Whether you are looking to start home improvements in your family home or you are flipping a house for resale, making the highest return home improvements that you possibly can is important. Getting a high return on investment, or ROI, on your home improvements ensures that you are not only improving your home or investment property for current livability but for the future return you can possibly get. To get the highest return home improvements, consider these projects, which are listed in no particular order.
Fix Disaster Damage
This home improvement will not apply to all homes. If you bought a home that had damage from a disaster like a fire or a hurricane, you should definitely prioritize these types of repairs first. If the damage has been sustained while you were living in the home, it’s a good idea to fix things up as quickly as possible so that the damage does not worsen with time and begin causing other problems.
Make sure that you look into disaster restoration companies that specialize in whatever kind of damage repair you have. For example, if you live on a sea or other body of water and your seawall sustained damage in a storm, look into a company that specializes in seawall repair to ensure that the home improvement is getting done properly.
If a property has clear signs of damage, the odds are that the value of your home will drop. Because of this, disaster damage is one of the highest return home improvements you can make.
Fix Your Plumbing
When an experienced homeowner is looking at your house, they will be looking deeper than surface-level issues like paint or finishes. Therefore, hiring a plumbing service to come and take a look at your plumbing system is a great idea. A high-quality plumbing service will be able to tell you about any major issues that you may have in your home and suggest possible improvements. They also should be able to tell you about ways that you could upgrade your plumbing to ensure that your plumbing system is top of the line.
Updating Your HVAC System
Having a properly functioning HVAC system is important when considering the highest return home improvements. If you need to get an ac repair, you should definitely get that fixed before listing your home for sale or your investment property for rent. Any number of HVAC services will be able to fix your ac unit as well as improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling units.
Having a home or rental property that does not properly heat up in the winter or cool off in the summer could take some serious value away from your home, which means that updating your HVAC system is not only a functional improvement on a home, but it also give a high ROI.
Improving Curb Appeal
If you’re trying to look for the highest return home improvements, look no further than curb appeal. Making improvements to the outdoor appearance of your home is a great way to increase the value of your home. Landscaping improvements can yield returns of up to 150%, meaning that you’ll likely get back every cent you spend on outdoor renovations. Here are a few ways to improve your curb appeal:
- Upgrade Your Garage Door. If your garage door is old and outdated, consider updating it or replacing it entirely. If you’ve decided to update it by adding a new layer of paid or giving it a good pressure wash, make sure to have a garage door repair service come check on your garage door to ensure that it’s in proper working order.
- Spruce Up the Entryway. The place where you enter a home is a place that sets the tone for the entire house. In order to make a good first impression of the house, try updating the door with a fresh coat of paint and adding some potted seasonal flowers around the door. Consider also adding a wreath or other adornment on the door that matches the season.
- Add Landscaping. No matter how green your thumb is, you can take care of a few outdoor plants. If the thought of planting a new garden fills you with dread, you can always hire professionals to help you with the initial landscaping.
Replacing Your Roof
If your roof needs to be replaced, it should be the first improvement that you make when you move into or begin renovating a home. Residential roofing services can handle the entire process of retooling from beginning to end, and roof replacement is something that you should definitely leave to the professionals. A good quality roof will last for decades, and any prospective buyer will definitely want the roof to be in working order, making this one of the highest return home improvements because if your roof is in bad condition, the value of your house may drop.
Replacing your roof can also have a positive impact on your heating and cooling costs. If your roof is not properly insulated, it could be letting the air inside of your house escape, meaning that your heating system or air conditioner has to work harder to maintain the proper temperature in the house. When you get a roof replacement, you can ask your contractors to make sure your roof is as energy-efficient as possible to ensure that you are saving money over time on heating and cooling costs as well as in the resale value of your home.
Replacing Old Windows
Old, drafty windows can definitely impact the resale value of your home. Replacing your old windows with new, energy-efficient versions of the fixture can be one of the highest return home improvements because not only is it an upgrade, it also saves money over time. High-quality windows will keep your heating or cooling system working at peak efficiency, which means lower energy bills month to month. This is a return on investment that you can enjoy even if you’re living in the house since you will be saving in heating and cooling costs year-round.
Upgrading Your Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and if that heart is outdated, it may need the home improvement equivalent of a pacemaker: a renovation. When it comes to the highest return home renovations, upgrading your kitchen is a great move. There are many ways to upgrade your kitchen, and you definitely don’t need to do a full kitchen demolition and redesign in order to get a return on the money you put down. Here are a few ways to upgrade your kitchen without gutting it:
- Refinish the Cabinets. If your cabinetry is outdated, repainting or restaining it to give it a more modern look is an easy fix that you can do yourself.
