Property valuation can be quite tricky. As much as a large portion of real estate properties tend to appreciate over time, there is also a small percentage which depreciates over time due to certain factors. In this article, we are going to look at some practical ways to increase the value of any property. Since you cannot change the design or structure of the house once it is built, these methods that we will go into will require no major structural changes to your building. Whether you are a real estate investor who buys old properties and refurbishes them or an average professional who owns property, these methods of increasing your property valuation will be of benefit to you.

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1. Upgrade Your Fixtures

The first thing you can do is to upgrade the fixtures within your property. You can start by changing all external wooden doors to steel security doors. This adds convenience and security to your property and it also, effectively, prevents creeping animals and mosquitoes from passing through the sides of the door. The garage door can also be upgraded for more security and ease of use.

Apart from the doors, you can also upgrade the windows, sanitary ware, lights and other fixtures that add value and function to the property. Basically, anything which is falling apart within the house should either be fixed or upgraded in order to increase its value.

2. Upgrade Your Kitchen and Bathroom

There is a saying that the kitchen and bathroom are what sell a house. There are lots of reasons to back this and it is something that most real estate developers agree on. Why are kitchens and bathrooms so important? The answer depends on who you ask. However, there is no doubt that the kitchen and bathroom are two very important areas in any home.

To increase the value of the kitchen, you can fit it with aesthetic cabinets and add an extractor on top of the stove, ensure good ventilation and if the kitchen is big enough, you could add an island with seats or break down parts of the kitchen wall to give it an open kitchen feel where possible.

The bathroom tiles, sink, shower and toilet must be of the best quality. Use quality tiles that complement the design and are also easy to clean whilst having enough friction to prevent slips. A functional design that adds a drain on the floor near the sink can make a huge difference in maintaining the bathroom. Avoid sinks with screw taps and go for disc taps that are much easier to turn on and turn off. Adding a bathtub could also increase the value as they are not so common in this part of the world. The showers should be excellent and very effective when it comes to taking a shower.

3. Expand the Living Spaces

Generally, the more living spaces you create, the higher your property’s valuation. The living spaces do not have to be bedrooms only, you can create extra living spaces through patios, sheds, gardens, playgrounds etc. These are extra spaces that occupants can spend time reading in, admiring nature, playing or eating in. Activities that bind a family together normally happen within these added spaces, so having these types of spaces could raise the value of your home greatly.

You could also repaint the interior and exterior to give the house a fresh new look.

4. Improve the Landscaping

The land around the building also adds lots of value to your property. Instead of leaving it bare, you can create a beautiful landscape with gardens and patios and carefully mowed lawns. Have a professional landscaping company do your landscaping to increase the value of your house. It would surprise you the value that landscaping can add to your property. If you have a big enough property, why not throw in a farm or ranch to rear animals? Make good use of the land that your property sits on to increase its value.

5. Use Smart Technology

The internet of things is quickly becoming a trend in most luxurious homes. You can find homes with smart lighting, smart fridges, hidden TVs available upon voice command, smart security systems and even smart assistants like Amazon’s Alexa integrated into the house. Think of it as a Tony Stark kind of house with lots of gadgets and technology. The value of your house can definitely increase once you have smart technology integrated into your home.

6. Adopt Sustainable Technology

Sustainable technology like building green, using a biogas tank instead of a septic tank, adding solar panels, digging boreholes with treatment plants to treat water, designing the rooms to be energy efficient that would not require air conditioning, etc. are some examples of sustainable technologies being used for building. Just a small percentage of homes in Ghana are built with sustainable technology in mind so having such sustainable technology integrated into your home would easily raise its value.

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Not all these methods of raising the value of a building are cheap but they are worth it if you have a long term plan for your real estate investment. All these methods have the potential to increase the value of your property between 10-50% approximately. Are there other methods that you would like to share with us? Please do so in the comments below.