Moving into the home of your dreams is an exciting moment for any new homeowner. Between raising a family, parties in the backyard, lazy Sundays on the couch, and adventurous outings, your first home will experience many of life’s events right along with you, transforming gradually over time as you and your family continue to grow.
Adding value to your home can include any of your particular preferences. You can hang family photos, decorate with houseplants, or replace the medicine cabinet with a stylish mirror for instant upgrades around the house. But, for homeowners hoping to increase their home’s value in a way that is more impactful in the long run, there are much bigger projects that will provide more value for you when the time comes to sell.
Here’s how to increase your home’s value with five, unique tips that will make your house standout in your market and community.
Add Smart Technology
We know that swapping out an old dishwasher for an energy-efficient alternative instantly adds value to a home. But these days, homeowners seem to be going the extra mile, outfitting their houses with smart technology that controls everything from light switches to window blinds.
According to a 2019 design forecast published by Zillow, smart home technology was a top search among homebuyers online—and for good reason. Smart technology has gradually evolved to more than just voice-activated hubs in the kitchen and cameras at the front door. Now, there are more ways than ever to integrate smart devices into a home that are incredibly useful without being invasive.
You can control the look and feel of your home with smart light bulbs from Philips Hue and smart switches like the Ecobee Switch+. Swap out old power strips with smart plugs that connect to wifi, for remote control of lights and monthly reports on energy usage. Integrate smart technology into your home’s climate control with brands like Nest for an easy way to increase home value.
Subtle upgrades to things like light switches, window blinds, and climate control will give you an advantage in the real estate market, can help ease the daily grind, and add value to your home in a big way.
Go Green With Your Yard
Like smart technology, going green is a big trend with homeowners and homebuyers. While it’s great to make environmentally-friendly improvements to the areas of our homes that use the most energy, we often overlook the place where going green is the most obvious, if not ironic – the front yard.
Replace high-maintenance plants with plants that are native to your area. Not only will native plants require less watering and be less prone to disease and pests, this is a cheap way to increase home value and introduce long-term, environmentally-friendly improvements into your community. You can also install a rain barrel to irrigate your flowers and plants naturally without drawing from groundwater sources.
Eco-friendly improvements are a great way to increase home value and equip future owners with the means to continue environmentally-productive practices long after your home goes on the market.