- Replace the Counters. If your counters are a cheap material, look outdated, or are damaged, replacing them with new counters is a great way to increase the value, both aesthetic and monetary, of your home. Depending on your budget, you could opt for natural stone slabs as a classic and timeless countertop, or you could install high-quality laminate countertops that mimic the look of real stone.
- Replacing the Fixtures. If you want a quick way to refresh the kitchen, try replacing the fixtures, such as your faucet head, with new ones. You can also change all of the doorknobs on the cabinets to match the new fixtures to pull the entire kitchen’s look together.
- Replace the Appliances. This is definitely an idea with a larger price tag, but replacing the appliances in your kitchen can completely change your space and make it much more functional. You could also choose to only replace the appliance that needs the most attention. For example, if the fridge is on the fritz, replace it with a new one. Then, down the line, if the oven starts having issues, you can replace it then. If your appliances are still functional and you’re replacing them for aesthetic reasons, make sure that you resell them or give them away so you’re not creating unnecessary waste.
- Add a Display Cabinet. A display cabinet is a great way to add interest and functional, beautiful storage to your kitchen. You can achieve this by either completely removing the doors off of a set of cabinets or by replacing opaque cabinet doors with ones that are glass or otherwise see-through. In this cabinet, you can put any dishes that you find beautiful or anything else that you would like to have on display in your kitchen.
If you want to completely overhaul your kitchen, that can also have a positive impact on the resale value of your home. However, if you’re looking for something more time or cost-effective, the above ideas can work very well and give you the highest return home improvements.
Bathroom Updates
Similar to kitchen updates and upgrades, updating the bathrooms in your home can be one of the highest return home improvements. Have you ever looked at a house just to find the bathrooms looked untidy or dirty because of years of grime build-up that won’t go away no matter how much scrubbing is done? It’s not a pretty sight. If your bathroom looks like this, consider these upgrades and improvements:
- Replace the Floor Tiles. If your floor tiles have seen better days and the grout between them is permanently stained, you should consider replacing your floors. New floors can entirely change the energy and feeling of a space, and nothing looks better than crisp, clean grout on tile floors. You can also consider a different material, but stay away from anything that may trap and hold onto moisture or warp due to water damage, like carpet or wood floors.
- Upgrade Your Vanity. If your vanity is outdated or damaged, you can upgrade it to one that is more contemporary that matches the room better. In order to do this, you will most likely need to help of a plumber since you will have to work with the sink, so make sure that you consult with the professionals when you’re making this upgrade. You can find vanities at a range of different price points, so no matter what your budget is, you can most likely find a vanity that will work for you.
- Replace the Fixtures. Much like the kitchen, you can easily refresh a bathroom by adding new fixtures. Between the showerhead, bath spout, and faucet, there are many options to change up to add a new feeling to your bathroom.
Although you can, once again, completely gut your bathroom and give it an entirely new look and feel, these options to refresh and update the space can make the room feel brand new without spending too much money.
Add a Security System
Security systems are increasingly popular and common in many homes. Having a security system can make anyone living in your home feel safe and reassured that they will be protected in case of an emergency. There are many different types of home security systems out there, so make sure you do your research before choosing the one that you want to install in your home or investment property. Making people feel safe makes this one of the highest return home improvements that you can make.
If you’re interested in having cameras in your security system, you should consider not only the inside of your home but also the outside of it. If an intruder can be spotted before ever getting into the house, it can save a lot of panic and possible property or bodily damage. When you’re looking into security systems, make sure to ask about their camera options and whether or not the footage is on a closed loop or if it is connected to the internet. While having a camera with internet access can be very convenient, it can also mean that hackers can gain access to your system if they are determined enough.
If you are doing a lot of construction work on your home or investment property, considering getting a mobile security camera tower. These towers are meant to be temporary, so you can put them up while your project is being completed and take them down once the construction work is over. When you’re choosing a contractor or construction company, ask if they have their own camera towers that they will bring to the site before investing in buying or renting your own.
Whether you are making upgrades to your family home that you want to have last, or if you’re part of the 89% of real estate investors that plan on investing in another property, looking into the highest return home improvements is a great way to increase the value of your home to ensure that the future value of your home is high. Any one of the upgrades mentioned above will help make your property more valuable now and in the future.