With the housing boom well and truly over and house prices on the slide, it’s more important than ever that any home improvements you make will help add value to your property.
But with so many potential home improvement projects, how do you know which to undertake first?

Below we have outlined the top ten ways to increase your home’s value:

1. Enhance the Curb Appeal
The simplest rule to follow when choosing home improvement projects is to consider what can be seen and work on those things first. Curb appeal is one of the primary determining factors for potential buyers. And while not a large factor in appraising home value, appearance is paramount in terms of sale price.
So how do you increase the curb appeal of your home? Start by reducing clutter, painting your home’s exterior and improving the landscaping; all things you can easily do yourself without investing a fortune!

2. Increase the Property’s footprint
The size and living space of a home is one of the primary factors in both appraised value as well as the resale price a home will fetch when listed for sale.
If you have an unfinished basement or other space in your home that can be converted into finished living space, start there. Finishing a basement or attic space is far less expensive than a room addition.
To determine whether a room addition is a good investment, you need to research the neighborhood a bit. You want to know the average size of the homes in your neighborhood; if yours falls well below the average, then a room addition could be a good investment. On the other hand, if you home is larger than most homes in your neighborhood, you may not recoup your investment in a room addition.

3. Update Bathrooms
If your home has out of date bathrooms, then updating them is likely to be a good investment to increase the resale value. Most buyers are attracted to a home with modern, spacious and up to date bathrooms.

4. Remodel the Kitchen
As with bathrooms, updating an older kitchen can often times increase the resale value of a home. You can cut costs by refinishing cabinets, installing new appliances, countertops and flooring and improving the lighting in your kitchen.
If you want to go that little bit further you could invest in a bespoke kitchens, or perhaps just some handmade kitchen units to add that touch of quality. bespoke kitchens are custom made from scratch which means they can be specifically tailored to the available space, whilst also providing exceptional build quality and standard of finish.

5. Increase Storage Space
The majority of house buyers today want plenty of room to store things like vacuum, ironing boards, bedding, toys etc. so anything you can do to increase the amount of space and functional storage capacity of your home will help add resale value and is often less expensive than major renovations, repairs or room addition projects.

6. Invest in a Garage
If your home does not have a garage, adding one can be another good investment to increase resale value; especially if you live in a northern location with a cold climate. For warmer climates, the return on investment may be less significant than other home improvement projects.

7. Replace the Roof and Other Major Components
If your home has an ageing roof, boiler, or electrical system then you almost have no choice but to replace them.
Not replacing major components will lead to future maintenance costs for the new owner and this will be taken into account. For instance, if you have a leaky roof, it could lead to damp problems and other interior damage.
Secondly, when you do come to sell your home, these things will either need to be put right prior to the sale or they will need to be deducted from the final sale price in order to entice buyers.

8. Tidy Up Exterior Paint Work
Use neutral colors when repainting your home’s interiors; while it is tempting to use bright colors, remember that color is a very personal choice and the colors you like may not appeal to potential buyers.
If you do use bright wall paint in your home interior, be prepared to repaint with neutral colors prior to listing for resale.

9. Increase and Improve Outdoor Living Space
As with adding a garage, the return on investment for adding outdoor living space such as a screened porch, deck or patio is largely dependent on geography
If you live in an area where people tend to spend a lot of time outdoors, then this can be a very good investment and is generally less costly than adding interior living space.
However, if the norm in your area, due to climate and weather conditions, is not conducive to spending a lot of time outdoors, then it may not make much sense to invest heavily in outdoor living space.

10. Replace Ageing Windows
If your home has outdated exterior siding or the siding is not typical of what most homes in the area use, then you might consider replacement. For instance, in the northwest, cedar siding is common, so a stucco or vinyl-sided home could benefit by replacement with cedar siding.
Window replacement can be another high-return investment. If your home has older windows that are made with wood or aluminum, then replacing them with modern vinyl windows will increase both the curb appeal and energy efficiency of your home.