If you’ve bought a new home recently, congratulations and well done on making that down payment. Have a housewarming party and pop a few bottles of champagne. But unless you’ve been super lucky, your new home probably doesn’t have all of the features that you want. 

The question for most homeowners is which improvements are going to actually generate a return? Sure, you could spend a fortune on building a library in the basement, but if you’re not going to stay at the new house forever, it’s probably a waste of money. 

Here are some home improvements that are actually worth the money. 

Attic Insulation

It turns out that getting attic insulation is one of the cheapest and best ways to bump up the value of your home and it’s one of the reasons why so many people are getting home owner loans. Attic insulation keeps homes cool in the summer as well as warm in the winter, thanks to its ability to stop warm air getting in and warm air escaping, depending on the time of year. 

It’s a good idea not to do home insulation yourself, thanks to the fact that DIY attic work could potentially expose you to toxic substances, like asbestos. It’s a better idea to hire a contractor who can protect you and themselves from harm. Right now the return on attic insulation is a whopping 116 percent. 

Garage Door Replacements

When people get back from work by car, they want to be able to get the car in their garage with a minimum of fuss. That means that they want some sort of automatic system, like a pressure pad on the driveway, that helps them to avoid having to get out of their car and manually open the garage door. As a result, more and more homeowners are investing in new garage doors that will open automatically when they get home. Getting an automatic door installed is relatively cheap as far as home improvements go, at around £1,000 for a complete system. But because of the convenience factor, they can actually end up adding a lot of value to your home. According to the Chicago Tribune, returns on garage door installations are 91.5 percent, meaning that you get back more than nine of every ten pounds you spend on them, once you sell your home. 

Window Replacement

Homes with great windows save their owners a lot of time and money. Modern windows reduce heating bills, and because they are made from high-grade plastics, they don’t warp or degrade like wooden window frames, lowering maintenance costs. Consumer Reports says that new windows make homes quieter, more aesthetically attractive and less prone to drafts. They suggest that people go into the window market with an open mind and remember than the most expensive options aren’t usually the best.

Replacing all of the windows in your home is expensive, often costing in the region of £10,000. But the good news is that you’ll see 75 percent of that money again, thanks to the fact that you’ll be able to sell your house for more in the future.