Your home value increases when you add details and charm to make it stand above your competitors. Who is your competition? Other homeowners who are also selling at the same time.
It is impossible for your house to fetch at the right price when the competition for buyer attention is stiff. Nonetheless, you can begin making simple upgrades to your residence that can elevate its value in the market within a short time.
These Eight DIY Projects Can Amplify Your Home Value
Here are eight easy improvements that you can make to boost your home’s value.
1 – Repair anything necessary
After you live at a residence long enough, there may be minor weaknesses within the household that you should be on the lookout for as they lower your home’s value. This can be anything from broken hinges to defective doorknobs or cracked tiles in the bathroom.
Some of the repairs you come across will require special skills from a professional, such as window installation, among others. However, you can do most of the fixes in your home provided you get the basic DIY knowledge on the web.
Simple maintenance that you can do by yourself include:
- Fixing a Leaky Kitchen Pipe
- Removing ceiling popcorns
- Refinishing your hardwood
- Clearing a patchy lawn
Get your home ready by making simple adjustments before clients schedule for a home inspection as it gives you a head start in the market.
2 – Clean for a higher perceived home value
Cleaning your home should extend beyond washing the floors or wiping the windows as most clients look into the finer details of your clean. You should have no bounds when it comes to cleaning your home because spaces such as the driveways require a scrub as well.
The extent of your clean-up will depend on how dirty your home is, and in most cases, you’ll have to seek professional help for a deep clean. Try to keep your home tidy even after the general servicing by wiping the countertops, raking leaves, and mowing the lawn frequently.
3 – De-clutter
A home with a minimalistic look is more appealing to buyers, and it is a unique bargaining chip for a better price.
When you have unnecessary stuff lying around your home, the space becomes small and hard to navigate around without bumping into items which can put you in an awkward position during house inspection by clients.
Instead, it would be best if you began decluttering by taking little steps, such as finding a suitable location for storing the unwanted materials. Check your shelves and furniture, as this is where most clutter tends to end up.
If the work seems too much to handle, consider asking for help, especially when doing the heavy lifting. You can also divide your house into segments instead of decluttering as a whole so that the process becomes much more straightforward.
This means that you start from one corner of the house and follow a systematic pattern until you’re done with the whole place, which can take several days.
4 – Paint your walls a neutral shade
The painting on your walls can have a significant influence on whether people fall in love with your house and pay good cash for it or not.
If you’ve been living at the location for a while, it’s normal for paint to chip out or become dull both on the exterior and interior parts of your house. This can be a deal-breaker as most clients enjoy the fresh look after a paint job.
It would help if you were careful of the colors you choose for your house, or else you risk facing harsh criticism due to buyer preferences. Typically, the market favors neutral colors such as gray, cream, or beige over the bright and bold ones.
Investing in a quality paint job can save you the time and energy of having to do it yourself. However, if you decide to take on the responsibility of repainting your home, have the following in mind.
Here’s a hint for exterior painting:
Drops of water from the rain landing onto the paint’s surface will leave noticeable marks that tell of a poor job done. Instead, paint when the conditions are favorable, preferably during the dry periods, as the sun helps dry the paint faster.
Invest in the right tools for painting
The right tools will always do a good job, provided you know how to use them effectively. You’ll need quality paint and equipment such as brushes and rollers to make the work easier. Both should have excellent coverage to avoid repainting the same spots for hours.
A painter’s tape is also ideal as it seals out drips and blurs that may want to spill over in unwanted areas of your home.
Use primer when you paint (don’t skimp)
An undercoat is necessary when you haven’t done a paint job on your house for years because it helps seal off minor underlying issues on your wall that can be visible to clients. Its adhesive force on the wall surface allows it to hold the paint firmly in the making for years without coming off.
5 – Landscaping
When you have a poorly maintained outdoor space, clients may be disinterested regardless of how beautiful you decorate your interior.
Some best practices that you should develop to have an enticing exterior include:
6 – Nurturing Plants
Plants bring an extra sense of peace that most buyers crave. Grow trees within your yard or nurture a garden if you have enough space.
7 – Furnish your home to allow buyers to visualize themselves in the space
Outdoor furniture adds style and comfort to your home that guests want. This can be a fundamental bargaining tool, especially if you have multipurpose furniture that can serve as a storage point while accommodating people.
8 – Renovate the kitchen
The kitchen is by far one of the most influential places in your house, as most home seekers prefer getting the kitchen specifics to make an informed decision. This means your kitchen needs to be in tip-top shape for the best valuation of your home.
Kitchen upgrades can include:
- Replacing cabinets with open shelves
- Installing suitable lighting
- Getting new cabinet pulls or door hardware
The Bottom Line on Increasing Your Home Value
As the market value for houses changes daily, you must learn to keep up with new trends to stand a chance of getting the correct value for your home. Be cautious not to accept a lower value as it may set a bad example for future housing deals in the area.
Instead, take these simple actions above and charge a premium for your home.
She has a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English and a Spanish Minor. In addition, she holds a Certificates in Natural Health and Herbology from accredited programs. She pursued these natural wellness certifications due to her love for herb gardening.
Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."
Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.
Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
