Whether you plan to place your home on the market to sell or you simply want to upgrade the look of it, making home improvements can help with this. Your home is likely to sell quicker if you highlight the right areas within it and you are more likely to appreciate your home if the space within it is functional and allows you to get the most out of it. In addition, making home improvement repairs to areas of the home that are easily fixable will help raise the value of your home. Homes that are ridden with issues will not do well on the market and their value will drop drastically.
Below, we will discuss several different easy ways that you can increase your home’s value simply by making some changes. Ideally, any type of small home improvement project you do should boost the resale value of your home or net you some type of return on investment. If you are planning to sell your home, you will hear the term return on investment or ROI often. This is because it is an important term and you do not want to spend time making a bunch of repairs to your home that will not give you a good return on the money you invest into it.
When it comes to home improvement projects, you can choose to do them yourself or you can choose to hire a professional. Your choice should depend on your experience with home improvement projects and also your budget.
Check out how you can increase your home’s value below!
1. Declutter the Garage
Garages are usually a central hub for stuff. You may find yourself storing all kinds of odds and ends in here and quickly running out of room. It may not be in your budget to hire a professional organizer to tackle the space but fortunately, you can do it yourself. While you may be thinking that the garage is one of the least value adding spaces in your home, it can be quite opposite. In fact, buyers are going to look at the garage and the space that is available.
The average cost to declutter your garage can be anywhere from $500 to $1,000, but again, if you do it yourself, you can likely get it done much cheaper AND you can sell anything you find inside that you no longer want or need.
If you are up for a true project, consider upgrading your garage flooring. A good cleanup and coat of paint can do wonders.
2. Clean Out the Basement
Similar to the garage, your home’s basement likely becomes a central area to keep all the overflow of items. You have probably found yourself saying, where can I put this, and basement becomes the quick and default answer. If your home’s basement is cluttered, now is the time to get it cleared out. In fact, the basement can add value to your home, especially when buyers see the space and imagine just what they can do with it. Even if your basement is unfinished, don’t sleep on the fact that buyers want it to be clean and clutter free because they may be thinking about finishing it off and the first impression needs to be the best.
The average cost to clean out the basement can range from $500 to $3,000 depending on what is involved and if any repairs need to be made. Again, as a DIY project, you may be able to get it done for cheaper.
As a side note, if you have mold in your basement or you want to check for mold, it is recommended that you call a mold remediation company, or you can attempt to remediate it yourself by purchasing remediating solutions and safety equipment.
3. Repaint Cabinets and Doors
A new coat of paint on your cabinets and doors can save you when it comes to your home’s value. It is worth it to freshen them up with a fresh coat of paint or to even refinish them. This option is much more cost effective than replacing the cabinets and when done, your cabinets will look new again.
The average price to have your cabinets and doors repainted or refinished is about $400 to $1,200. However, DIY can save you a lot of money.
If you do choose to paint your cabinets and doors on your own, make sure to invest a little money into a paint sprayer and a high-quality primer. If you don’t, you surely will regret it when the old colors start to bleed through the new paint.
4. Replace Your Lighting Fixtures
The right type of lighting in your home can make the area feel much more spacious and brighten up the room itself. Old lighting fixtures make the area look and feel gloomy and not too much, they collect dust too. Simply changing out your current lighting fixtures is worth it and will increase the value of your home instantly.
For this project, you can expect to spend about $150 to $900 on the new fixtures and installation. You may find it costs more to hire a professional to come in and do it for you. Fortunately, this type of project is one that can be done by you.
5. Change Old Hardware
As we mentioned above, painting your home’s cabinets and doors will give it a new look but that is not the only thing that you should be doing to revamp your home. In fact, changing out the hardware can drastically improve the way your home look. For example, switching out the current kitchen cabinet knobs for pull handles can make a difference. Before you choose which option to go with, you should determine what colors or materials will look best with your current cabinets.
The average cost to complete this job is anywhere from $100 to $500.
On a side note, do keep in mind that many hardware options at the big box store can be as low as only a buck or two for the handles; however, depending on the quality and size, can range up to $50 per piece.
6. Update Your Flooring
A new fresh floor may be just what your home needs. Let’s face it, stained or smelly carpet or peeling hardwood floors are NOT attractive and will definitely turn a prospective buyer away. If you have outdated or older flooring options in your home, you should give it a refresh. Hardwood floor and tile is usually preferable over carpet, but this does not mean that you have to ditch the carpet altogether. If you are unsure of what option to choose, weigh the procs and cons and if you are looking to sell, check out other similar listings nearby to see what type of flooring they had and how well the home sold.
