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Your home is an investment. Whether you live there for a few years and sell it or you live there your whole life and pass it on to family later, it’s an investment. You do not have to remodel your home in a short time frame or spend a lot of money to add value to it. There are things that you can slowly do over time or quick weekend fixes that can pay off in the long run.

Planning is the first step to successfully adding value over time. If you are on a budget, like most people are, plan and figure out how much money and time you can invest each month. There might be some minor things or major things that you want to do. You can plan for both and it will make the process more simple. Home improvement should never stop as the years pass. Even if you are just fixing up one room a year, it still adds value over time and increases the return on your investment and hard work. On to the fun stuff!

1.   Open your home up and create livable space in the home. If you have an older home with the separated den and kitchen, consider making a great room. Unnecessary walls and built-in barriers can make a home feel smaller than it is. By de-cluttering the home and opening up space you are keeping the home modern. Most buyers today want the open floor plans and predictions of future trends are moving in the same direction.

2.  Shine a little light in your home. Add windows where you can if this is something in your budget, and if you can’t add windows, add light. Go to your local home improvement store and check out the lighting fixtures. There are all kinds of options for any room in your home. Overhead lighting is easier on the eyes than lamps or fan lights. It can seem more similar to sunlight when it is out of the eye range and over the head.

3.     Maintenance is not that fun but it is necessary for the value of your home to increase over time. Plumbing leaks, minor cosmetic repairs, bathroom updating and maintenance, carpet replacement or cleaning, and wood floor care are all examples of things that should be maintained over time. If you have ever sold a home before than you know that inspectors look at all of these things and put things in an inspection report for the buyers. You can avoid costly repairs later by staying on top of the little things over time.

4.     What is going on outside? Having a nice landscape outside your home is just as important as what is in it. People tend to forget about and neglect things like the trees outside but they will be looked at by potential buyers. Tree care can be expensive and it is a preventable cost by having tree experts in your area come out and do an assessment of what your trees need to be healthy. A healthy yard and bushes or flowers is always a plus for buyers. Make sure to keep weeds, overgrown bushes, and other plants pulled away from the home. They can be mold and pest producers if left to grow wild.

5.     Keeping up with modern times and going green in your home will add value to future buyers with the Earth on their minds. Solar power is a big trend and can save you big bucks on your power bill while increasing your homes value. Some areas have solar programs to help people go green. Do your research in your area to find out what is available to you. You might even get a going green tax credit!