The Real Estate Book-Shreveport/Bossier City, LA
Volume 34, Issue 2. (February 23, 2018). Featured homes, neighborhoods, Realtors®, builders, developers, service providers and mortgage specialists from Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. Also DIY & Living Articles.
Volume 34, Issue 2. (February 23, 2018). Featured homes, neighborhoods, Realtors®, builders, developers, service providers and mortgage specialists from Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. Also DIY & Living Articles.
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Best Financial Investments<br />
for Your Home By Craig Middleton<br />
On popular home improvement shows, people repair or add new features to their homes to increase substantial<br />
market value in the process. Whether you are looking to increase the value of your home or just make improvements<br />
for your own enjoyment, some of the best fi nancial investments you can make for your home include:<br />
Major Problem Fixes<br />
<strong>The</strong> first high-return investment you should make in<br />
your home is to correct any major problems. If your<br />
home has serious issues, such as a broken air conditioner<br />
or a pipe leak, fixing those issues should be<br />
priority No. 1. Repairing or replacing the roof and<br />
siding can be a great investment, as potential buyers<br />
will generally factor in both the time and cost of<br />
having to fix it themselves. Problems like these are<br />
always easier to fix when they're small--rather than<br />
later, after having put them off.<br />
Exterior Improvements<br />
Replacing garage doors is one of the best improvements<br />
for the exterior. If your garage door looks<br />
new, your house will look new as well. Painting the<br />
outside of your home is another good investment in<br />
the exterior. If you don't want to take the time and<br />
money to fully repaint your home, pressure-washing<br />
can be a quick way to make the outside of your<br />
home look much more presentable. Replacing windows<br />
is another way to make the outside of your<br />
home look better, as well as improve the home's<br />
energy efficiency.<br />
Entryway Improvements<br />
Like the garage door, the front door is important in<br />
making a good first impression on a potential buyer.<br />
Replacing a wooden front door with a steel door can<br />
also make your home safer, and increasing the safety<br />
of your home can be another great selling point.<br />
Update the Interior<br />
Fixes and additions to the inside of your home can<br />
be a great financial investment. A fresh coat of paint<br />
to the interior can add value by making the home<br />
look newer, cleaner and brighter.<br />
Improving your home's bathroom(s), particularly<br />
visible elements such as vanities, lighting, countertops,<br />
toilets and tubs, can yield a high return. You<br />
may obtain a better return on investment by making<br />
improvements to the main features, instead of completely<br />
gutting the bathroom.<br />
Kitchen remodels can be another way to significantly<br />
improve the value of your home, by improving<br />
functional items such as cabinets, drawers, pantry<br />
doors and appliances. Appliances such as refrigerators<br />
don't have to be completely new, but they should<br />
keep up with current trends.<br />
Adding high-efficiency appliances to a home can<br />
modernize it and also save you money on electricity.<br />
Some states and cities have tax programs that could<br />
reduce your taxes if you buy and use high-efficiency<br />
appliances that require less electricity.<br />
Overall, you should research the investment potential<br />
of your home before making any purchases. If<br />
you are trying to increase the resale value of your<br />
home, you need to make sure your fixes or additions<br />
will increase the value of the home not only for you,<br />
but also to potential buyers.
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