Top tips to help you add value to your property
Home improvements can breathe new life into your home and ultimately add more value to it
Homeowners have little control over peaks and troughs in the housing market.
However, this does not mean you have no control over the rise and fall in price of your own home. You always should ensure it is the absolute best it can be, and that means improvements.
Here are some suggestions.
Paint: A fresh coat of paint can bring life to the most derelict of objects: doors, cupboards, cabinets, staircases, the possibilities are endless. Painting a house inside and out can see a monumental increase in value, with some properties seeing up to £10,000 added. Shine hardwood floors: Cleaning hardwood floors is a tough task and no matter how hard you scrub they never seem to have that original shine. Other than refinishing the floors - which is an expensive task - the only option is to use floor polish. Create space: Space is a virtue of any home and it shouldn’t be accepted that some of the house is closed off. Removing unused objects is an easy way to make space. You can even remove walls. Restore/replace carpets: Carpets are trampled on every day and are forgotten as the things under our feet. Due to this, they sometimes do not look as good as they should. Replacing a carpet can make a room feel new, especially if it’s a contrasting colour. Install a fireplace: Installing a fireplace not only adds a decorative element, it also has several practical functions. A fireplace allows you to have eco-friendly heating while enjoying the cosiness and warmth of a campfire. Also, with gas and electric bills on the rise, a fireplace is a great way cut some of those costs. While adding a fireplace will set you back t has caused value increases of 5 per cent in some homes. Create off-street parking: This isn’t always an option, and for others it will mean sacrificing a chunk of the front garden. But it does yield great rewards. It is an improvement which could cost as much as £10,000 to £20,000 but could yield £50,000. Extend: An extension can turn a threebedroom house into a five-bedroom house and a two-storey house into three storeys. Add an en-suite: An en-suite bathroom featured in the master bedroom attaches a sense of style and finesse to the property.
If you’re looking for a simple shower and toilet, the price will amount to just a few thousand pounds. Build a conservatory: A conservatory is something a buyer would rather not spend time and money doing. The cost of a conservatory is up to £10,000. But it can add 22 per cent to your property’s value. In other home news
Scottish-based independent mortgage broker, First Mortgage, has launched an interactive infographic called “How to buy your first home”. The infographic is the first of its kind in the UK, with an interactive element that allows viewers to “walk” through the process of buying a home.
The infographic is aimed at helping first time buyers understand what to expect from the home buying process, and to address a lot of the questions that arise prior to speaking to a mortgage advisor or lender.
You can view it atwww. first mortgage. co.uk/mortgage-advice/buying-a-house.