Your house isn’t just a place to sit back and relax — it’s also an investment. Increasing your home’s value can help you see a bigger return on investment if you decide to sell the house. Most people think a large renovation is needed to increase value. The good news is there are plenty of options to help improve the value of your home without spending a small fortune.
See how you can increase your property value with these seven easy tips.
1. Hire an Inspector
You probably had a professional inspection of your home before you bought it. This helped you make sure there was nothing seriously wrong with the house, such as significant water damage or structural issues from termites.
If it’s been a few years since your original home inspection, now could be a good time to schedule another one. Regular home inspections help you catch problems before they become major issues. If your inspector finds something wrong, you can fix the problem now rather than waiting until a potential buyer finds it later.
2. Get a Design Consultation
Does your home feel out of date? Are you wondering what type of décor is most popular with current buyers? Consider hiring an interior designer for a quick consultation. Many designers charge an hourly rate to come over and give you design ideas or advice. Just an hour or two of design consultation could help you determine the best décor and design changes that could increase your home’s value.
Another option is to work with a local realtor. Realtors commonly provide staging advice for their clients to help them sell the home. Your realtor can also give you professional advice on what design or renovation elements are affecting the housing market in your area. You can use this information to redecorate your home in a style that matches the current trends.
3. Install Practical Landscaping
The exterior of your home can play a big role in the overall property value. When a potential buyer pulls up to the house, the outside appearance should make a good impression. Adding landscaping can help improve the curb appeal of your home.
Landscaping can be functional as well as visually appealing. For example, consider adding a fire pit with fire-resistant plants and landscaping. This gives your home a welcoming outdoor space for entertaining friends and family. You’ll also help protect your home from wildfires or unexpected embers from your fire pit.
If you plan to live in your home for a long time before selling, planting shade trees is a simple way to improve the curb appeal and property value of your home. Contact your local gardening center or university agricultural extension office to get recommended shade trees for your area.
4. Open Up Extra Space
Bigger homes often bring higher prices, but additions are expensive and you may not have space on your property. You don’t have to physically add square footage to your home to improve the value, however. You could remove interior doors or non-structural walls to create a more open floor plan.
Don’t want to break out the power tools? There are ways to upgrade your home that can be tackled in a weekend. Simply changing the color scheme of your home’s interior can open up space. Switch out dark, heavy curtains for lightweight ones in soft colors. Consider changing rugs or furniture from dark colors to lighter shades. Add lighting to dark areas to help brighten the space, giving it a more open and inviting feel.
5. Upgrade the Bathroom and Kitchen
Two of the best places to increase value in your home are the bathrooms and kitchen. Undertaking a complete renovation can be costly, but small updates can be worthwhile too.
Change out outdated lighting and fixtures in your bathrooms. Replacing an outdated faucet with a trendy new one is appealing to buyers without the cost of a complete renovation. Tying the whole bathroom together with a color scheme or tasteful theme could also make a better impression on buyers. For example, switch out a mismatched shower curtain, hand towels, and floor mat for a set that matches or complements one another.
You can do something similar in your kitchen. Swap out a dented, outdated microwave for a shiny new stainless one or upgrade a standard kitchen faucet to one with extra features.
6. Go High Tech
More and more home buyers are looking for homes that have modern touches, including high-tech features. Adding smart home products to your house could increase the appeal for today’s buyers.
Smart thermostats are easy to install and are generally affordable. As a bonus, you can program the thermostat to help you save on energy costs. You can then use the money you save to make other changes to your home and improve the property value.
Another smart home option is a video doorbell and smart security system. These systems range in price, but many are easy to install on your own. You may have to pay a monthly subscription fee for certain services — such as real-time security alerts or operator assistance. If you don’t want to opt for a subscription, just having a smart camera system or video doorbell can make your home more secure — and more appealing to buyers.
7. Add a Fresh Layer of Paint
Few things help improve the value of a home as much as a fresh coat of paint. Painting your walls or kitchen cabinets is generally inexpensive and can be done relatively quickly. New paint gives your home a fresh look and helps it feel updated. Just a simple coat of paint could improve the first impression of potential buyers and help you sell the home faster.
