SellAustinTexas

Most homeowners understand the value of updating and upgrading their home to add value, either because they’re selling their home now, or plan to in the future. But many feel overwhelmed or unsure when considering their options. Some updates are easy and obvious, like adding a fresh coat of paint or replacing the old dishwasher. But if you really want to invest in remodeling to up the value of your home, where do you start, and what do you do? And how do you make sure you don’t spend more in upgrades than you’ll make in return?

On Sunday, the Austin-American Statesman published “Upgrades that Pay Off,” full of helpful tips for homeowners looking to invest in their property. They spoke to experienced home investors for their ideas on money-making home improvements, specifically for homes in Austin, Texas. Here is some of their advice.

- Remember your budget. Because you don’t want the most expensive home on the block, keep your renovation costs at 20% to 30% of the home’s value.

- Don’t overdo, but don’t go cheap especially on core elements like flooring, counters, wall treatments, appliances, and outdoor living spaces.

- Consider your home’s positives and potential. Look at your home, take out a sheet of paper, and list the positives and negatives. Look at the lot, the house, the neighborhood, everything. Every home is unique, and has positives; your goal for remodeling is to bring the house to its potential.

- Keep a time frame. Three months is appropriate.

- Consider the land. Make sure the house and land work together. Make the most of an outdoor water feature, wooded lot or great view by adding a patio or other outdoor living space. (If you don’t have one, consider adding a manmade water feature, such as this.) Outdoor living areas are very much in demand, especially in Austin, and add space and value fast.

- Add privacy like fences or gates, particularly on high-dollar homes.

- Look at the whole house. Beware of completely renovating some areas, and completely neglecting others. You don’t want to redo your whole house, but leave in the old staircase. This will require planning your budget.

- Make your home unique (if even just a little). “Every house is going to have a kitchen, every house is going to have a master bath. What many don’t have is those other areas – the wine room, the pergolas, the outdoor places you can see from within the house.” An Infinity Edge (or negative edge) pool, for example, will pop out. But of course, beware of going overboard and making too many exotic choices. Always consider what a buyer would like. You should always assume, no matter how much you love it now, you may one day decide to sell your home.

The photo featured is one of our newest listings. You can see it and other great homes at www.DMTX.com.

Tags: adding value to your home, Austin, home improvement, Home remodeling, infinity edge, negative edge, outdoor living spaces, pool, pools, Texas, upgrades

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 8:05 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.