Can Spray Foam Insulation Increase The Resale Value Of My Home?

Right now, the housing market in the United States is troubling for both the buyer and the seller. In these conditions, it’s no wonder you’re concerned about the resale value of your home. Whether you’re planning to move soon or making long-term plans for an eventual move, you want to know if insulating your home with spray foam is an investment you’ll recoup.

South Central Services has insulated hundreds of homes with spray foam. We speak with homeowners every week about the problems their homes experience and how spray foam can solve them. Homeowners like you are concerned about the cost of spray foam and whether it’s worth the price. This article will help you determine if insulating this home, which is not your forever home, with spray foam is a financially sound decision in your case.

By the end of this article, you will know:

• If spray foam insulation can increase your resale value
• Whether or not spray foam is worth the investment in your current home

No Insulation Can Increase Resale Value: Not Even Spray Foam

Insulation is not part of the home appraisal process. Homes are appraised based on tangible features like square footage, number of rooms, and layout. Home appraisers also look for signs of damage and factor in the resale value of similar properties.

Scrolling Zillow for properties around Chambersburg and Greencastle will give plenty of information about the home, including school districts and HVAC equipment. Rarely is information on the home's insulation available.

Internal factors like insulation and energy consumption costs are not considered during the appraisal process. If you insulate with spray foam before your move, the insulation upgrade will not increase your resale value.

When Spray Foam Is Worth Investing In (Even If You’re Moving)

Knowing that spray foam insulation cannot increase your resale value, why invest your money in new insulation?

In some circumstances, an investment in spray foam can be a wise financial move.

Spray foam insulation is a premium insulation product. This premium label comes from its R-value and its air-sealing ability. R-value stands for resistance value (not resale value) and is the traditional method used to evaluate insulations. Good insulation products resist heat transfer and have high R-values. Spray foam, fiberglass, and cellulose insulations all have high R-values.

What spray foam has that fiberglass and cellulose do not is air-sealing ability. Unlike any other insulation, spray foam can create an air barrier to prevent any air infiltration. Air sealing boosts insulation performance and improves indoor air quality.

Depending on the project, spray foam insulation can decrease energy bills by 30% to 70% within the next billing cycle.

Planning A Move To Your Forever Home Someday? We Recommend Insulating Your Current Home With Spray Foam.

You know that your current place isn’t where you want to be. You’ll inevitably outgrow it, there isn’t enough storage, and it’s missing a feature you dream of having one day. However, you don’t know when that one day will come, and you’re planning on staying in this starter home for quite some time.

If that’s your situation, we recommend insulating your current home with spray foam insulation. While spray foam is expensive, it offers numerous benefits and will pay for itself over time. Given enough time in this house, spray foam could pay for itself. You will enjoy lower energy bills, better air quality, and increased comfort during that time.

Planning To Move Within The Next Several Years? You Are Likely To Benefit From A Spray Foam Upgrade.

With the tumultuous housing market, it can be challenging to plan a move. You may be looking at the market and actively making offers but have yet to succeed. Or, perhaps you’re waiting for an optimal opportunity to move in the future. Whatever the reasons, you will probably be in your current home for the next year or two.

By insulating with spray foam, you can save yourself a significant amount each month on your energy bills. Every billing cycle you stay in your current home, you may be paying more for energy than you could be.

We recommend insulating an area like your attic or basement with spray foam while you wait for the right time to move. Attics alone are responsible for over half of energy loss in most houses. Your home will be more comfortable and energy efficient while you wait for the right timing to move.

Planning On Moving Within The Next Few Months? You Will Not Make The Money Back On Your Spray Foam Investment.

One of the coolest things about spray foam insulation is how it will pay for itself over time through lower energy costs. However, if you’re planning a move, spray foam will never have the chance to reward you financially for its investment. While energy costs will be lower within the next billing cycle, the spray foam investment will take many billing cycles to pay for itself.

For homeowners in their forever home, spray foam is an obvious choice. However, investing in spray foam is not a financially sound choice for people going to a different home. While the new owners enjoy the lower energy bills on the property, you will have spent several thousand dollars that you couldn’t gain back through the sale of the house.

The Bottom Line About Insulation And Resale Value

Insulation alone is not considered in home appraisals. You will not find a checkbox for insulation on your Zillow listings next to the heating and cooling technology. So, while insulation cannot increase your resale value, spray foam insulation is a product that can pay for itself over time through savings.

If you plan to move before enjoying the energy cost savings, spray foam insulation is not a financially sensible choice. For any homeowner who wants to move someday but isn’t sure when, spray foam can make the time in your current home more comfortable and affordable.

Now that you know how spray foam influences resale value, your next step is to:

• Discover if spray foam makes it harder to sell a house
• Estimate the cost of spray foam insulation for your home upgrade
• Learn how you can save on your insulation upgrade through a federal tax credit