Creating an extra bedroom space can add up to 10% to the value of your property, especially if it is a loft conversion. If your loft space is going to waste, why not make use of it and create a small living space? Storage space alone is always a huge issue for home owners and tenants across the country, so providing that extra bit of space can offer a decent return on investment. Depending on the size of your property, you can expect to spend anywhere between £5,000 and £40,000 for a loft conversion.
Fit an Extra Bathroom
An additional bathroom can also be a big selling point for a property, especially if you have an en-suite bathroom. Having such a feature can add more than 5% to the value of your home and the cost of such a job doesn’t have to be too high.
A New Fitted Kitchen
Besides the bathroom, a new fitted kitchen can also add significant value to your home. We all spend considerable amounts of time in our kitchens, spending time with our families or entertaining guests. Therefore, a kitchen is often the main focus point of a home and can be the first thing people look at on a house viewing. It may also be the first thing a buyer is looking to replace, so sometimes it’s best to keep your design plain and minimalistic.
Landscape Gardening
It’s often far too easy to overlook the importance of the exterior of your property. An overgrown, unkept or ill-designed garden can deter interest and create a bad impression from the very off. A buyer or potential tenant will want to feel as though the area is nice and that the property has been looked after. A messy and overgrown garden will demote this notion. Create a welcoming and modern appearance with a beautifully landscaped garden.
A Fixed Roof
If your roof needs some repairs then your property will automatically lose value as buyers will push down the price to recover the costs. If the roof requires some investment then they are well within their right to do so too. Avoid this situation by keeping your roof maintained and by ensuring there are no leaks in the material. Good insulation will also ensure the property’s energy rating remains as low as possible.
Replace the Carpets
Worn carpets, especially on the stairs, can also cause potential buyers to push your price down as they will most definitely want to replace them. Lingering odours and a ragged appearance provided by old carpets can really put people off your property. You can professionally clean your carpets instead, but if they are too worse for wear we recommend replacing them entirely.
Fitted Central Heating
Most properties have central heating now, but if yours doesn’t then it is about time you invested in a system before trying to sell/rent your property. Installing a modern boiler and a central heating system is a safe investment and such an operation can add more than 10% value to your property. Even if your property does have central heating, it is well worth investing in a new, more energy efficient boiler to attract ‘green’ buyers and those who wish to save money on utilities.
Energy Efficient Windows
Energy efficiency is a hot topic and a major selling point for buyers and tenants everywhere; therefore properties with energy efficient windows are a must! Installing windows like this can save home owners and tenants hundreds of pounds every single year. Old, rickety and draft-permitting windows are a thing of the past and can put some potential buyers off.
Consider a Car Garage
Buyers usually have a list of requests when looking for a property and requesting parking space is usually always on the list. Having somewhere safe and secure to park a vehicle is extremely sought-after and a massive plus for buyers and tenants across the country. If you have a driveway, or even better still a car garage, then this can add anything between 1% and 5% to the value of your property.
