When thinking about house renovation to increase value, a smart real estate investor shouldn’t just focus on making the house more appealing at first glance. They should always prioritize the needs and long term expenditures of the potential buyers.

One example is modifying a room to reflect the buyer’s personal or career interests. There are more home renovation ideas that increase a house’s selling value. Find out more of them by reading on.

1. Install energy-efficient lighting and appliances

Replace all your old lighting, heating, air conditioner, and kitchen appliances with Energy Star rated machines. Homebuyers usually look for houses with green home properties that would save them a lot of money in the long run and they wouldn’t mind paying a premium for it.

2. Focus on landscape and curb appeal

A home with a beautiful image from a street view would increase its value by 5%. Get a professional landscape designer that knows how to attract passersby and the right plants to put. Don’t forget to ask for their opinion about which paint colors are the best for your home.

3. Make an office

More companies are giving their employees the freedom to work remotely every day. That makes the demand for houses with offices high. Find an extra room that could be used as a workspace. Make sure the room will block noise and any other forms of distractions from the outside. Then, renovate that home into a beautiful office.

4. Build a backyard deck

The backyard is the default area where all celebrations are held. It can be a 4th of July party, a birthday party, or just a weekend barbeque with friends. And no matter how much the costs are, a backyard deck during house selling time has a high chance of recouping 80% of your total deck-building expenditure.

5. Other room reinventions

Aside from home offices, there is also a high demand for themed rooms such as gaming rooms, basement bars, or a craft room. It depends on the personal preference of the buyer. Other homebuyers also look for versatile rooms because they can rent that space out to tenants or use it as quarters for their aging relatives.

6. Add energy-efficient windows and insulation

Energy-efficient windows and insulation systems reduce the use of heating and A/C units by trapping the house temperature in and keeping outside temperature out. This results in more utility cost cuts as energy star appliances already help you with low energy consumption.

It is said that installing these windows and insulation systems yield a recoup of 60-90% from your total costs and qualify you for receiving a green energy tax credit from your local area.

7. Add bathrooms

A house with one or two bathrooms is a huge turn-off to potential buyers, especially for those with children of three. This is because it will be hard for everyone to take turns in taking baths during school days.

It will also cause a toilet-battle royale when there are guests around. To increase house value, show your potential buyers that living in your house will be very comfortable. Have at least 3 or 4 bathrooms. One for the masters, one for the kids and guests, one for the kitchen, and one in the basement if there is.

8. Install water-efficient sinks, toilet bowls, and water recycling systems

Like installing Energy Star appliances, lighting, windows, and insulators to cut electricity consumption, you should also update your bathroom amenities to reduce water use. A good upgrade would be installing sink-toilets to save water and add more bathroom space.

9. Basic updates

Don’t forget to check for chipping paint, rotting wood, mold presence, and leaking roof areas. Fix them as soon as possible and use more durable materials before selling to avoid concessions at deal closing.

A beautifully-designed home isn’t the only factor that increases its value. Every aspect of its interior must meet modern demands with bill-reducing appliances and durable hardware.