10 Easy Upgrades That Boost Home Value

Most families don't move into a new home automatically thinking about its resale value. After all, most people intend on living in their homes for quite some time before thinking about moving. It is only when they're thinking about selling that the home's value comes into consideration.

If you're considering selling your home, or you just want to help ensure your home retains as much of its values as possible in a fluctuating market, there are some things you can do to help boost home value. Here are ten easy upgrades recommended by Southland's GA builders.

#1 - Open Up the Floor Plan

If you have an older home, then odds are it features dedicated spaces for rooms. In other words, your rooms are closed off from one another by dividing walls. But, in recent years open floor plans have become more preferred. By knocking down one or more non-load bearing walls, you can really open up the living space while increasing your home's value at the same time.

#2 - Solidify the Guts of the Home Before Making Big Renovations

Sure, a new kitchen looks great, but if it has leaky plumbing then all of the expected value is lost. Therefore, before making any major renovations, be sure to repair and maintain the guts of the home first. This includes making sure the attic is well insulated, the furnace is inspected, the wiring is safe, the plumbing is clear and leak-free, the windows and doors are insulated and leak-free, and the flower beds are weeded.

#3 - More Light Equals More Value

Things like skylights and sun tubes bring natural light into the home and for many buyers, this really improves a home's selling points and overall value. Even if you can't spring for skylights, there are still ways to improve your home's lighting control. Replacing traditional wall switches with dimmer switches promotes greater lighting control, and this also helps improve your home's worth.

#4 - Go With Neutral Wall Colors

While bright and vibrant colors might be your personal preference, they can have a negative impact on your home's market value. Buyers prefer neutral wall colors. So, if you're planning on selling in the near future, now is the time to start repainting your walls.

#5 - Clean Up Your Landscaping

Homes with cleaner, more defined landscapes have higher property values than those with messy, overgrown bushes, shrubs, and trees. It's true - studies show that whatever you invest in proper landscaping will come back four times in the home's value.

#6 - Install an Attractive Front Door

Your front door makes your home's initial impression on buyers. If your door is beat up, losing its paint, or otherwise just unsightly, then replacing it with a more attractive one can have an immediate impact on your home's value.

#7 - Focus on Flooring

If your flooring is ugly, discolored, or simply out of trend, then spending the money to replace it could be well worth it. In fact, studies show that whatever is spent on improving flooring usually comes back more than double in the home's value. And, while wood floors might be timeless, squeaky floors can pose a problem. Simply nailing down your squeaky boards does the trick.

#8 - Clean Up the Bath

Things like dirty grout lines, missing caulk, rust stains, ugly faucets, and frosted glass in your bathrooms can really detract for your home's value. So, get to work and give your bath a quick clean up and replace what needs replacing. You don't need to a complete bathroom renovation, sometimes a simple cleaning and some maintenance will go a long way.

#9 - Invest in Green Energy

Today, home buyers want energy efficient homes, so one of the best things you can do to help raise your home's value is to invest in green technology. From solar energy to Energy Star appliances, there are dozens of ways to make your home more energy-conscious and you'll not only enjoy attractive tax incentives for doing so, but you'll also boost the value of your home significantly.

#10 - Tackle Questionable Concerns

Every home has certain things that make guests ask - what happened there? When you're trying to improve your home's value, you'll want to address as many of those questionable concerns as possible so buyers won't have a reason to second guess your asking price.

Looking for a Custom GA Builder? Contact Southland Today

Southland Custom Homes is one of the premier custom GA builders. We have model showrooms located in Macon (3956 Bloomfield Village Drive, Macon, GA 31206), Dawsonville (837 GA 400 S, Dawsonville, GA 30534), and Marietta (265 N. Cobb PKWY, Marietta, GA 30062). Stop by today to see all that Southland has to offer!

Southland Custom Homes builds in the following locations:

Baldwin County
Banks County
Barrow County
Bartow County
Bibb County
Bleckley County
Butts County
Carroll County
Cherokee County
Clarke County
Clayton County
Cobb County
Coweta County
Crawford County
Dawson County
DeKalb County
Dooly County
Douglas County
Fannin County
Fayette County
Floyd County
Forsyth County
Fulton County
Gilmer County
Gordon County
Greene County
Gwinnett County
Habersham County
Hall County
Hancock County
Haralson County
Hart County
Heard County
Henry County
Jackson County
Jasper County
Jones County
Lamar County
Lumpkin County
Macon County
Madison County
Meriwether County
Monroe County
Morgan County
Newton County
Oconee County
Oglethorpe County
Paulding County
Peach County
Pickens County
Pike County
Polk County
Pulaski County
Putnam County
Rockdale County
Stephens County
Talbot County
Taylor County
Twiggs County
Union County
Upson County
Walton County
White County
Wilkinson County

We also build in the following cities in Georgia:

Acworth
Alpharetta
Athens
Athens-Clarke
Atlanta
Barrow
Bartow
Belvedere
Belvedere Park
Brookhaven
Butts
Calhoun
Canton
Carroll
Carrollton
Cartersville
Cherokee
Cobb
College Park
Coweta
Cumming
Dawsonville
Decatur
Dekalb
Douglas
Dublin
Douglasville
Dunwoody
Duluth
East Point
Ellijay
Fayette
Forest Park
Forest
Forsyth
Gainesville
Grantville
Griffin
Gwinnett
Hall
Henry
Hinesville
Hogansville
Jasper
John's Creek
Kennesaw
LaGrange
Lake Allatoona
Lake Blue Ridge
Lake Chatuge
Lake Hartwell
Lake Jackson
Lake Lanier
Lake Nottely
Lake Oconee
Lawrenceville
Lone Oak
Mableton
Macon
Marietta
McDonough
Milledgeville
Milton
Newnan
Newton
North Atlanta
North Druid Hills
The North Georgia mountains
Paulding
Peachtree City
Redan
Rockdale
Rome
Roswell
Sandy Springs
Smyrna
Snellville
Spalding
Stone Mountain
Sugar Hill
Tucker
Union City
Washington
Winder