If you're one of the many people who are hoping to sell their house in the New Year, you may also be considering investing in a number of improvements and extensions to make your home more attractive to buyers.
This is certainly sensible. The National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) notes that insulating a property is one of the best ways to increase the value of your house. Moreover, attitudes towards other energy efficiency measures are also beginning to change among buyers.
Sense of Space Architects managing director Richard Addenbrook believes energy efficiency measures could clinch the deal for many sellers when buyers are faced with similar properties. "If you look at a dwelling that is performing to very high standards - from a sustainable point of view - versus a similar size dwelling next
door which isn't … then people are going to tend to go for the one that is going to cost them the least to run in the long run," he explained.
Improvements need not stop at energy efficiency measures, which are often in the background and are not discernable to the average passerby in the street contemplating a house purchase. This is why the NHIC also recommends investing in your homes kerb appeal before putting it onto the market.
"You have got to make sure that the property has got good kerb appeal," explained NHIC executive director Andrew Leech. "That it looks good from the outside [and] it has got decent
windows and preferably
double glazed windows."
However, it's also a good idea not to overdo it. This is particularly important when it comes to extensions such as renovating the loft space or adding a
conservatory to your home, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' David Dalby. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he underlined the need to be sensitive to your property's existing qualities and style.
"If you're looking to extend, make sure the eventual size of the property is in proportion to the size of the plot," he explained. "Bigger is not always better. With loft extensions or basement conversions, try to keep the style in sympathy with the rest of the property."
