It is hard to believe that in my adult life I have purchased 3 homes and sold 2 homes. My parents have been in the same house for 42 years. There are so many shows on TV that have families looking at options to buy a new house or to remodel their current one. There is no doubt there is a lot to consider when you are looking to buy a new house. Can you save money by simply remodeling your home and actually increase your home’s value? Or do you pay more money for a house that is move in ready. Well, really no house is move in ready unless you built it. There is always a paint color that needs to be changed, floors that need to be refinished. I think you know where I am going with this. The top places to get the bang for your buck are always going to be the bathroom and kitchen. Or so I thought. What other projects offer the highest return on your investment? 

Should you Buy a New House or Remodel?

Replacing a roof , siding and windows are all appealing and will not only save your money on your utilities but also will help you sell your home in the near future. I learned this the hard way in the three homes I have owned in my adult life. My first house or condo was when I was single living in Chicago. I had spent months looking at all sorts of apartments, high rises and low rises. I finally decided on a renovated 3 flat. I loved coming into the freshly painted home with new appliances. However, I still ended up paying to have the place painted as I got tired of looking at everything white. I also wish I had a few different amenities in the kitchen and bath. Had I bought a condo in construction, I would have had some input into these choices.

I then got married and moved to Richmond and together we purchased a charming home built in the 1930’s. I really wanted a house with charm and this one had it. Nice solid plaster walls and good overall construction. Well so we thought.

We found the previous owner took some short cuts in repairs. For example, they  used Solo cups instead of piping for instance. Of course this did not come out in the inspection. We had to cover up wall paper in the rooms, PAIN if you have ever done it, especially with old wall paper. We ended up redoing the kitchen but not totally as we were not sure how long we would be in the house. Once again a lot of extra costs going into our purchase price that would not have been there at we purchased a new home.

With  our 3rd baby on the way we looked into making an addition to our home or moving. We looked for almost a year and found a home on a quiet cul-de sac that was built in the 80’s. Not terribly old but not terribly new either, however, the house was younger than both of us!!
Once again we spilled additional money into redoing the kitchen down to the studs, redoing bathrooms, and changing out almost every appliance. After 7 years of renovation,my husband and I often sit back and wonder why we did not start fresh and buy new as we totally have changed every single room? 

 Owning a home, is a labor of love and having the older home makes our labor and our bills a little higher. It is also important to have a contractor you can trust when it comes to your home improvement projects. Sears Home Services has been around for more the 125 years. I never knew they did home repair until recently. They provide you with a dedicated project manager who is there to assist in your project from start to finish. They deal with all the subcontractors so you can focus on the style of finishes of the projects. 

Whether you are thinking of remodeling your current home or buying a new one, here are the 10 Home improvement projects with high return on your investment. Be sure to but your money into the right projects so you can enjoy the benefits when its time to move. You might be surprised by what you thought was the highest return. 

Sears Home Services is currently running several discounts on home improvement projects that you don’t want to miss. 

What Home Improvement Projects do you have coming up?