If you’re planning on selling your house in the near future, you may be looking at ways to increase the value of your home. Taking a few measures may position your home very competitively against other houses in your community, and it may put several thousand additional dollars in your pocket.
Here are five ideas to increase the value of your property: Curb appeal. Curb appeal is the immediate charm or personality a home has. Some homes ooze with personality while others don’t get a second look. What’s the difference? Often it’s nothing more than trimming a few bushes and trees and adding some flowers.
Take a look at the curb appeal of your home. Could it use some improvement? In addition to the landscaping, does your home need a new coat of paint? A new door? What about new hardware on the door and some lighting fixtures? Small touches like a new porch light can make a world of difference.
Landscaping. Often our back yard becomes a catch-all. We put our belongings back there. We let the pets hang out back there and our yard becomes neglected. However, with a bit of sprucing up, a backyard can become a sanctuary. A few trees, maybe a deck or a patio and some flowers, and suddenly would-be homeowners are picturing themselves hanging out in your back yard.
Landscaping also doesn’t have to be expensive. With a good plan, you can do much of the work yourself which will save thousands of dollars.
Bathroom redo. When people purchase a home there are two main areas they are generally very picky about – the kitchen and the bathroom. Kitchen remodels can be extremely expensive. However, a bathroom often needs just a few simple touches to get a tremendous return on investment. Some of the areas to look at improving in your bathroom include:
* Your tile – make sure the bathroom tile is clean, in good repair, and up to date. Cracked pink tile from the 50s isn’t going to give your home any selling points.
* Your fixtures – a new bathroom faucet and light fixtures can instantly update a bathroom.
* Your paint – a neutral paint can clean up a space and make a small bathroom feel larger than it is.
* Bathtub, sink, and toilet – these can be more expensive fixes. However, you can find great pieces on display at your local home store. Look for overstocks, last year’s models and items that have been returned to get more bang for your buck.
The kitchen. A kitchen is often the center of a home. And spending money to upgrade your kitchen almost always increases the value of your property. Updating your counter-tops, appliances, flooring, and cupboards generate a good return on investment.
However, your kitchen may not need a full redo. You can reface or paint cupboards, add tile back-splashes and update hardware to give your kitchen new life.
Carpet and paint. One of the easiest ways to increase the value of your home is to repaint the walls a neutral and welcoming color and to replace the carpet. This is something that can be accomplished in a weekend if you hire folks to help. Just remember to repaint the walls before you replace the carpet.
If you’re looking for a good return on investment and want to increase the value of your home, these five items are a good place to start. There are other bigger projects you can look at like adding new windows, building an extension onto your home or adding luxury items like a hot tub or outdoor cooking area. However, it’s always smart to start with the basics and go from there.
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