23 Ways to Make Your Home More Valuable

8. Replace your roof

An aging, damaged  or poorly maintained roof practically chases would-be buyers away — and can cause long-term water and weather damage. While it’s a huge expense (a new roof costs, on average, around $8,000), replacing your roofing as soon as it’s at the end of its life span should be a top priority, whether you plan to remain in your home for years or you’re preparing to sell.

One advantage of roof replacement, unlike so many other home upgrades, is there’s relatively little variety among options, making it hard to misstep in choice of product and style. “Style options for a new roofs are quite few and, therefore, there is a lesser chance a future buyer would not agree with the final product,” explains Luis Padilla, co-owner of RE/MAX Oceanside Realty in Miami and president-elect of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP).

Once you make the plunge to replace your roof, you should be set for a while. Most asphalt shingle roofs have a life span of 15 to 25 years.

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9. Refresh your cabinets

If you’ve recently flipped through kitchen photos on Pinterest or in design magazines, you’ve likely noticed a trend: white cabinets. While natural woods reigned supreme a decade or more ago, painted cabinets are in today, in a very big way. A recent Statista survey found that 41 percent of respondents preferred white cabinets over wood tones in 2021. Expect to pay between $4,000 to $13,000 for standard new cabinets, depending on your kitchen size.

If that’s not in your budget, it’s possible to paint existing cabinets yourself for less than $200, or to work with a professional painter who specializes in cabinet resurfacing to achieve a new, factory-like finish. If white isn’t your thing, consider opting for gray or even bolder color tones, like blues or greens. “Painted cabinets are all the rage right now,” Mathena says. “If you don’t do white, then go bold. One of my agents is showing a house that’s listed at over a million dollars right now, with cabinets that are painted a bright steel blue.”

10. Install new countertops

For years, granite countertops were the go-to choice for high-end kitchen design. More recently, quartz countertops have become the hot commodity. “Many people are moving away from granite to quartz, which is actually more expensive but easier to maintain,” Mathena says.

Whether you’re team granite or team quartz, there’s no denying the fact that installing either one can add real value to your home, especially if you currently have dated laminate or ceramic tile countertops. 

A 2019 survey by the National Association of Home Builders found 79 percent of Generation X buyers and 79 percent of millennials prefer granite or quartz countertops over other counter options.

11. Put in a security system

With the arrival of Ring, SimpliSafe and other easy-to-install-yourself security systems, it’s never been easier, or more affordable, to add a home security system. While these systems may not have a huge impact on your home’s overall appraisal value, they do add immediate value in terms of your own safety and peace of mind. Security cameras deter break-ins and allow you to check in on your home remotely. Many insurance companies even offer discounts for homes with security systems, so you’ll save on your policy fees each year.

12. Replace your garage door

Never underestimate the value of a truly great garage door. According to Remodeling magazine’s “2021 Cost vs. Value Report,” replacing your garage door is actually one of the best overall upgrades you can make to your house in terms of percentage investment you can expect to recoup in the added resale value to your home.

Homeowners who spend $3,907 on a new garage door can expect to add $3,663 to their property’s resale value, the report says — a recapture of 93.8 percent of project investment. If you haven’t looked at a garage door catalog recently, now may be the right time.

13. Opt for hassle-free materials

No one loves maintenance chores. So, when you can replace products that require lots of upkeep with products that are hassle-free, it’s a surefire way to add lasting value to your home.

“Whenever you’re doing anything on the exterior of a home, going with low-maintenance or no-maintenance products is a much better return on investment,” Egner says. For example, if you currently have high-maintenance cedar siding, which must be cleaned, stained and weatherproofed regularly, replacing it with an easier-to-maintain composite or vinyl siding product could go a long way toward improving your home’s overall appeal to future buyers.

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14. Install solar panels

If you plan to stay in your current home for at least the next 12 to 15 years or more, you’ll likely more than recoup your investment on a solar panel install in terms of energy savings alone. “If I were going to build a house right now, and I’m going to be there for 20 years, I would definitely do solar panels,” LeBoy says. “It’s neat, it’s clean, it’s energy efficient, and it’s going to have good resale potential.”

In addition to providing energy savings, solar panels can boost your home’s market value: A recent Zillow report found that houses with solar systems sold for 4.1 percent more than similar homes without them.

15. Consider replacing windows

A whole-house window replacement is a large investment — plan to pay between $100 and $650 per window on average — but if you currently have broken or damaged windows or ones that are drafty and don’t seal well, replacing them makes good sense. The “2021 Cost vs. Value Report” suggests you can expect to recoup about 68.6 percent of your investment on new vinyl windows in the form of added resale value. Even if you have no plans to sell immediately, upgrading your windows is “a good investment if you’re going to stay, because of the energy efficiency and the reduced cost of heating and cooling your home,” Egner says.

