Looking into getting a new fence? Read this.

Homeowners have various fence options to choose from and many things to consider before building a fence. Make sure the fence you pick meets the needs of your home: Is your goal is to keep kids and pets contained, increase privacy or simply boost property value by giving the yard a nice look?

You must also take maintenance and cost into account, investigate neighborhood restrictions and make sure you hire the right fencing contractor to install it.

Whether picking between a white picket fence or a wooden privacy fence, carefully consider the type of fence you choose before making an investment, says Keith Pickens, owner of highly rated The Fence Guy in Baltimore, Ohio.

A new fence costs between $2,600 and $8,000 on average, depending on the size and type you buy, so you want to make a good decision the first time. Other factors, like your yard’s slope, also affect the cost of fence installation.

Highly rated fencing companies recommend the following tips to pick the best fence for your home and family:

1. Pick the best fence for your yard

Homeowners install fences for privacy, visual appeal, or for the safety of pets and children. If done well, fences are one of the key landscaping features that increase property values.

Ask yourself why you need a fence and let that answer guide your decision making, Pickens says. Prioritize your needs over your wants, not the other way around, he suggests.

“You might want a privacy fence, but need a picket fence,” he says, adding that he generally cautions against privacy fences, which may affect resale value. “When you go to sell your home, potential buyers are going to be like: ‘What are they hiding in there?’”

If you do need privacy, wooden fences tend to work best, although vinyl fencing is sometimes another viable option, says Jennifer Pechanec, a manager with Chesapeake Custom Builders in Chesapeake, Virginia.

However, with certain vinyl fences, panels may be too far apart to provide enough privacy, she says.

Customers who don’t need privacy can turn to an aluminum fence, which gives a yard a classy, open look. In some areas, homeowners associations require aluminum fencing.

As for containment, if you mainly need a fence to protect a pet or a child, no particular type of fence necessarily works best over the other, says Michael Sterrett, owner of Affordable Fence in Bloomington, Indiana.

Just make sure to build the fence with containment in mind. For example, if you want to build a fence to keep a pet confined in your yard, understand what your animal is capable of in terms of digging and jumping, Pickens says.

“The last thing you want is to build a new fence, let your dog out for the first time, and have him jump over it,” he says.