Remodeling your home is one of the best ways to raise its value. When buyers step into your home, they want to see that steps have been taken to actually make the home better. When those steps haven’t been taken, it can be seen in the light that you haven’t really tried to turn the house into a home, and if you treat the home as a temporary place to stay, then why should they pay thousands and thousands of dollars for the privilege of taking your cast-offs?

What remodeling does is shape the conversation in a much more favorable light — you’ve put time and money and energy into the situation, which means that you’re a homeowner that cares about the situation you’re in, which is a house that truly feels like home.

There’s just one problem — you don’t have enough money to remodel. Of course, this is relative — there’s nothing that says that you can’t start small. Yet a lot of people think that if they can’t get a home equity loan means that you’re going to need to just give up.

There are ways around it. Think about it — did you need to take out a loan for a down payment on the house? No — you tapped a lot of different sources to get the down payment that secured your property in the first place. So you can apply those same principles for your home upgrades.

Savings is the best because it’s liquid, it’s something that is already been taxed, and it’s easy to get a few thousand dollars out of your account. You will indeed need to treat it like a loan though — all savings accounts should be replenished eventually. If you don’t take the steps required to make sure that you replenish your account eventually, you’re going to end up regretting it down the road when there are other situations that need your attention — and your checkbook, of course!

So it’s time to make sure that you really do focus on the things that are important. Look around your home and see if you can start with repairs. Far too often homeowners think about the things that they would love to do with the space, but they don’t fix those important things that really take away from the beauty of the home. Leaks and water damage should be at the top of your list. Checking for termite damage is also important. The last thing that you want to do is find yourself being unable to take care of things because you can’t seem to figure out where to begin.

Sit down with your spouse and make a list of the things that need to be repaired. If you need to get another home inspection, it’s not the end of the world. You need to know where the house stands. The money that you spend on an inspection is money well spent — knowing where to begin with repairs is a good idea. Paying for a professional’s time also has another benefit — they can help you figure out if it’s something that you can repair, or if it’s something that you will need to do on your own.

So it’s time to take matters into your own hands. Does that mean that you should break out the credit cards? We don’t really recommend that, either — it’s too easy to end up with more debt than you can handle. There are credit card calculators that can estimate your monthly payments if you do decide to take that road, though. If you can help it, make sure that you’re making more than the minimum payment so that not all of your payment goes to interest — you want to bring the principal down as well.

Now is the perfect time to step up and actually take care of your home, from repairs all the way to upgrades. Yes, you might have to take more time than other people. Yes, the road ahead might be difficult. But you do have the power to do big things, so don’t give up — even if you don’t have the power to get a home equity loan!