There is nothing as wonderful as making home improvements. They increase the value of your home while also increasing your day-to-day life satisfaction and the amenities in your home. You should be trying to make upgrades to your home as often as possible to continue to make your home better over time. But not all home upgrades are as urgent as others. Knowing the right upgrades to prioritize can be a challenge but is worth thinking about. Here are three home upgrades that you should make by the end of the year.

New Appliances

The first home upgrade that you should make by the end of the year is to upgrade your home with new appliances. The appliances of your home are one of the first things that buyers will look at to identify the age of your home. Plus by upgrading your home appliances to newer, more energy efficient appliances, you can save money on your utility bills while decreasing your carbon footprint. New appliances can also make your day-to-day life easier by achieving your home tasks and chores like doing dishes, laundry, and cooking.

Solar Panels

Another home upgrade that you should get on and have done by the end of the year is installing solar panels on the roof of your home. Solar panels are a brilliant investment in your home that increase the value of your house significantly while lowering your electricity costs and getting a tax credit to boot. This year is the last chance you have to get the full 26% tax credit. You may worry that solar panels have too large of an up-front cost, but after the tax savings and utility savings they often pay for themselves after just the first year or two.

Finish Your Basement

The final home upgrade that you should prioritize and complete by the end of the year is finishing your basement. An unfinished basement is space that is just brimming with opportunities to expand your usable living space at almost no additional cost. Rather than having to build an addition to get extra rooms, you can simply finish the basement space which already exists. If you are creative and your basement is large, you could even get a few rooms out of it.

Upgrading your home is not something you should do without a plan. And a great plan will include considering what needs to be prioritized. Make sure that you are starting with these three home upgrades to maximize your bang for your buck.

Check out this article on how to make minor upgrades that add value to your home !