Making your home worth more money can sometimes cost a lot, but it doesn’t always have to. There are ways to make your home nicer without spending too much. You can let in more sunlight or make the outside of your house look better. These changes can make your home worth more without costing a ton of money.
If you own a house and want to keep it valuable, or if you’re thinking about selling your home, here are 12 ideas to make it worth more money without spending too much. These ideas will not only make your home worth more but also make you happy.
1) Declutter to increase home value
We all go through this – the storage closet that used to be empty is now full, and things that should be put away are all over the place. If this sounds like your home, it’s a good time to start getting rid of things you don’t need anymore.
Getting rid of clutter is is one of the most inexpensive ways to increase how much your home is worth. Pay special attention to your kitchen, bathrooms, and living room because these are usually the parts of a home that people like the most when they’re thinking about buying. Do it one room at a time, so you don’t make a big mess. You can start by putting things into three groups: things you want to keep, things you’re not sure about, and things to give away. After a few days, look at the things you’re not sure about again and decide what to do with them.
Here are some tips for decluttering:
- First, make your bathroom look nice. Start with your sink and then organize your towels and medicine cabinet. Try to take out your personal things like your toothbrush and mouthwash so others can imagine using the space.
- Clean up your home office. Put away old papers, tidy your desk, and hide any messy wires with zip ties or covers.
- Get rid of old stuff, especially things in your kitchen, pantry, bathroom, and medicine cabinet that are past their expiration dates.
- Sort through your closet, get rid of extra hangers, and give away or throw out clothes and shoes you don’t need anymore. This makes your closet look bigger and tidier.
- Remember, the first thing people see is your entryway. Remove personal items and make it inviting.
- Keep your kitchen counters clear. Don’t put random things there, and try to hide appliances like your blender and toaster.
- Take away personal items, like family photos, so buyers can imagine living in your home.
- Clear hallways of things like hooks, pictures, and artwork. Crowded hallways can be a turn-off.
- Reduce the number of pillows, blankets, and decorations in the living room to make it look bigger.
- Organize your bookshelves and display cabinets. Clean them, remove extra things, and arrange your books neatly.
- Empty your fridge, freezer, and under the sinks. People will want to see how much storage space there is.
- Put away children’s and pet toys while your home is for sale. Try to keep only a few toys out.
- Make your laundry area look nice and organized. Clear the counters and arrange your cleaning stuff.
Decluttering can be a big job for one person. Working with a professional organizer might be a good idea and could even make your home worth up to 5% more when you sell it.”
Decluttering can be a huge task for just one person to complete. Working with a professional organizer may be the best choice, and can even increase a home’s asking price by up to 5%.
2) Deep clean your home
Once you’ve cleared out the clutter, the next step is to do a thorough cleaning of your home. This means you should wipe and dust all surfaces, mop the floors, and vacuum the carpets. Pay extra attention to the kitchen, make sure the bathroom sparkles, and tidy up the living room. Bad smells can leave a lasting impression, and they can come from things like pets, kids, food, and other stuff.
Cleaning your house well can take a lot of time, and sometimes it’s tough to find enough time to clean everything really well. You might want to think about hiring professional cleaners. They are less likely to miss spots, and they can get into all the hidden corners of your home to make it look fantastic. This way, you can make your home worth more money, sell it faster, and for a higher price. In fact, doing a really good cleaning can make your home worth up to $5,300 more when you sell it.
3) Paint your home, inside and out
When you’re trying to sell your home, it’s really important for the people who might buy it to imagine themselves living there. If the walls have dull, chipped, or not-so-great paint, it might make them not like your house as much. It can also make your house worth less money. It’s best to avoid really bright or busy colors on the walls because they can make it hard for people to focus on the house itself.
Instead, it’s a good idea to paint the inside of your home with neutral colors. This doesn’t cost a lot, and it can make your house worth more money. Plus, more people might be interested in buying it, and you might get more offers.
Painting the outside of your house might cost a bit more, but it can make your house look better from the street. You should check if it needs a new coat of paint. Look for cracks, peeling, or fading colors. If you see any of these problems, it’s time to paint.
You can think about hiring professionals to do the painting. They know what they’re doing, so they won’t use the wrong tools, buy bad paint, or use too much or too little paint. That way, your house will look its best, and you can sell it faster and for more money.
4) Replace the garage door
Your garage door has been used a lot and might not work as well as before. Have you noticed how it sounds when you open and close it? Sometimes, we forget about dents from accidents or things hitting it, but people who want to buy your house will notice them. You should also check the part at the bottom of the door. If rain can get in, small animals might too, and that’s not good.
To make your home worth more money, you can replace the garage door. It usually costs less than $5,000, and it can make your home more valuable. You might get back almost all of the money you spent when you sell your house – that’s about 94 percent!
5) Add manufactured stone veneer
To make your home look nicer and worth more money, think about giving it a stone veneer makeover. Fake stone that looks like real stone can make your house look fancy. You might be wondering why you should spend money on something like this if you’re planning to sell your home. Well, if there are many houses in your area that look similar to yours, adding a stone veneer can make your house stand out. It could help you sell it faster and for more money.
