Our Top 5 Renovation Tips

Renovation can be a great way to increase the value of your home. Often, significant value can be added to a property through minor changes however carefully choosing what kind of renovations to carry out is crucial. Carrying out unnecessary work can incur a huge expense while adding little to the value of your home.

So here’s our top 5 Renovation ideas:

1. Insulate!
   The value of insulating your home cannot be overstated. In today’s market for many home buyers, this is an absolute necessity.  As of July 2019, insulation is compulsory in all rental homes as per New Zealand Tenancy Services, so having a home on sale now without insulating tends to put off investors as well. If you’re missing any insulation then this should be your first stop.

2. Add a deck.
   If you have a room the leads outside adding a deck is one of the simplest ways to increase the value of your home. A deck creates a much desired indoor/outdoor flow which is great for entertaining, something that potential purchasers will want to visualise when viewing your home. The simple feel of timber and idea of relaxing with a cold beer in summer really paints a picture for buyers.

3. Refit the kitchen
   A tidy and modern kitchen can seriously improve the value of your home. Prospective purchasers know that they are going to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. You’ve got two options, replace or recover. Your current kitchen, budget, and end goal will determine which the best one for you. Either way, your key targets are the bench, cabinets, drawer fronts, shirting, and handles. The draws and cabinets are noticed more than most people realise and with just new handles you can make a big difference at little cost.

4. Update the bathroom
   As with the kitchen, the aim of the bathroom is a modern appearance. Having a bathroom that looks old will instantly date the whole property in the minds of prospective purchasers. This doesn’t need to be expensive or difficult by simply replacing the fixtures like the cabinet fronts and lighting you can quickly modernise the entire room. Replacing stained grout will give the room a clean and modern look as a quick fix. For those people with the know-how, a DIY refit of the bathroom can be very cost effective. For more ideas check out our 12 Ideas to Make you Bathroom look Bigger.

5. Create curb appeal
   As the saying goes first impressions last. Creating great curb appeal is one of the best ways to add value and help with the sale of your home. A prospective purchaser’s first memory of a house is often the one thing that sticks. The first thing to do is make your garden and lawn looking as great and tidy as possible. Adding a fence for a bit of privacy can be great depending on your home and neighbourhood; here’s a great guide to kiwi architectural fences to help you pick the right one. Make your front door, as clean, beautiful and inviting as possible as well. The quirkier the better! An eclectic welcome mat can really make your home stand out to buyers.

A renovation is something that cannot be undertaken without serious planning. Hopefully, these tips can help as a great starting point for those you wanting to add value to your property.

If you want more ideas how to add value to your home check out our blog and Download our Free Real Estate Guide to Achieving a Premium on your property: