Whether you are planning to sell your home, or just want to make it more appealing and livable, the wisest thing to do is to make some fixes and upgrades quickly. Here are five essential, yet easy and affordable ways you can improve your house and boost its value.
Create Some Space
Adding room to your home can simply be a matter of creating the illusion of space. If you have any non-structural walls, consider knocking them out. Such a project will probably only cost a few hundred dollars at most, but it will transform your home, and give it a sense of flow and openness that is visually appealing. If your home is feeling overcrowded with stuff consider organizing the home from top to bottom and getting rid of anything you don’t absolutely need.
Let There be Lighting
The simple addition of a some well-placed light fixtures can greatly enhance the appeal and value of any room in your home. You should especially consider adding dimmer switches to fixtures for a more controlled feel of the atmosphere. Sun tubes are also excellent ways to improve the lighting. They are less expensive than skylights, and can be a great way to reduce your household electricity consumption.
Do a Quick Kitchen Makeover
Instead of spending a fortune on all-new kitchen cabinets, give the old ones a fresh coat of paint and some new hardware. Consider replacing your countertop and backsplash to complete the look. A fresh coat of paint on the kitchen walls and some attractive accent items, will also add value and pizzazz to an outdated kitchen.
Clean up the Flooring
What you and your house guests walk on shouldn’t be beneath your notice. Because most homeowners live day to day with their floors, they tend not to see that the wall-to-wall carpeting is dingy and worn, or that there are a number of chips and scratches on the hardwood flooring. A good professional cleaning will improve the look of your floor, but if the damage is bad enough, consider investing in a new floor. Even a new, modest-grade carpet, or wood floor has a higher perceived value than what you will pay for it.
Add Home Automation
No matter whether you live in a quiet rural area, or a bustling city such as Seattle, home automation is an important upgrade no homeowner should do without. “Getting home automation is something that will not only be a comfort for anyone living in the home, but can also raise home value.” says a professional at Vivint in Anchorage A. By taking advantage of superior wireless technology, you can control your HVAC, lighting, appliances, and home security system remotely through your smartphone, Internet browser, or web-enabled device.
You do not have to spend a fortune to make a really big difference in the value of your home. Just a small investment in time and money can help make your home more enjoyable for you and more appealing to future buyers.
