Saturday, January 3, 2009

Your House Value can be Improved with Smart Heating and Plumbing

By Tal Potishman

Housing Prices are now only worth eighty five percent of what they were the last year. For almost a century people have purchased real estate understanding that it could only increase in value the longer one had it in his or her possession. Today this is not necessarily the case. It is the home owner's responsibility to make sure their house's value increases. The best way to increase the value of a house is to upgrade the plumbing and heating system before putting the house on the market.

Homeowners in the UK have grown increasingly enamoured with environmentally friendly upgrades. This type of "green" upgrade includes installing solar panels on a house and investing in a water heater that is energy efficient. The installation of solar panels can decrease a house's energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions of the house by half a tonne each year that the panels are installed.

These panels increase the value of a house and simultaneously reduce the environmental impact of the house. An energy efficient water heater will impress all home buyers. The energy efficient water heater ensures that one's bath and shower always have hot water.

Underfloor heating is another popular upgrade installed by house owners in the UK. Underfloor heating transfers heat up through the floor by both wet and dry pipe systems. The rooms of a house are better able to stay at a stable temperature and the house owner won't have to rely on a radiator or a wall unit to heat an entire room or house.

These systems have an easier time of heating and cooling than other systems and cost less to operate. Recently underfloor heating's market share has grown and this has gone a long way to increasing the value of houses that have it installed.

Other methods of increasing the value of a house include a kitchen and bathroom upgrade. These rooms have a variety of upgrade options including installing modern fixtures, new flooring, new cabinets and modern lighting. These are just a few upgrades that house buyers appreciate and that add value to one's home.

An unpredictable housing market means that increasing the value of one's home relies almost entirely upon the home owner. Upgrading the heating and cooling systems of a house and taking steps to ensure that the plumbing is modern and efficient are two of the best ways that a home owner can make sure that he or she is able to increase the value of his or her home. Underfloor heating, upgraded kitchens and bathrooms and "green" additions are some of the steps a home owner can take to raise the value of a house. - 15485

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