Prospective buyers are less likely to pay top prices for a house they’ll need to spend money on renovating than on one that’s already in good condition.

Home improvements can be expensive, so you might want to consider taking out a home improvement loan to help you pay for it.

If you’re 18 years or over and already have a Lloyds TSB account, you could borrow up to £25,000 to pay for your home improvements Improve your home with a loan from Lloyds TSB .

How much you’ll be able to borrow depends on your individual circumstances such as your ability to pay the loan back and your credit history.

Where to start

First, think about the improvements your house needs most. If you don’t have double glazing, this could be a great place to start.

With single glazed windows, your home won’t be energy efficient so you’ll not only be cold but you’ll also be spending more on central heating than you should. Installing double glazing is a good quick win – it will add value to the house as well as lower your energy bills.

Similarly, a coat of paint can give your house a clean, fresh feel as well as increase its value – and it can help protect the walls from damage.

Installing a new kitchen or bathroom can also add thousands to the value of your house.

You should only do this if you really need to – if your kitchen and bathroom are fairly new and in good working order, you’ll pay a fortune for new ones and they won’t add much to your home’s value.

But if they’re fairly old and looking tired, think about putting a new kitchen or bathroom in – one with modern appliances will make your home far more attractive to prospective buyers.

Find out how much you could borrow to pay for your home improvements with the TSB loan calculator.

Keep the costs down

There are plenty of ways to make sure you don’t spend over the odds on your home improvements. If you can keep your costs as low as possible, you’ll increase your profit when you come to sell.

Here are a few cost-cutting tips:

Shop around – if you’re hiring someone to do the work for you, always get at least 3 different quotes. Prices differ between companies so you could save money.

Club together – if your neighbours need similar work on their houses, try clubbing together to get a discount when you buy materials in bulk. Or if you’re hiring someone to do the work, they might give you a better rate to do all the houses at the same time.

Do it yourself – if you’re planning something simple like a new coat of paint, it could be much cheaper to do it yourself. Paying someone to do the simple things is money wasted if you can easily tackle it. But don’t do a job unless you’re completely sure of what you’re doing – you’ll only have to pay someone to fix it if it goes wrong.

See how you can fund your home improvements with a loan from Lloyds TSB