Hacker Speak

The forecast for the next few years is a little dismal if you’re a house owner - decreasing house prices are making numerous people worry. Some house owners will find themselves in negative equity later this year or next year, if not already. Yet, there are ways to avoid this issue. Namely, to add value to your property. How? By making home improvements. Do It Yourself / home improvements can bestow far greater value to your home than the actual cost of those improvements.

So where to start? A good place to begin is to consider the rooms in your house that you use the least. It could be a utility room or an adjoining garage. Knocking down a wall can transform such a rarely used area into an extended area for a kitchen or living room. Also look at the electrics and plumbing. A dimmer switch can change a bright, garish room into a warm, inviting living space - simply light transforming the room! Possibly your property doesn’t have a downstairs toilet? Then get one put in where your adjoining garage is - again this can add a great deal of value to your house.

Possibly your 4 bedroomed house could be converted to 3 bedroom by knocking a wall down, and creating a much bigger room. This may sound a little strange, but in reality larger rooms will make you a better sale value, and rather often individuals use a 4th bedroom strictly as a room to store stuff in (meaning it’s not of great importance).

Then look into your garden. Do you have a shed? If this answer is no, consider installing one there. Why? Well, here is one place where you can stash away all your gear that’s congesting up your utility room / spare bedroom / garage. Sheds encourage gardening also, and keen gardeners (read: your future house buyer) like a garden with a shed. And get into gardening yourself! If your garden’s been neglected, then cut the lawn, plant some flowers, trim the garden edges. Also consider installing decking. Just offering a drink to a potential buyer out in your stunning garden can really make the place sell itself - viewers feel comfortable in such surroundings - so it turns out that your garden can help sell your home, and add value to your property!

So where to look for some assistance? Take a look online. A DIY directory like homeandgardenlistings.co.uk has all kinds of home and garden websites listed there : including a directory of bathroom fitters, directory of builders, directory of plumbers, electricians, directory of general furniture suppliers, directory of bedroom furniture and beds suppliers etc.

These are just a few basic tips on maximizing the cost of your house in these trying times, but hopefully this will get you thinking!