The value of your home can increase or decrease due to any number of factors. Some variables are out of your control — like how hot your local housing market is or isn’t. But others may be — namely, strategic upgrades to the premises.

Many home improvements can add a significant amount to the value of your home, enhancing your equity stake. While they won’t all recoup their full cost, they definitely will make the home more marketable — and of course, improve your quality of life while you still occupy it.

There are a variety of ways to add value to your home. Some are simple and fast DIY jobs. Others require an upfront investment and the use of professionals.

Clean and declutter

To increase the value of your home, begin by decreasing the amount of stuff that’s inside it. Cleaning and decluttering are relatively inexpensive tasks, even in bigger homes. Professionally cleaning a four-bedroom home averages between $200 and $225, according to HomeAdvisor, but it varies greatly by metro.

Of course, you could save money by doing the work yourself. Start by going through cabinets and closets and making donation piles. Then clean out drawers and other storage areas, making sure you’re not keeping anything you don’t need or want.

Add usable square footage

Homes are valued and priced by the livable square feet they contain, and the more livable square feet, the better, says Benjamin Ross, a Realtor and real estate investor based in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Adding a bathroom, a great room or another needed space to a home can increase function and add value. A separate in-law suite can also be a smart idea.

“Most homes do not have this feature,” says Ross, “so adding one sets you apart from the competition when it is time to sell.”

Make your home more energy-efficient

Projects that lower utility bills can increase the value of your home. And they don’t have to be complicated.

Improve your home’s efficiency and value by replacing old, leaky windows, installing energy-efficient home appliances and insulating walls. Swap out old incandescent bulbs for energy-efficient LED’s, which last longer and use less electricity.

If you have some extra cash, you can invest in solar panels. While there might be high upfront costs, they can reduce your electricity bill and reliance on the grid by providing free energy from the sun. Solar panels can also increase the value of your home in areas where energy costs are elevated and sell faster than those without the upgrades.

Spruce it up with fresh paint

A fresh coat of paint can make even dated exteriors and interiors look fresh and new.

Your painting budget will depend on a number of factors, including the materials, labor fees, room type and room size. HomeAdvisor pegs painting a bathroom — usually the smallest room in the house — somewhere between $140 and $420, while a 330-square-foot living room might cost as much as $2,000. An exterior paint job, on the other hand, will cost much more, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $6,000.

If you just want to repaint a door or a single room, doing it yourself could cost you between $200 and $300. For bigger jobs, though — especially exterior ones — hiring a painter might be worth it, given that professionals can buy paint at wholesale prices, know what sort of finishes to use and are more adept at scaling ladders.

Work on your curb appeal

From power washing your driveway to mowing the lawn, improving curb appeal can make a big difference in your home’s value.

Upgrading your landscape can go an especially long way, says Joe Raboine, vice president of Design at Oldcastle APG, a manufacturer of exterior building products.

Some ideas: a fresh walkway, shrubs, planters, mulching or even a new patio or outdoor kitchen. Small details like a new mailbox, light fixtures, solar-powered path lights or a new house number sign can also make a world of difference.

Upgrade your exterior doors

Continuing the theme of curb appeal, replacing an old front door can give your home a sense of freshness.

“The front of the home is the first thing you, your neighbors and prospective buyers will see,” says Randy Oliver, president of Hollywood-Crawford Door Company.

Don’t forget the garage doors, he adds. “Garage doors often take up the most amount of space on the front of your home, so installing a modern glass panel door or a rustic wood door will dramatically improve your home’s appearance.”

These jobs offer one of the highest returns on investment among home renovations: nearly 200% for garage doors, and 188% for steel front doors, according to Remodeling’s “2024 Cost vs. Value Report.”

Update your kitchen

Many buyers zero in on the kitchen as the central feature of a home, so if yours is outdated, it can ultimately affect how much you garner from a sale. Likewise, if you aren’t able to utilize your kitchen fully due to layout, space or other concerns, you won’t be maximizing the space.

This project, though, will require a lot of money, and you likely won’t get back every dollar you invest. Mid-range or modest upgrades come close, though, and actually offer a better ROI than the most elaborate ones: A minor kitchen remodel with midrange appliances costs around $27,500, and adds about $26,400 of value when it’s time to sell, according to Remodeling.

If updating your entire kitchen is too big of an undertaking, even small changes could still have an impact — think coordinating appliances and installing modern hardware on your cabinets.

Install smart technology

Smart appliances, systems and devices — which can “read” conditions in your home and make automatic adjustments — are state-of-the-art technology that enhances your home’s value, by saving energy consumption — and money.

By installing a smart thermostat, for example, you can adjust the temperature in your home based on your schedule. It can cost between $200 and $1,000 to make this quick upgrade, according to HomeAdvisor, or an average of about $350. However, you could make that money back fairly quickly. According to Energy Star, a smart thermostat can save families an average of 8% on their energy bills, or about $50 a year. Based on your heating and cooling equipment, personal comfort preferences and other factors, the savings could be even more than that.

Then there are smart window treatments, shades and blinds that automatically change position with the weather.

By gearing your blinds to the amount of sun (and hence heat) pouring through a window at a given time, you can considerably affect the temperature of a room, alleviating the need to crank up the AC or the heating.