Have you just purchased a new home? Or are you a step closer in the closing process? If so, congratulations, but there are a few things that you should know.

Owning your own home is a huge milestone for many Americans to reach, and it’s also a huge responsibility. Not only are you now responsible for the safety, repairs, and upkeep, of all the appliances and rooms but your home is also an investment that needs to be built upon.

Thankfully today, we have many options for adding value to our homes, and many of these are simple and affordable.

You’d be surprised at how much value you can add to a home on just a $500 investment. So just imagine what’s possible if you have even more money to invest in your property value.

Here, we’ll outline a few simple home improvement ideas that are sure to add value to your property.

Building a Deck

Adding a deck to your home is a great way to also add value. Decks are relatively inexpensive, and you’ll have a nice area to relax and sit after a long day at work or entertain family and friends.

I recently added a deck to a fixer-upper. The house was in foreclosure, we needed to get a buyer fast, and a deck added real value, tempting many more buyers in sunny San Diego because it added usable outdoor space,” said Alex Capozzolo of SD Houses Guys, who buy houses in foreclosure with cash offers from his website at https://sdhouseguys.com/sell-my-house-in-foreclosure-san-diego-ca/.

Building a deck isn’t the easiest process, so unless you’re an expert carpenter or have expert woodworking skills, you might want to enlist the help of professionals. This way your deck will be structurally sound and safe, as well as beautiful and inviting. Additionally, you’ll also want to hire a licensed contractor in your area for the best results.

For example, if you live in Kansas City, you’ll want to be on the lookout for the best Kansas City deck builders so that you know without a doubt that your deck will stand the test of time and be a great place for you and your family or friends to hang out.

Landscaping

Once you have your deck in place, it’s time to start getting creative with your landscaping.

Believe it or not, landscaping can increase your property value tremendously. And this will also beautify your property and give you what’s known in the industry as “curb appeal.”

Simple tweaks to your existing landscaping can even be of great benefit and give you great curb appeal. For example, maybe you already have a flower garden or planters around your property. If this is the case, clean them up, and accent your flower beds with decorative stones or woodwork that adds an attractive flair to the overall design.

Other items you might consider are stone pavers, walking paths, and ground lighting. Building planters or adding florals around the bases of trees can also make your property pop with color and give the neighbors something to talk about.

Paint

There’s no doubt about it, a fresh coat of paint can be a selling point for anyone looking to buy a home in today’s market.

This is especially true if you have old or weathered paint on the exterior of your home. This can actually decrease your property value and the property value of your neighbor’s homes. The latter is something that you’ll definitely want to avoid if you want to keep peace in the neighborhood.

You’ll also want to take a good look at your interior walls as well. If you’ve purchased an older home, chances are you’ll have outdated design elements such as old rustic wallpaper, or color schemes that aren’t exactly of the “inviting” variety.

When it comes to your home’s interior, you’ll want to modernize and select color schemes that are popular in today’s market. You’ll also want to get rid of outdated elements, unless you just prefer that nostalgic retro feel from the mid-’60s, of course.

Beautifying your home is one thing. But when it comes to adding value to your home, you have to take into consideration the multitude of popular designs and elements present in today’s market. Keeping in line with what’s trendy might not be in line with your sense of style, but be sure that you’ll have plenty of options to choose from.