Arizona can be a great place to live for a lot of reasons. The location is brimming with beautiful destinations to explore, incredible attractions, and even a pretty reasonable cost of living. All you need to do is make sure that you’re getting the most out of your home.
Making the occasional update to your home now might seem like a headache, but it will save you a lot of time and effort later on if you pick the right points to focus on. Some home upgrades, like switching to energy-efficient appliances and getting rid of unwanted drafts can give you the comfortable and beautiful home you need while saving you money in the long term. Here are some quick home upgrades that will save you money in no time.
Upgrade your Garden
Upgrading the appearance of your home isn’t just about making the inside look great – it’s also about considering what buyers will see when they happen upon your property when passing by on the street.
Updating your garden with some easy-to-plant greenery recommended for your area will make your home look great. Also, this will massively reduce your home maintenance costs as native, easy-to-maintain plant species require considerably less work to stay looking healthy and attractive, meaning you won’t have to hire that pricey gardener any time soon!
This article by LawnStarter some great advice on the native plant types in Phoenix that are easiest to grow and care for. Just be careful not to plant anything too close to your home that might have roots that can break into the foundations of your property.
Switch Out the High-Energy Appliances
Buying new appliances for our homes is something that most of us don’t want to do very often. After all, a new washing machine or refrigerator can be seriously expensive. However, if your devices are old enough, then they could be sucking up a lot more energy than necessary just so that they can stay up and running.
Check the energy rating for the appliances in your kitchen, living room, and bathroom. If you have a smart meter, you can even find out how much each item costs to run by the hour. The most expensive energy hogs in your house should be the first ones to go. Replace them with something more energy-efficient and watch the savings roll in.
Install Solar Panels
Finally, if no matter what you do, it feels like you can’t quite cut down the cost of your energy bills, then it might be a good idea to stop being so reliant on the grid in the first place. Installing energy-efficient solar panels can seem like a big job at first, but it’s also one of the best ways to completely transform the value of your home.
Not only have solar panels become a lot cheaper in various parts of the US, with grants and government programs available to help you afford the panels that are best suited to you, but the technology is growing more efficient too. That means that the average rooftop system will pay for itself within about 7 years. Solar panels might represent a significant upfront cost, but the return on investment is unbeatable.
Make the Right Choice for your Home Upgrade
The decision to upgrade your home can be a worrying and sometimes expensive one. However, if you pick the right strategy, then you could find that your initial investments pay for themselves in no time. What will you be doing to improve your home’s value this year?
