If you are trying to sell your home, a common tip is to freshen up your home’s exterior by repainting it to make it look like new. If your home has siding, you may be advised to install new vinyl siding instead. It can make an old home look new, and it makes a major difference in the first impression potential buyers get when they see your home, plus a well-informed home buyer will be happy with the ease of maintenance when considering buying your home.
The Hard Data on Vinyl Siding
A National Association of Realtors report found that new home siding can have a 75% return on investment when selling your home. The average cost of new vinyl siding is ten to fifteen thousand dollars (the cost of any specific project depends on how much surface area is involved, the market in your region, and a variety of design choices). This is a reasonable investment in making your home seem like new if the material was dented, worn or damaged.
The Alternatives to Vinyl Siding
Before you invest in new siding, though, see if washing the siding to remove dirt and scuff marks works nearly as well. If that doesn’t freshen up the look of your home, then you may want to look at having new siding installed. If you have cracks or dents in the existing siding, you’ll certainly have to replace it.
Note that new siding won’t correct any structural problems that were caused by water getting in behind your siding. In these cases, you need to repair the warped wood and other structural issues, and then replace your home’s siding on top. Address pests nesting behind the siding before you have it replaced as well.
Fiber-cement siding shares many of the benefits of vinyl siding such as durability and resistance to water. It is fire resistant and impact resistant, too. However, fiber cement requires more work to protect it from moisture. Vinyl wins out, though, when you’re trying to sell your home because it costs less to buy and less to install, and thus leads to a better return on your investment. The greater durability and life expectancy of fiber cement siding gives it a comparable ROI if you own your home for thirty years or more, but that is not as much of a selling point if you’re trying to sell your home as soon as possible. And with fiber-cement siding, it takes years for the embossing to age enough to look like real wood, which is also something to consider.
Tips on Maximizing the Value of Your New Home Siding
Replacing wood siding with vinyl siding can make your home more attractive to those who want to minimize exterior home maintenance. Vinyl siding doesn’t require much work on the part of the new homeowner, and it can last up to 25 years. For example, vinyl will never have to be caulked or painted. It can’t rot, and it won’t swell or warp over time. Good vinyl siding has a UV shield layer that helps it retain its color over time, too.
When you install foam backing on the vinyl siding, you’ll add insulation to the home that increases its value to environmentally-conscious homebuyers. This is on top of vinyl siding’s natural resistance to wind and rain. There are vinyl siding products rated to withstand up to 110 mile per hour winds. Note that this rating depends on both the siding and installation method selected. Your local vinyl siding company will be able to advise you on the best installation methods for your situation.
If you plan on installing insulated vinyl siding, research the rebates you may be eligible for from the government or your local utility and in the form of tax credits. Your home loses about a third of its heating and cooling energy through the walls, so you may be able to claim green tax credits for making this upgrade to your home. However, there may be rules you need to follow and paperwork that needs to be filled out in order to qualify. This can improve the return on the investment, though it won’t make the project free, even after the rebates.
Consider selecting vinyl siding that fits the general atmosphere of the neighborhood. For example, you may want to pick rich brown vinyl siding to resemble the cedar shake siding that’s common in your community, but without the regular maintenance and repairs these products need.
If your home has been damaged by hail and wind, find out if you can have the new siding installed as part of the repairs to your home due to storm damage. You could end up with your homeowners’ insurance helping defray part of the costs.
Cincinnati Vinyl Siding for the Win!
If you are interested in a free vinyl siding estimate in the Cincinnati area – whether you are getting ready to sell your home or not — contact the siding experts at Harper Siding and Roofing for a no obligation quote! We’re happy to help you get your house in tip-top shape, whether you’re planning to sell your house or you just want to enjoy it.