Springtime is perfect to get your home ready for the summer boom in the real estate market. You know as a parent that you have more free time in the summer and are keen to move in between school terms to minimize the disruption to your children. According to Time Magazine, 60% of those who move, do so in the summer.
Now is the perfect time to begin projects that will add resale value to your home. Using questions asked by Hometalk members, we’ve sourced the best tips from our very own Hometalk pros and other reputable resources to help you pick the right projects.
Q: What’s the best overall home improvement project to increase the value of my home?
Luxury home builder Stephen from California: Kitchen and Bath remodels both bring back added value. In the kitchen, granite countertops add to the overall value more than any other material.
HGTV Team: One of the simplest, most cost-effective improvements of all is paint! Freshly painted rooms look clean and updated – and that spells value.
John, Regional VP for the National Association of Realtors: It’s all about first impression, no question about that. When I’m sitting with my buyers in my car and we pull up to a home, if it doesn’t look halfway decent, my buyers in many cases say, “John let’s take a pass on this, because I just don’t like the outside.”
Q: Which adds more home value, adding a Deck or Patio
Lankarge from HomeInsight.com: For the homeowner with the uneven back yard, often the most appropriate choice is a deck, because you can sink piers into the ground, and then add on a level deck
Remodeling Magazine: The Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report for 2007 found that more than 85% of the cost of building a wooden deck could be recouped during resale – compared with 30-60% for a patio addition.
Robert Markovich, Home and Yard Editor for Consumer Reports: It’s safe to say that a deck is one of the more cost-effective things you can do.
