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Home improvement tools mingle with the cash needed to afford said improvements

Like most Americans, your home is likely your biggest investment. And if you intend to get a great return on that investment, it can hugely benefit you to perform minor improvements here and there.

Small, affordable renovations to your home can significantly boost its overall value — even some you'd never expect! Read how you can increase the value of your home investment on a budget!

Know Where to Save and Where to Splurge

When you decide it's time to make improvements on your home to increase its value, it's tremendously helpful to know where to start.

When you look at the numbers, it's clear that the area where you should really go all out is the kitchen. A minor kitchen remodel can net you an 82.7 percent return on your investment. Plus, real estate agents always put a huge focus on this room in particular. Another thing you might not think about: your front door. Installing an attractive new front door can bring you an incredible 96.6 percent return on your investment!

On the other hand, one room you should not spend much money renovating is your home office. Yes, more people work from home than ever before, but the next owners of your home may decide to change everything to turn that room into an office. With only a 48.9 percent return on investment, you're basically wasting your money.

Perform the Labor Yourself

When the time comes to actually paint your rooms, tear down old stuff, and install the new flooring, paneling, or fixtures, don't waste your money by unnecessarily hiring someone else.

By doing the work yourself, your only costs are the price of the materials used and your own time. If you paid a professional to do the work, you might have the comfort knowing it'll be finished without you lifting a finger, but it'll cost much more in the long run.

And if you're hesitant to do the work yourself because you aren't certain how to perform it, there's an incredible tool at your disposal: the Internet. Virtually every home improvement project has been covered extensively somewhere online, only a Google search away.

Paint Your Cabinets

Want to make a significant change for a small price? One of the cheapest and easiest home upgrades you can make is painting your kitchen cabinets. You can transform the look of the room with a few coats of paint. Plus, it takes no particular skill to accomplish the project. Just approach the job carefully and follow the directions for priming the cabinets before you paint. The results will wow you.

Use Peel and Stick Flooring

Putting in a new floor may seem like a job for a professional, but you can do it yourself when choosing the right type of flooring. One of our favorite cheap home improvement ideas is using peel and stick flooring, which you can put right over your existing floor. You get a high-quality look for just a bit of effort, and for so much less than you'd pay for other flooring options. 

Add Window Trim

Window trim gives your home a simple yet sophisticated look, and you don't even need any special tools to do it. Watch a YouTube video on how to install frames to teach yourself what to do. 

Paint the Ceramic Tile in Your Bathroom

When you're looking for how to improve your home on a budget, think about changing the look of a room without spending a lot of money. Ripping out the ceramic tile in your bathroom, for example, would cost an arm and a leg. But painting that tile or at least sections of it can give you an entirely fresh appearance for the bathroom. Choose two contrasting colors and get to work. All you have to pay for is the paint. 

Invest in Chalkboard Paint

Is chalkboard paint one of the best inventions ever? We think it belongs in the "cheap renovation ideas" hall of fame. You can use it any room to give your family better ways to stay on task: 

  • Paint the middle of a cabinet in your kitchen with chalkboard paint to get a place to write up your nightly menu. 
  • Add it to a wall in a kid's room so they can keep track of their homework. 
  • Cover part of the mudroom with chalkboard paint and post the weekly family schedule.

Put in a Backsplash

One of the most popular home renovation ideas on a budget is to add a backsplash to your kitchen or bathroom. You can find inexpensive ones at home improvement stores or even shop online to look for discounted backsplashes. Glass and stone options will add beauty to your decor, and they are easy to install by yourself. 

While a backsplash provides a great updated look for a room, it's also practical. Water splashes above the sink when you do the dishes or brush your teeth before bedtime. By installing a backsplash, you protect the paint on that wall from washing away or getting distorted. 

How to Do Major Home Renovations on a Budget

If you are a homeowner looking to improve your home or make necessary repairs, you may not have the money available to handle the costs. Many home improvement projects can be exceedingly expensive — as a result, homeowners may be reluctant to make any fixes or upgrades and opt to save money instead.

While putting money aside in savings to eventually make a repair is a great strategy, sometimes you may want to go ahead and get the improvement done ASAP. Whether it is to raise your property value or simply make your home feel more personalized, you will probably wonder what your best option is for securing the necessary funds.

Home Equity Loans

Another way homeowners try to fund their home improvement projects is home equity loans. These loans have lower interest rates than personal loans because they typically take 20 to 30 years to pay off.

Why so long, you ask?

Because home equity loans are often used for the major home improvement projects like completely remodeling a property, adding rooms, improving the exterior and interior. Some of these loans range from $20,000 up to the many hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For many individuals with unstable income or uncertainty of their future finances, these loans can be exceedingly risky. If you cannot pay them back, you could lose your property, watch your credit score tank, and end up with a mountain of debt.

Personal loans allow individuals and families without home equity to borrow a lump sum from a lender like Atlas Credit and repay it within a scheduled amount of time. When you go the personal loan route, you are not required to put up your home or vehicle as collateral. Typically, this might mean your lender is stricter when it comes to approving your loan, but when you choose Atlas Credit, we approve personal loans even for borrowers with bad credit.

Traditionally, personal loans have been obtained exclusively from lenders like banks and credit unions. But more recently, thanks to advancements in technology, you can apply for a personal loan straight from the comfort of your own home.

Personal Loans for Home Improvement

Personal loans for homeowners give them a chance to raise the value of their property. Fixing small issues around your home or investing in more significant changes will pay off when you try to sell. You will increase the worth of the property, and you may get a higher asking price when you put it on the market.

Why is financing home improvements a good idea? Here are just a few reasons you should consider using a personal loan for your home:

  • Long-term investment: When you put money into your home now, it pays off in the long term.
  • Greater enjoyment of your home: You should like where you live, and using a personal loan to do something special, such as fix up your deck, will improve the time you spend in your house.
  • Improved value: Your house may be appraised for a higher value when you make home improvements.
  • Better durability: You can get your home in better shape for the future by applying small changes that will make it sturdier, such as fixing gutters or replacing shingles on the roof.

When individuals and families need quick cash to cover the expenses of a home improvement project, qualifying for a personal loan can be a fantastic way to get the money in your pocket immediately and worry about repaying it later. You get the benefit of an improved home and not having to worry about breaking the bank to cover the costs.

If you have been searching for home improvement loans in Texas but fear getting turned down due to your bad credit, you may think you have no chance of securing a loan. But Atlas Credit lends to people with suboptimal credit. We look for a willingness to pay off the loan and a steady job. If you have both, you are a promising candidate.

Apply For a Personal Loan Online

Apply for a Personal Loan

While home improvement expenses can seriously improve the overall value of your property, the upfront cost might be a little prohibitive for some people. But when you learn that the money you put in can pay off in big ways in the future, it can be truly worth it to spend that money.

Fortunately, there are resources out there like personal loans from companies like Atlas Credit if you don't have the budget for home improvements. Small loans as low as $100 and as large as $1,400 can have a big impact on your home improvement projects. When you need to splurge on that higher-quality tiling for your kitchen, it'll be worth it to acquire the money however possible — and pay it back over time at your convenience.

Atlas Credit offers personal loan repayment plans over 5- to 12-month periods. In other words, long after you see a great return on your initial investment, you can pay off your loan with ease. Now that you know how to add value to your home on a budget, make your dreams come true. Contact Atlas Credit today to learn more, apply online or stop by one of our locations in Texas or Oklahoma!

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