Remodeling Your Home to Sell: When to Hire a Pro.

When You Need a Contractor for Home Remodeling

After living in your home for so many years, you may have noticed a few things need improving before putting your home on the market. Whether it’s a fresh coat of paint or adding a new bathroom, you’ve been mulling over some home remodeling projects. Not only can these make your home more comfortable and useful for your family while you live there, it can add value to your home when you sell it.

If you can do the work right, that is.

There are many stories of well-meaning homeowners who created an expensive mess because they tried a project when a contractor should have been called. How do you know which project to do? Read on for tips on knowing when to call a contractor and when to go the DIY route.

Adding Value to Your Home

A good home remodeling project will come close to paying for itself. Some can even earn you a small profit when you eventually sell your home.

That said, not all projects are the same. For example, adding a swimming pool tends to decrease the value since it takes so much work and money to maintain each year.

To get the value you need, HGTV recommends that you focus on smaller improvements such as replacing outdated faucets or adding new hardware to cabinet doors. Because they’re small, they cost a lot less to finish — and spending less now means you don’t have to earn more later on to cover the costs. And when it comes to rooms to remodel, focus on the two rooms everyone uses: the bathroom and the kitchen.

But you cannot ignore the importance of curb appeal. As Fortune Builders notes, you need to make a good first impression to prospective buyers. If someone drives up to your house and sees a healthy green lawn, fresh mulch, and a clean walkway, they perceive the house as being that much better.

Ideas You Can Do Yourself

As you can see, there are DIY home remodeling projects that can add value to your house. Before you take on anything, however, you need to make sure you can do them.

Start by taking an honest assessment of your skills and time. Something like painting a room can be quickly learned, but can you safely replace a furnace? And do you have the hours (or even days) needed to get the remodeling finished? Know your limits and then decide what DIY makes sense for your home.

Also, Houzz.com recommends you make sure your small improvement fits the rest of the house. Take the kitchen. Adding a stainless-steel refrigerator is a great idea — but not if the rest of the kitchen has old, white appliances and cheap wood cabinets.

As for the curb appeal, projects you can tackle yourself include painting the front door a bright color, getting a new mailbox, adding flower boxes to the first-floor windows, and making sure the house numbers (the address) are clean and easy to find.

Hire Contractors for These Jobs

Doing a home remodeling project by yourself can be fun and affordable, but there are some projects that really need to be done by professionals. These include anything dealing with electrical wiring, plumbing, or the HVAC system. The average price to hire a handyman is $181 to $679.

There’s just too much risk of damage and injury to tackle these without the right training and insurance. Keep in mind that some projects require permits and a professional will know how to navigate the paperwork needed for such jobs.

In addition, some curb appeal tasks may require a professional’s touch. Cleaning your gutters is essential to maintaining your roof and foundation as well as deterring pests and rot. Professionals are trained to be on ladders and can work quickly to remove debris from your gutters and preserve your home for years to come.

Pick Your Project First

To determine whether to hire a contractor or not, the first thing is to pick a remodeling project that will add value to your home. Then you can assess your skills and see if you can do it yourself. If not, hire a contractor that’s certified, licensed, and bonded so the project gets done right the first time.