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16. Create a home office space

The pandemic made one home design feature abundantly clear: A dedicated home office space is essential for many in order to effectively work remotely. Many potential home buyers are now looking for homes with ideal, ready-made office space — whether a spare bedroom, a basement, an upstairs landing nook or even a closet. Surveys by the National Association of Home Builders show, in fact, that 65 percent of potential buyers are actively seeking home office space. If you can create a desk/office setup in your home, either through simple staging or a bit of redesign, you could attract buyers that might have looked elsewhere for their next address.

17. Illuminate your exterior

Have you driven around your neighborhood at night and noticed that homes with exterior illumination really (forgive the pun) shine? Adding exterior home lights not only amps up your home’s curb appeal, but it also improves your property’s overall safety and security. Outdoor lights allow a home’s “architectural features to be accented, which brings the building and landscape together for a resort-like feel,” says Nick Schriver, owner and general manager of Decorating Elves, a professional outdoor lighting firm serving the Tampa Bay, Florida, area. Plus, “a well-lit landscape deters potential intruders by eliminating dark areas and shadows that would conceal movement around the property,” Schriver adds.

Expect to pay between $2,000 and $4,500 for basic professional exterior lighting — and would-be buyers down the line will thank you. In a 2018 survey of more than 800 American Society of Landscape Architects members, 65.4 percent of responders ranked outdoor lighting as an in-demand design element — outpacing pools (36.9 percent), utility storage (32.3 percent) and even outdoor seating and dining areas (64 percent).

18. Add stone veneer

Do you currently live in a home that’s completely covered in vinyl siding? Consider adding both value and curb appeal by installing custom stone veneer to a portion of your front exterior. Installing faux stone around the front door or below the windows, along the base of your home’s exterior, can create a perfect accent to your vinyl siding and give your house a custom, finished look that many buyers prize. The “2021 Cost vs. Value Report” predicts you can expect your home value to increase by about $9,500 when you spend a little over $10,000 on manufactured stone veneer — a 92.1 percent recoup of investment.

19. Make systems upgrades

While upgrading your HVAC, plumbing or electrical systems may not feel as fun as some other home renovations, making sure your home’s inner workings are running properly and up to code is a key part of maintaining your property value. Your home can’t sell, after all, if an inspector finds major red flags in any of your systems. “My clients look almost immediately at the home’s major systems — if the HVAC system has been upgraded, or if the water heater has been upgraded,” Rosalia says. “Plumbing upgrades are very highly sought after also, because plumbing is one of those things — along with electrical — that can be horribly detrimental to a home if it’s not upgraded,” she adds.

When replacing your HVAC, water heaters, toilets and showerheads, look for high-efficiency and Energy Star–rated products. You’ll save money on your energy and water bills — and attract potential buyers who value green-mindedness.

20. Build an accessory dwelling unit

If you live in a metro area where housing units are scarce, then adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in your backyard could be a great way to add both property value — and, possibly, rental income. These detached, fully functional mini-homes can run the gamut from basic to luxe. Before building, be sure to find out what types and sizes of units are allowed by your local ordinances and zoning laws. Many people have been creating ADUs for grandparents to help raise grandkids, or for their own boomerang kids. If you’re going to invest in your property but you have limited space [for an addition], then creating an ADU is a great way to add property value.

21. Add a deck

If you’re lucky enough to have your own backyard, building a deck can help you, and potential future buyers, maximize your home’s outdoor living space. A 2018 report on outdoor remodeling projects, published by the National Association of Realtors’ research department, suggests you can reasonably recoup about 80 percent of the cost of building a new deck in the form of added resale value to your home. (For an average-size deck, expect to pay around $4,000 to $11,000.) The money you spend will help your home stand out when it’s time to sell. More than 75 percent of buyers are looking for a backyard deck in their next home, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ “2021 What Home Buyers Really Want” report.

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22. Level up your interior lighting

Do you still have ’80s-style track lighting in your kitchen? Is your vanity mirror surrounded by globe bulbs? It may be time to upgrade your lighting look. Installing new, modern light fixtures throughout your home can help transform your space from drab to dramatic —  all with relatively little effort and expense. Even better: When you upgrade to modern, energy-efficient LED bulbs and state-of-the-art “smart light” fixtures, you’ll not only save money on your electric bill, but you’ll also attract buyers’ attention. One recent Zillow study found that homes that mentioned smart lights in their listings sold 7.3 days faster than expected.

23. Splurge for staging

Finally, if you have the budget for it and your goal is to sell your home for maximum profit, consider shelling out the money for professional staging. The “2021 Profile of Home Staging” report, published by the National Association of Realtors, found that more than 1 in 5 responding real estate agents felt staging helped increase home sales prices by 1 to 5 percent. Another 18 percent linked staging with an increased sales price of 6 to 10 percent.

Expect to pay between $1,500 and $3,000 for an average home staging in most markets. Work with a certified staging professional — your Realtor will likely be able to suggest one. Or ask your listing agent about new, less-expensive options, including virtual staging, an online marketing tool to digitally stage homes with photo-editing software, which is catching on in many places. Professional virtual staging costs “anywhere from $3 to $100 per image,” Chan says. “It’s such a cost savings and offers so much flexibility.”