The average cost of this project is anywhere between $1,400 and $4,500. Expert installation may cost you much more but in the end, if you do not have the skills or tools to install the flooring yourself, you should hire a professional so that the job gets done right.
One thing you do want to do is keep your flooring consistent between common areas to help them flow together. This also creates an illusion that the space is much bigger than it really is.
7. Upgrade Your Appliances
Getting rid of old appliances and upgrading to new ones can help boost your home’s value. For example, upgrading to a newer modern refrigerator and matching all your appliances together will increase the visual appeal in your home’s kitchen.
The average cost to replace all your appliances can range from $5,000 to $10,000 or more depending on what options you choose. For example, a high-end refrigerator with many features can run upwards of $2,000.
As you look at your appliances, consider the stove, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and refrigerator.
8. Upgrade the Kitchen as a Whole
An outdated kitchen is going to be a big turn off for buyers and the space will become increasingly discouraging for you. It can be difficult to cook in a kitchen that is not organized or is too small. Upgrading your kitchen space can make a world of difference but it can be a costly home improvement project. While some of the upgrades you can do yourself, you may want to consider hiring a professional, especially for some of the bigger repairs. You never know if your buyer will want to see that the work was done by a professional, so keep this in mind too.
One of the first areas to address includes the backsplash. Over time, backsplash can become dirty and worn down. Giving your kitchen a quick new look with backsplash will transform the look of it. You can customize the backsplash to match your kitchen’s look as well. This project can cost somewhere between $600 and $1,400.
A small sink is never a good thing, especially if you use a lot of pots and pans when you cook. A deeper sink is ideal and is an excellent kitchen upgrade that you can make. Not only do you want to consider the function of the sink but the aesthetics as well. You can expect a new sink to cost you somewhere between $200 and $700.
Adding in a kitchen island is a great way to add additional space and break up the look in the kitchen as well. Storage space in the kitchen can already be limited, so an island becomes appealing, especially when counterspace may be limited. One nice thing about kitchen islands is that you can customize them to have a sink built into them and more. You can expect a new kitchen island to cost you anywhere from $600 to $5,000.
Lastly, new countertops can take your kitchen from drab to fab. While you do not have to opt in for expensive marble countertops, you should upgrade old or scratched up counters. You have many options to choose from and should look into the durability, look, and even maintenance required. To replace your countertops, you can expect to pay anywhere between $35 to $125 per square foot of material and another few thousand dollars for the installation. This can be a very expensive upgrade, so do prepare yourself.
9. New Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans can help decrease your energy bill by as much as 20 percent in the summer months. Older ceiling fans can detract from the look of your home, especially if they look dated. Upgrading to new ceiling fans is important as they do serve a function in the home – to keep it cool. As you look for ceiling fans, you need to make sure that they are designed for the room you plan to cool down. The wrong ceiling fan is just as bad as an unsightly ceiling fan.
You can expect this project to cost anywhere from $130 to $375.
One way to modernize your home is to choose a ceiling fan that operates with a remote control. This offers convenience and looks nice.
10. Add Window Treatments
Many people underestimate the power of good window treatments and many others do not even have any types of window treatments. New blinds or shades are perfect for creating a welcoming and inviting space. Not only this, but they also allow light into the home and provide privacy when you want it most. You can choose from a variety of different options to include shutter style blinds, horizontal blinds, venetian blinds, and more.
The average cost for this project is anywhere from $200 to $1,300. You can do it for pretty cheap yourself. If you are not interested in adding a bunch of window treatments to your home, you can, at minimum replace the blinds. The simple upgrade will fare much better than just leaving old ones or broken ones.
11. Take Care of the Landscape
One of the first things that someone sees when they pull up to your home is the landscape and exterior of the house itself. You want to make a good impression and to do this, you need to make sure your home is up to par. This means that you need to think about your current landscape and what it looks like. Simply planting flowers, cutting the lawn, and making other small improvements can make a world of difference.
The cost to upgrade and redo your landscaping can run anywhere between $1,800 and $7,000 depending on how much work needs to be done. You can usually get away with making some cheaper upgrades and it may only cost you a few hundred dollars in the end to plant some new flowers.
Bottom Line
Upgrading your home can help you feel more comfortable in it and can grab the attention of potential buyers when you are looking to sell. The average homeowner should be doing home improvement projects around the house yearly to keep it up to date but we all know that it doesn’t always happen this way. There are many different ways you can boost the value of your home, and most can be done for quite cheap. Take some time to think about the areas of your home that can use an upgrade the most and then start there.