How to Add Value to Your Home On Any Budget
Adding value to your home before you put it on the market doesn’t have to be an expensive or arduous task. Naturally, there are a number of upgrades that you can make to your home that will require a fairly large budget, but there are also a great number of simple things you can do to increase value and tempt buyers into making a decent offer.
Inexpensive Ideas for Adding Value to your Home
One of the biggest turn offs for potential buyers is an untidy, unclean house. Get rid of all the unnecessary clutter, make sure the outdoor bins are stored somewhere out of sight, scrub the bathroom until it’s spotless – the shower heads, the taps, the basin, the toilet, the toilet seat, the grout in between the tiles – and invest in new fittings if the water damage is just too much for your cleaning products.
The other really important task is to ensure that the garden – both front and back – is immaculate. Many buyers find the task of weeding, lawn mowing and general garden care a really daunting task. A weed-free, nicely pruned and beautifully ordered garden can really make a difference. If you have a little cash to spare, it’s also a really good idea to invest in some kind of creative outdoor garden feature or design. Small water fountains, a bird table, or maybe even a small trellis for a herb garden, are just some of the inexpensive options available.
Mid-Range Ideas for Adding Value to your Home
Wash all internal walls and then make an honest assessment. If the wash doesn’t do enough to bring these surfaces to life, the best thing to do is to repaint. Indeed, one of the most instant improvements to any home is a really good paint job. If you’re feeling creative, you might even want to create a feature wall in a different colour in one or two of the rooms.
The same applies to the external walls. These surfaces suffer from the effects of the weather all year round. Buyers can be put off from even making an inquiry about your property if the photos of the exterior seem to indicate wear and tear. This is nothing that a quick, yet thorough, paint job cannot solve.
If you’ve got a little more money to spend, breathe a new lease of life into each area of your home by painting the front door, window frames and skirting boards. Have fun with coloor, particularly when painting the front door, to help your property stand out from the crowd. Light fixtures and fittings can also have a huge effect on the value added of your home, turning an outdated looking property into a chic and sophisticated modern home in minutes.
Investing a Little More in the Value of Your Home
Of course, if you have more money to spend then the kitchen is a really important space to go to town on. Nobody wants to cook in a dirty, greasy, poorly-cared-for kitchen, with little space to prepare food and nowhere to store all those wonderful kitchen gadgets. If you’ve got the cash to do it, go for a kitchen upgrade. Invest in new fittings and work surfaces. Turn your kitchen into a space that even those who hate boiling an egg will want to cook in.
Take a good look at your floors. Check for cracks, bumps and imperfections. You might not have to replace the floor of an entire room. You might be lucky enough to be able to replace just a particular section, so be sure to consult a specialist and get a range of quotes before you make a decision. If your budget stretches a little further, make sure the roof is watertight and in perfect condition. It’s a detail that we don’t always pay attention to as homeowners until we’re aware of a problem, but it’s definitely something that we all look into when investing in a new property. Imagine the wonders a recently revised roof could have on the starting value of your home!
Remember, even if you don’t have the budget to take care of all the improvements you’d like to make, there’s plenty you can do with a few simple, attractive additions and a really thorough cleaning. You’ll be amazed by what you can achieve!
You May Also Enjoy
Buy-to-Let Explained: How It Works and Is It Worth It?
The Hidden Cost of Deposit Disputes for Letting Agents
Britain’s strongest housing markets revealed
Over £900 million economic opportunity lost to property fall throughs
Landlords chasing rental arrears of £470m
