If your house is like the average homeowner’s, chances are it is due for a facelift. Forking out the money to update your home may not feel like a very flashy way to spend your hard-earned cash, but updating your home is one investment with a sure-fire return. Spending money on another vacation or a new wardrobe may seem like a lot more fun, but you will never see that money again. Investing in your home will increase its value and out more help you save money on monthly expenses. Here are seven smart investments you can make on your casa. Start looking for a contractor today, or if you're handy, many can even be completed by you!  

 

Install Solar Panels

Renewable energy is the wave of the future and jumping on the solar panel bandwagon is a choice your house will thank you for. Besides being great for the environment, installing a solar power system is great for your pocketbook as well. Many local governments offer rebates and subsidies to help cover the cost of this home upgrade. After the initial cost, the financial benefits are huge. Your energy bill will immediately reflect savings. Homeowners see a reduction in their energy bill between 10k and 30k over a 20-year span. With that kind of savings, you can’t afford not to make this upgrade.

 

Finish the Basement

Many homes sit with an unfinished basement for years and years. It’s easy to leave this space alone when it is out of sight and out of mind, but taking the leap to finish your basement can make your home feel brand new again. Not only will it give your family more square-footage to spread out in, that new square footage is automatically calculated into the value of your home, increasing it by as much as half. When it comes to home ownership, resale value is the name of the game. Stop using all that space beneath you to hold musty boxes and Christmas decorations and upgrade your standard of living by turning it into more living space.  

 

Update Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the gathering place of the home. This is where your family parks to do homework at the kitchen table. It’s where you gather around for mealtime and where friends and family congregate for holidays together. This room is the heart of the home and it deserves to be a space that you care for. A kitchen update is one that you and your family will appreciate on an hourly basis. A few simple changes can make a big difference. Paint over the dated oak cabinets with a fresh coat of white paint. Swap out the old appliances for a matching stainless-steel set. Granite countertops make a much bigger statement than formica tops. You and your kitchen deserve to love the way it looks.

 

Renovate the Bathroom

Bathrooms are very easy to ignore. Nothing exciting happens in the smallest room in the house, but just because it’s reserved for toothbrushing, potty breaks and showers doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be an attractive space. The best thing about the bathroom is that it can often be one of the cheapest rooms in the home to make a difference in. A new mirror, a coat of paint and plush, matching towels can make an old bathroom feel new again in a couple of hours. If you’re feeling really lofty, replace the old vanity with a trendy pedestal sink and swap the grouted shower for a sleek grout-less option. As an added benefit, an updated bathroom is often the difference maker in a real estate buyer’s market.

 

Ditch the Carpet

Carpet is a magnet for dirt and grim. It can be replaced, but it ends up looking very used again in only a short amount of time. Contractors and new home buyers know this and new-build homes are trending away from this outdated floor covering. Switch from carpet to a hardwood or engineered wood flooring option to give your home an instant makeover. A short-term benefit is that hard flooring is easier to clean. A long-term benefit is that many home buyers avoid homes with carpet and gravitate toward homes with this newer option.  

 

Stop Air Leaks

You spend the money you slave for on air to heat and cool your home. It’s a shame when that expensive air has a million tiny little ways to escape out of your house. Cracks in window sills and beneath doors and insufficient insulation are all culprits of this unfortunate waste of money. Sealing up your home against air leaks is an inexpensive way to invest in your home that will lead to big dividends over time. Caulk around windows and replace old weather stripping beneath your doors. Take a trip up to the long-forgotten attic and add insulation to keep air from escaping through the roof. You’ll love when the drafty feeling is gone in the winter and everything stays cool in the summer.

 

Overhaul the Front of Your Home

The front of your home is the first thing everyone sees when they approach or drive by your home. If you haven’t paid attention to your house's face in forever, it’s past time to give it a lift. Lawn maintenance is the first and easiest item of business in overhauling the front yard. A fresh cut on the grass and some attention to weed removal make a quick difference. After this is done, it’s time to move on to bigger renovations. Changing the color of your front door or switching it out for a new one does wonders. A new coat of paint on your home will freshen it right up. If you are feeling brave, change your home’s exterior from stucco or paneling to a more modern hardie board.

 

You can turn an aging home into a work of art with a few renovations. The money spent is an investment in you and in your family. After all, you deserve to live in a home that brings peace and joy.