What ads the most value to a house?

Question

Siding, finish basement, pave the driveway, deck for entertaining...any particular order i should do any of them?

Answer 1

Finished basements will increase the value of a home by 10-15K depending on what you put down there. The best thing is to add bedrooms and bathrooms if you can. What do you think would sell for more 3BR 2BA or 4-5BR 3-4BA? When you increase the actual living space you increase the homes value. I don't know how many families I saw invest 5K into finishing their basement and get two to three times their money out of it.

Answer 2

A nice deck, a finished basement, good siding and then a paved driveway.
The deck first because you needed that access to your back yard to help up the value and can help you get the extra equity in the home so you can get the money to...
Finish the basement because it increases the square footage of the house (don't forget this also increases your taxes)
Good siding helps keep up appearances and a nice looking house sells faster.
Paved driveway will add to your price but the off street parking alone helps. You also should have enough parking for your cars and at least one guest if you can, thats a big plus.
Don't forget though that good landscaping can help too.

Answer 3

Usually another bathroom adds the most value per square foot. Also it depends on how the house is configured now and what the neighborhood is like. Never have the most expensive house in the neighborhood; it's hard to get top dollar for that.
If you have a basement, it is always good to finish it and it can be done at any time of the year. If properly done, it can literally double the usable area of the house. Consider partitioning part of it for an office or room and add a bathroom down there. It makes it nice for social functions, especially for kids away from the grown ups.
Decks are always a great add on but they do require upkeep. I have a driveway with patches in the concrete but I am not replacing it because the oak tree in my neighbor's yard is causing the problems. If it's an aesthetic issue, by all means do it because those are the things you see first.

Answer 4

driveway first, that is one thing people first notice about your house, unless it is in the back. Then the deck as that ads a ton of money to your total value of the house, finish the basement, but don't do anything too wild, pick soft colors that will go with pretty basic furniture, then do the siding if you have money left over, if you don't you can put that in your offer and see if the new owners will fix it. Good luck!! (Oh, on the deck, make sure it is big enough to put a bbq grill out there and maybe a table with an umbrella...people like to sit outside and grill and entertain)

Answer 5

Hi

My wife, the real estate broker, said in this order:

Additions
Kitchen update
Bath update
Garage

They give the most payback. The other things you do may help you to find a buyer faster but don't give much cash value.

Also finished basements do not count as sq footage.
Sometimes people don't like finished basements because they don't know if the walls leak or are cracked and some folks just want it for storage.

A newer roof and furnace are a help in selling your house and will bring a little more cash but not much. Depending on where you live, air conditioning is a must that is expected.

Good luck,

Bob

Answer 6

any thing you do to improve the appearance of a house will increase it's salability...... which is sometimes far more important than value.

if you side it....... someone may not like the color
if you finish the basement..... someone will have a different idea of how it should havew been done
building a deck will have the same effect
paving the driveway is probably a good investment
keeping the yard well trimmed is a good investment
repair any roof and soffit damage immediately
windows is a good investment
paint (especially white) is a good investment

Answer 7

The first thing that adds to the value of a house is to keep it clean and tidy. I've looked at houses when we were purchasing and there were dirty clothes piled high in every room of the house inlcuding the kitchen and dining room, dirty disheds that hadn't been done for weeks all over the counters and in the sink. No one will look further if they see that.

The next thing that adds value in my opinion is a good kitchen with plenty of cupboards, then the overall storage, next the bathrooms, siding, driveway and yes a deck and a nice yard certainly add curb appeal.

Answer 8

Depends on which one of the projects is needed the worst. It doesn't make sense to side the house if the driveway is so bad you are getting stuck in it. To me, the deck idea is a gingerbread item. The driveway and siding are maintenance type items that should be considered first.

Answer 9

The bathroom and kitchen is a good way to really raise the price of a house....also a new coat of paint sometimes some borders and new carpets are a cheap way the raise the value if selling....also doing a garage and proper drivway also a nice kept yard....

Answer 10

When I was looking for homes, the real estate agent told me that kitchens and bathrooms add the most value. Finishing a basement doesn't add any value to the purchase price of your home.