In a time of economic turmoil such as this, it is important to not only hold fast to one’s assets, but learn to maximize them as well so that they grow in value. For most people, their greatest material asset is their home. However, investing in one’s home not only increases its market value and desirability for prospective future buyers. Even if you have no intention of selling your house, beautifying it and making sure it is in tip-top shape will save you buckets of money as well. Don’t believe it? Here’s the low-down on home improvement financing that will make your piggy bank burp in satisfaction.

Energy efficiency

Perhaps the most expensive improvement you can do for your house is to make it more energy-efficient. Let’s face it. Installing solar panels, new insulation, flushing systems or energy-saving lights can cost a lot, but in the long run it’ll save you more money in utility bills. Also, because more and more people are concerned about the environment, having an energy-efficient home will increase its market value. Besides, there should be no price we shouldn’t be willing to pay when it comes to saving our planet.

Gift Cards

Another way in which you can finance your home improvements is through using gift cards in purchasing the things you need. So, next time it’s your birthday or wedding anniversary, ask your friends to give you gift certificates from a home depot, Crate and Barrel or Bed, Bath and Beyond. It’s a fantastic way to improve your home without spending a single cent.

Home Improvement Loans

There are some towns that help in home improvement financing by granting loans to homeowners. Ask around. It pays to be in the know about these things.

When you decide to sell your home you really want to try to get as much money as possible for it. Home improvements really do add value to your home. This may not seem sensible at first, spending time and money to make a house look good that you are about to move out of. But by improving some key areas of your home you will be able to maximize your properties selling potential. Not only will you be able to get top dollar for your house, it has been proven that properties which are in a good state of repair and have the WOW factor in at least one room sell quicker. Investing in your current property in the right areas will be a wise investment. This will not only make you more money but will help to make your property stand out form the rest and sell quicker.

What areas or rooms will bring in the biggest rewards for your efforts?

Without question the two rooms that you should concentrate on are the kitchen and the bathroom, at least one of these room needs to have the WOW factor. Chose which of these rooms in your house needs the minimal amount of work and money spent to bring it up to standard, and then concentrate your efforts here. If you do not have the budget to buy a new kitchen or bathroom, think about what improvements you can make.

For a bathroom you probably will not have to replace the bath, sink, and toilet unless they are in a state of disrepair or the color is not neutral. Here are some ideas for improving the look of your bathroom.

• Tiling both floor and walls is one way of improving the look of a bathroom, if they are already tiled think about replacing them if the tiles look old and dated.
• Fitting a large mirror to one wall and tiling around it will save money on tiles as a large mirror brought from a glazer is cheaper. This will also make a nice feature.
• Fitting a chrome heated towel rail is another way of improving the look of your bathroom.
• Changing the shower screen, showers screens are forever getting covered in lime scale and mold. By changing it you will instantly freshen up the bathroom.
• Look to add storage and box-in any unsightly pipes
• Paint the ceiling and change the light fittings
• Add an extractor fan or replace one that is looking old.
• Paint the door and add or replace the lock

You have to be a bit careful with the kitchen, some new kitchens can cost tens of thousands, and you want to be able to make your money back and not gift the new owner with a state of the art kitchen. Look out for sales at the big DIY stores or Kitchen supplies you can sometimes get a new kitchen for half price. If your budget will not stretch to a new kitchen or your current kitten is in not to bad a shape there are again some simple things you can do to improve the look.

• Replace the counter top sometimes call a worktop. This is easily done and instantly improves the look of your kitchen.
• Tiling the floor and walls or replacing old and dated tiles.
• Replacing your cupboard doors, there are a number of companies who just sell replacement doors, even just changing the door handles can make a difference.
• Installing or replacing a extractor fan over the cooker.
• You can now buy special kitchen cupboard paint so you could even paint your kitchen cupboards to give them a new lease of life.
• Paint the ceiling and replace the light fittings
• Install a new cooker if your old one is looking old and tired.

With these two rooms sorted you can now turn your attention to the rest of the house. Just by giving everywhere a fresh lick of paint will make a big difference. Remember to paint the outside as well, first impressions count a lot when selling a house so you want to make the outside as appealing as possible. Getting a landscape gardener to work their magic on your garden will make a good investment, just by having a tree or hedge pruned by a professional can make all the difference. You can also buy pots with shrubs, flowers and even small trees in, the great thing about buying pots is you can take them with you when you move.

I hope this has given you some ideas on how to maximize the selling potential of your house