Fireplaces Increase the Value of a Home

If you are considering selling your home, applying for a mortgage, or looking to refinance your current mortgage, there is a good chance that an appraiser will come to determine the value of your house. So what can you do to maximize that magic figure? What do appraisers look for? How can you get the best appraised value of a fireplace?

A recent article on About.com listed six items an appraiser looks for when determining the market value of your house:

  • Location
  • Square footage
  • Bedrooms
  • Bathrooms
  • Fireplaces
  • Construction material

Consider selling your home – increase its value with fireplace makeover

Now that you know your fireplace is a valuable asset, you can take advantage of this by turning it into a selling point. Remodeling an ugly fireplace might seem like an expensive or imposing task, but you have several options that offer great returns on a modest investment of time and money.

How much value does a fireplace add to a home? Have you ever wondered how much does a fireplace increase the value of your home? To add value and make your home attractive for appraisers or just start your new remodeling project, upgrade your fireplace and freshen up your interior design.

 

Paint That Ugly Brick

Compared to tearing out the entire fireplace and replacing it, painting over ugly fireplace brick is a quick and almost painless project. Best of all, the price—at a fraction of the cost of hiring a contractor, you can get a do-it-yourself fireplace paint kit on the internet. This includes everything you need to give your newly painted fireplace the look of real brick.

Frame Your Fireplace with a New Mantle

The mantle of a fireplace is like the frame around a picture—and you wouldn’t put a Monet in a thrift store frame, would you? Try a hand-made wooden fireplace mantel to transform your old, boring fireplace into the centerpiece of the room. You will be amazed at the difference it can make. And with a little do-it-yourself elbow grease, you can save some big bucks.

Clean It Up

One of the simplest but most effective remodels for a working fireplace is simply cleaning the fireplace soot and grime accumulated on the bricks. It’s like giving your fireplace a facelift.

 

Remember that getting a nice big figure back from the appraiser is only half the battle—you’ve still got to sell your house. And a newly remodeled fireplace can help make your home stand out in an increasingly saturated market.