Keeping a home in great shape is something that all homeowners need to seriously consider, as it can provide them with the necessary help to make their home appealing and attractive for a long time. Thankfully, there are many upgrades and steps that you can take to achieve this effect.

The following three types of renovations will create a more beautiful home and save you money at the same time. How is that possible? Read on to learn about how these shared long-term investments can result in surprisingly significant savings over the life of your home. You deserve to save this kind of cash.

Water Heater

A home's water heater is one of those things that rarely gets the attention that it deserves. This home component is critical for baths, cleaning your dishes, doing your laundry, and much more. The Department of Energy says that the water heater accounts for about 18 percent of the energy use. As a result, installing an energy-efficient water heater in your home ASAP is a great idea.

Yes, we know that these water heaters do cost more than non-efficient ones. This fact detracts many people from trying them out, but if you save even $25 per month on your energy bills, you'll save $300 every year. And during the lifetime of the water heater (10-20 years), you'll save $3,000-6,000. Those kinds of savings more than compensate for the extra price of an efficiency heater.

Paint

Every year, you should do a little painting of your home to keep it in great shape. However, many homeowners don't realize that they probably waste a lot of paint. For example, you may buy a can of paint, do a minor touch-up on your window frames, and then throw it away. This step is a massive mistake because paint can last 3-5 years when stored properly, with the lid carefully sealed back on top.

Saving your paint saves you a lot of money by giving you easy access to the same color and tone you initially used when touching up your home's structure. Make sure to crack your cans open every year and stir them to keep them from drying up or collecting particles. And use them up completely before you throw away any paint cans. Make sure to reach out to a paint disposal company in case your paint does dry up.

Roof

A new roof is an essential step for anybody trying to make good money on their home upgrades. Roofs provide a stronger surface for your home that protects you from various problems like rain, snow, wind, and more. And beyond that, a new asphalt shingle roof will create a return of investment (ROI) rating of about 62 percent. This rating is reasonably high compared to other options on the market.

When you get a new asphalt roof, you also protect yourself against having to get repairs, such as new shingles, and save yourself a lot of money on maintenance steps. And while you're up there, you can install some solar panels to save yourself some money. That's because studies by Canstar found that 90% of people who bought solar panels found that they were a significant investment and that they saved them money on their utilities.

Finding the Best Options

These upgrades are just a few ways to improve your home and make it more appealing to yourself or potential buyers. By investing yourself a little and taking steps to make your home stand out, you create the kind of high-quality look and feel that you deserve and which will last for years.

So save up a little cash or take out a small home improvement loan and get started with your upgrades as soon as possible. These simple changes to your home can be done surprisingly quickly and will give your house the best overall appearance, one that will last for years to come after your renovations.