If you're planning on selling your home, you're likely looking for ways to boost the market value of the property. Often, this means spending money on remodeling projects, but, before you start looking for contractors, consider these inexpensive alternatives. While these projects may save money, you'll have to be prepared to get down and dirty, if you expect your efforts to affect the home's value.
Giving Your Kitchen and Bath That Extra Sparkle
One of the first thing homebuyers look at is the kitchen and bath, so it's important to ensure these rooms look their best. This can be problematic, because these areas are also more prone to stains. This is why doing some deep tile and grout cleaning can help you improve your home's worth. Since cement and ceramics are porous materials, substances from soft drinks and food spills in the kitchen to urine and vomit stains in the bathroom can mar and dull both the tiles and grout. Once you've scrubbed the grout and tiles with a quality cleaner, consider adding a sealant to prevent future stains.
Change or Touch Up the Color
Another inexpensive project is to repaint your walls. If you choose to paint the kitchen and bath, it might be better to do this, before you clean those tiles and grout. If you have deep colors on your walls, switching to light neutral colors may go over better with potential buyers. While painting just one room may represent a considerable investment in time and labor, it is relatively inexpensive. You can usually pick up a couple gallons of paint for under $50, while brushes, rollers, and other supplies shouldn't cost you more than an additional $20 to $30.
Add Low-Maintenance Landscaping
While you could leave this to professionals, you can save a bit of money by tending to your yard yourself. In addition to ensuring the lawn is kept short and the edges are trimmed, consider lining the exterior of your home with fresh plants and shrubs. When shopping for the right shrubs or plants, look for items that won't require frequent watering and those that are indigenous to your area.
Plant a Tree
If you don't already have a tree in your yard, or if there is room for more, consider this option to add value to your home. Adding a tree improves the property's market value for a number of reasons. First, it provides a shaded area for outdoor entertaining and helps to keep the home cooler in the summer months. This will reduce cooling costs, which will be a concern for potential buyers. Additionally, you'll be helping the environment by giving area wildlife a welcome habitat, which they will prefer over nesting on your roof, in your gutters, or near windows.
Declutter Your Property
If you're like most people, you've amassed a sizable collection of odds and ends, most of which simply sit around gathering dust. When you're ready to sell the home, you'll have to move all of these things out to help you present the home in all of its glory. Take the items you don't use and sell them, give them away, or store them in a self-storage unit. By moving these things off the property, potential buyers will be able to get a better impression of the dimensions of each room and can inspect the house more accurately.
Inspect Your Home's Systems
For this, you might need the assistance of experienced technicians. Arrange for inspections of your HVAC system, hot water tank, septic tank, plumbing, electrical system, and any other systems responsible for maintaining your home. Learn ways to conduct preventative maintenance on your own and update any equipment that may be at risk of failure. In addition to improving the home's value, this will also help keep your own family safe and comfortable.
Once you've done all you can do to improve the appearance and functionality of your home, it may be time to consider more costly renovations. Before making any drastic changes, however, you should consult your real estate agent to ensure your plans will actually boost the home's value. Whether you're spending money, or simply investing time and labor, you want to ensure your efforts will be rewarded with a return on investment.
