BY NURUL ASMUI MD AZMI
asmui@propwall.com

As a seller or a property investor, it is always advisable to invest in home improvement to capitalise on home value. Getting ready to sell or rent out a home can be tedious, but boosting the value of your home is actually easier than you think.

Having a proper plan is the essential part of increasing your home value. Find out which home improvement projects you should invest in so you don’t end up detracting the selling price.

If you are an agent dealing with house sellers, you can also suggest these ideas to your client so they can make the most out of their sales deal.

1. Enhance the kitchen area

For many people, kitchen is the heart of the home, and that is why forking out extra expenses to update this area can be worth it to add home value.

Besides painting the room new, you can also add new tiles to make it more attractive. Stainless steel appliances are also hot ticket items that most buyers look for as they have a long life span and are easy to clean and maintain.

2. Improve bathroom appearance

Some of the ways to freshen up a bathroom is to install new bathroom fixtures, add new vanity countertop, change new floor tiles, or install new toilet seat.

If you can’t afford a full makeover, just make sure that you at least replace anything that is old, or discoloured, and all defective features to ensure that all bathrooms are functioning perfectly.

3. A fresh coat of paint

Transforming each room with fresh, modern coloured paint can go a long way towards updating the look and the vibe of your home.

If you’re looking for a calm, yet inviting ambiance, go for neutral colours such as shades of white, beige, taupe, grey and black. Plus, paint is considerably cheap so you don’t have to spend too much for cleaner and brighter rooms.

4. Flooring upgrades

Flooring is one of the easy ways to spruce up dull rooms and at the same time boost home value.

The warmth of wood flooring could bring coziness to a house, so try to install easy and quick flooring such as a floating floor. For areas like bathrooms, foyers and laundry rooms, vinyl tiles are the most commonly used as they are not only colourful, but are crack resistance and easy to clean.

5. Go green, think green

As the demand for green housing is rising for the past few years, homeowners should start looking at making their homes more energy efficient.

Updating a home to save energy does not only make the abode more appealing, but it will also help save on utility bill. Go for small changes like using compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) light bulbs in all light fixtures, or bigger changes like double-paning the windows or adding a rainwater harvesting system.

There are of course many more options that you can choose from to add value to your home, such as reinventing a room, enhancing the exterior or installing built-in speakers. However, bear in mind that whichever home improvements you decide to opt for, make sure that you are financially prepared.