Here in Utah, it has been one of the top stories of the year. The housing market — always competitive, always frantic — has reached a fever pitch in the past year which has caused the bubble of excitement for single-family homes to expand larger than anyone could have expected.

What did this bubble look like to people rushing from open house to open house, the “boots on the ground” looking at the other interested parties through narrowed eyes? Well, extravagant offers were made and periods of consideration were short.

The need to get one’s house in order, literally, and finish those home renovation projects was put into living color once it became clear that a beautiful, complete home could net extra hundreds of thousands of dollars.

RAISING YOUR CURB APPEAL

As homeowners, we naturally look for things to tweak or improve around the house — this is our castle, after all; a house is a reflection of the pride and joy we get out of life. But now with the housing market so squarely in the seller’s favor, it behooves one to get around to completing any home repair job that has been scraping at the back of their mind.

Even if there are no plans to sell the home any time soon, beautifying the landscaping or updating the siding will pay dividends on the Utah market later — if not for you, than for your children.

CREATING MORE SPACE

There is some debate over which types of updates to your home yield the best return on investment at resale. According to real estate experts, the greatest motivator for people to put an offer on a house is adding more space to their lives.

When it comes to adding space, there are a few surefire ways that will impress your home’s next owners.

FINISHING THE BASEMENT

It’s almost a cliché at this point, but so many Utah homes include a full basement in the features section of their listing, only to have excited potential buyers walk into a concrete shell — a future project for them to finish later.

What’s involved in finishing a basement?

  • Installing insulation and drywall
  • Laying down carpet
  • Rewiring electricity
  • Painting the walls/ceiling
  • Finishing any pre-planned bathrooms.

What is the monetary difference between a finished basement and an unfinished one? Studies show that an unfinished basement will net sellers an extra $15,000 – $20,000, while a finished one can bring in three times that amount.

OPEN IS AWESOME

An open floor plan is all the rage, and for good reason. People like to feel that they’ve got room to grow into their home and that the space can accommodate everything from a passel of dogs to a passel of children.

Having professional home renovation experts take a look at which features of the house can go in order to accomplish this is key. Perhaps you can do away with the dated bar in the kitchen that runs out from the wall. Or maybe you’d like to knock through a wall separating the kitchen from the living room.

SAY YES TO THE ADD-ON

So much of creating extra space is identifying where there is room for growth. In older homes especially, extra space is hard to come by and so a home addition starts to look more and more like an option.

Happily, our team at Burbach Exteriors is in the business of raising the curb appeal of your home. Once the structure is built, you’ll need features like rain gutters, soffit, and fascia installed. We also have a bead on the most popular siding options in Utah.

EXTERIOR BEAUTY

Speaking of siding, stone veneer is currently rated as one of the best materials to use when it comes to recouping the cost at resale. The experts at Burbach are happy to consult with you on all the best ways of wowing passers-by with an update to the exterior of your home.

With so many questions regarding siding styles and features, it can get a little overwhelming making plan without having a more definite idea of just what exactly you’re getting into. That’s why we are happy to provide our clients with our special digital visualizer. With it, we can:

  • Browse a gallery of homes for inspiration.
  • Upload a photo of our house to manipulate in the computer.
  • Create a portfolio of saved designs for our team to work with.
  • Work with our professional exterior designers on what would look best for your house and your neighborhood.

Give us a call today for more information on how Burbach can raise your curb appeal.