Boost your home's value & reap the benefits

 

Spring into action on your improvement projects

Warm weather has finally returned, encouraging the notion we should be outdoors making the most of spring. Time to fire up the grill, sit on the patio and enjoy longer nights before sunset. You can finally dust off your bike or other favorite summer hobby and get moving again.

It's also a great time to knock off that home project you've been thinking about all winter. Besides enhancing your living space and potentially increasing efficiency, you can also raise your home's value, in turn putting more cash back in your pocket. By boosting value, you can obtain a lower interest rate and get better pricing through a refinance, also lowering monthly payments. And obviously, you could eventually sell the house for a higher price.

There are probably thousands of things you could do to make a positive change, ranging from mixing up your furniture "feng shui" to knocking down walls and adding windows. It is definitely worth thinking about making a change if it can help you save in the long run.

The TV show and magazine "This Old House" offers its top 10 list of home improvements, starting with creating more space. Adding more natural light is almost always a surefire way to make your home more attractive to the next buyer as well.

The DIY Network has its own list of home project ideas, focusing a little more on energy efficiency. These are triple-win projects: Not only can a new air-conditioning unit, furnace, windows or plumbing add to your home's value, you can also save on your utilities bills (and reduce your carbon footprint!).

If you don't have a lot of extra cash to invest in a big project, focus on these cheap, easy ways to get more bang for your buck. You might be surprised how much something as easy as matching appliance panels could make your kitchen appear more updated and pulled together.

Once you've tackled your home to-do list, you can kick back and return to enjoying all of the finer pleasures warmer weather brings. Isn't that what spring and summertime is all about?