If there is anything homeowners can agree on, it is that property ownership is not a cheap endeavor. You will face countless repairs and maintenance costs on a yearly basis, not to mention any improvements you want to do on top of that. Affording home improvements can be a delicate balancing act, but it is doable with a few money savvy tricks. Included here are a few tips for maximizing your home improvement budget.

Utilize a Neutral Base

Revamping your interior design can be an exciting and demanding task. While it can be tempting to create a home that is on the cusp of the latest design, it can damage your home improvement budget. Fad decorating can keep you stylish, but you will likely go into debt trying to maintain the latest and greatest look.

Create a home decor theme that has a neutral base. For instance, don’t go bold on couches, paint or appliances, but keep those bases neutral. To add pops of style and fad elements, consider changing out throw pillows, pictures or rugs. By simply altering your light fixture every couple of months, you can keep your home looking new and stylish without breaking the budget on new couches and flooring!

Buy Used

The chronic “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality in America is exhausting family budgets and destroying happy home lives. Feeling that everything you buy must be brand-new, latest and greatest can make it impossible to get very far in a home improvement project. Buying used can allow you to make the most of your budget and get much farther in your project.

Fortunately, many stores, like Habitat for Humanity, have “rehabilitated” house materials. These are usually taken from someone else’s remodel or house tear-down and can be premium quality. Shop around at building supply stores for tile, hand railings, light fixtures, doors, flooring and more. You will be surprised what you can get for a fraction of the cost new!

Do-It-Yourself

The best way to make home improvement manageable is by doing it yourself. Installing floating laminate wood floors or tile can be a delicate process, but, with some training, is a fairly doable project for most home owners. If you are too nervous to take on the big jobs there are several small home tasks even the most inexperienced homeowner should be able to manage.

Great tasks to save you money include painting your home, installing small hardware and changing light fixtures. Landscape maintenance and improvement can easily be done on a budget by visiting your local plant nursery. You will likely receive tips from the experts there to create a green lawn and lush landscape on a budget.

Categories: Real Estate