If your house has vinyl siding (the stuff on the outside of your house), adding fake stone can make it look even better and more valuable. On average, you can cover about 300 square feet of the bottom part of your house facing the street for about $11,000. And guess what? You might get back most of that money when you sell your house – about 91 percent of it, according to a report from Remodeling magazine in 2023.
6) Increase home value by upgrading your kitchen
It’s easy to see why the kitchen is important when selling a house. People often picture themselves cooking and spending time with family and friends in a new kitchen. You can make your kitchen better without spending too much by doing simple things like painting the cabinets, adding a pretty background on the wall, or getting a new sink. You can also choose things that are good for the environment, like a microwave that doesn’t use too much energy, water-saving features, and energy-efficient lights. No matter what you decide to do in your kitchen, it should make you happy. In fact, a group called the National Association of the Remodeling Industry says that upgrading your kitchen is really enjoyable – they give it a score of 9.8 out of 10 in their report.
7) Pay attention to your yard
The first impression your home gives is super important when you’re trying to sell it. That means making the outside look nice is just as crucial as the inside. Think about it from the buyer’s point of view. Would you want to visit a house if it looked messy and not well taken care of from the outside?
Making the outside of your home look good can attract more buyers, help you sell your house quickly, and even make it worth more money, up to 7% more! Here are some easy and budget-friendly ideas to make your home look great from the outside:
- Paint or replace your front door: Front doors can get old and worn out with time. Repainting it or getting a new one can make your home look more inviting.
- Upgrade your outdoor lights: If the path to your front door is too dark or your lights are old-fashioned, think about getting new ones. This can make your home look more welcoming. You can also put lights on your trees and plants for a nice effect.
- Replace your old fence: If your fence is in bad shape, it can make your home look less attractive. Getting a new fence can make your yard look better, give you more privacy, and make your home worth more. You can choose from different materials like wood, vinyl, aluminum, wrought iron, or composite.
- Hire a landscaper: Getting a professional to design your yard can make it look good and low-maintenance. Trimming the plants and trees and putting some mulch in the garden can make a big difference. A landscaper can make your front yard look amazing and impress buyers.
- Clean your windows and siding: Over time, your house and windows can get dusty, dirty, and covered in fingerprints or algae. Having a pro clean them regularly can prevent problems and make your home look clean and shiny.
Taking care of these things can make your home more appealing to buyers, and that’s a good thing when you’re selling your house.
8) Let the light in
Having more light in a room can make it feel more alive. When a room doesn’t have enough light, it can seem small, dark, and cramped. But when there’s plenty of light, it does the opposite – it makes the room look bigger and brighter. Good lighting can also make your home look neater and more valuable.
Here are some ideas to make your home brighter:
- Choose the right time for home visits: When you’re showing your home to potential buyers, try to do it when the sun is shining the brightest. And remember to open the blinds on your windows to let in as much natural light as possible.
- Use brighter light bulbs: If your light bulbs are dim, consider changing them to ones that give off bright and warm light. They can make your home look cozier and more welcoming.
- Think about recessed lighting: Recessed lights are a popular trend in homes today because they make rooms look modern and valuable. They’re like hidden lights in the ceiling.
- Add special light fixtures: You can also put in unique and eye-catching light fixtures, especially in the entrance area. This can make your home look fancier and give it some personality.
So, remember, more light can make your home feel better and more valuable. It’s a good thing to consider when you’re selling your house.
9) Focus on the bathroom
The bathroom is really important to people who want to buy a house, and you can make it better without spending too much money. You could try changing the faucet in the sink to a nice-looking one, getting a new showerhead, putting in granite or marble countertops on the bathroom cabinet, or making the lighting better. These changes can make your bathroom even nicer for potential buyers.
10) Pay attention to the details
Even the tiniest changes can make your home look a lot better. Here are some quick and not too expensive things you can do to make your home worth more:
- Change the knobs on kitchen cabinets and doors.
- Fix any wires that are loose and faucets that are leaking.
- Add insulation in the attic.
- Finish up small home projects and repairs.
- Get new faceplates and switches for the walls.
- Make your hardwood floors look nice again.
- Put new grout in between the tiles on the floor and in the shower.
11) Convert the guest room into a multi-use room
Nowadays, more people want to have a special place to work at home. If you have an extra bedroom, you can make it into a room that can be both a bedroom and an office. This way, it’s a useful space for you to work, and also for guests to sleep when they visit. A lot of people like this idea, and it has become even more popular in the past year.
12) Hire a home inspector
If you’re getting ready to sell your home, it’s a good idea to have a special inspection called a “pre-listing home inspection.” This inspection checks parts of your home that you might not usually see to find any problems early. Home inspectors look for safety issues in your home’s structure, electricity, and machinery. These problems could make it hard for someone to buy your house if they have to fix them later. Things like a damaged roof, termites, leaks, or old electrical wiring can make your home worth less. If you know about these issues, you can fix them before you put your house up for sale. This can make your home worth more money.
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