As you may know, your home is your biggest and most important asset, therefore, keeping it in top shape and making it worth even more is crucial for you. Of course there are things that are out of your control that directly affect your home’s worth such as the location and popularity on the market, but, let’s focus on the things you actually can control. There’s good news, there are many simple ways that won’t leave you broke to increase your home value.
Start by Lists
The first step to increasing your home value is making a list of everything you would like to change, improve, or update in your house. Walk around and pretend like you’re a buyer, try to be as objective as possible and write down everything you would change. Then, write down how much each change would cost you, not just money speaking, but also your time. This way you can plan your improvements and not do them out of impulse, and get the best results. From each dollar spent on home improvement projects 25 cents go towards the actual project and the other 75 cents go directly towards your home value. In this step it’s very important to be realistic and focus on changes that you can commit to, time and money wise.
One by One
After your list is ready, section it room by room. The best way to improve your home all around, is to tackle one room at a time. Once your list is ready, it’s time to start. We highly recommend making improvements and updates one room at a time, this way you won’t feel overwhelmed, will be able to accomplish more, and will feel more motivated to keep on making improvements!
Clean and Declutter
If you don’t have that much bank to get new hardwood floors in the kitchen, there are plenty of ways to increase your home value without spending big bucks. The easiest and simplest way is cleaning and decluttering. A clean, organized home will always be more appealing to anyone. It’s easy to get comfortable and let little issues slip by, but down the road they could get worse and be more expensive to fix. Take time to make sure each room in your house is clean and most importantly, get rid of junk. It’s easy to become somewhat of a hoarder, things start piling up, but getting rid of stuff will make your house seem more welcoming and will make its features stand out even more.
We Judge Books by the Cover
Yes, we all know we’re not supposed to do it, but we’re all guilty because we all judge books by their cover. Same happens with homes, first impressions are so very important, hence, the exterior of your home is almost as important as the inside. Your curb appeal, which is the exterior of your home has a big impact on your home value. It should be welcoming and make the potential buyers want to come in. If the front of your house is looking a little bland, take a little project underhand for a Saturday and spruce it up yourself by adding some flowers and painting your door an attractive color, like red. If you already have a nice front yard, remember to keep in well maintained.
Kitchens Matter
The kitchen, many believe, is the heart of the home. If your kitchen is outdated, chances are your home value won’t be at its highest. Don’t worry, while changing countertops, or adding a new faucet would do wonders, it’s not necessary to make big changes. Small ones will do such as fresh painting, adding a pot rack with new pots and pans, a wine bottle holder, or adding a new tile backdrop. Keep in mind that improvements in the kitchen have a 70% return on investment!
Bathrooms Matter Too!
Back in the day bathrooms were solely to fulfill their purpose, people nowadays like their bathrooms to be comfortable and relaxing, therefore it’s essential that you focus on your bathroom and think of ways to make it overall nicer. We recommend focusing on faucets, a nice, stylish faucet will draw a lot of attention, also adding granite or marble to your counters is a great idea and is much more affordable than adding granite to your kitchen countertops! Fix overhead lights to create a warmer ambiance, and make sure to upgrade the bath area! This specific element has an 85% return on investment. You can add body sprays or new tiles. If the house doesn’t sell off the bat, at least you’ll have some pretty nice showers from now on!
Go Smarter
A 2018 survey by Coldwell Banker revealed that home buyers nowadays are interested in safety gadgets. The best part of this is that these safety gadgets are a lot cheaper than replacing your roof for example, and most of the times, you can make their installment a DIY project. Think thermostats, fire detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, lighting, safety cameras, and special locks!
As we mentioned, your home is your biggest asset and keeping it in top shape should become a top priority for you! As you can see improvements and updates are not that complicated and can be very simple just like planting some flowers, adding some fresh paint, and cleaning out junk! Make 2020 the year you step up your home game and reach its highest value!
If you are really interested on make some improvements to your home, we can recommend Riveras Building Services.
