Are you getting ready to sell your home? If so, you’ll probably want to get the most money out of it as possible. However, if your home is behind the times or needs repairs, this may not be an option.
If you have the time and resources, you should consider making a few home improvements before putting it on the market. Investing some effort into your home in the right places could significantly increase its value.
The question is, what are the most valuable home improvements? Should you upgrade the master bathroom? What about building a garage?
Before you start throwing money into new house projects, take a minute to learn about how to raise a home’s value with the right home renovations. Keep reading for everything you need to know
1. Curb Appeal
The first impression buyers get from your house will be from the exterior. As they pull up into the driveway, are they going to like what they see? Does the exterior of the home motivate buyers to look inside?
Exterior Paint
Start with the exterior walls. If the paint is faded, peeling, or out-dated, it’s time for a makeover. Use neutral colors for mass appeal.
Feel free to use a color-pop on the door and/or windows, but keep it low-key. Don’t use abrasive, bright, or obtrusive colors that may turn buyers away.
Landscaping
Finally, because curb appeal is so important, one of the most valuable home improvements is updated landscaping. You don’t need to blow your budget creating intricate stone gardens and luxurious pools. However, a minimalistic and artistic approach to landscaping can prove to increase the value of your home, especially if you’re selling during the right time of the year.
Keep the vegetation neat and trimmed. Add shade trees and landscaping rocks to increase the depth and character of your yard. You can also plant flowers, add flower pots, or install a water feature.
Decks and Patios
A well-built deck with an overhead covering attached to the house is the ideal place for hosting barbeques and having group dinners outside. If you plan to build a deck, make sure it’s big enough to support several people, a table, chairs, and the grill or smoker.
However, if your backdoor opens out at ground level, you may want to consider building a patio out of elegant stones and/or tiles. These types of patios hold a massive appeal for homeowners looking to expand their outdoor living space.
Outdoor Features
Depending on how much money you want to invest in upgrading your private outdoor area, you can also look into popular features that prove to generate buyer interest and add value to homes.
Pools and hot tubs can be expensive additions that don’t provide a high return on investment. However, things’ like stone fire pits and outdoor kitchen can significantly raise a home’s value.
2. Fixtures and General Aesthetics
Learning how to rais a home’s value means learning how to divide your efforts. You don’t necessarily need to focus on one big project. Some of the most valuable home improvements are a collaboration of small efforts.
Walls
Inside your home, how do the walls look? Do they need repairs or new trim?
A fresh coat of paint is highly recommended before putting a home on the market.
If so, simply updating the paint job on the interior walls of the house can go a long way to raising the price. However, this means you need to have it painted professionally. A beautiful neutral wall color won’t have the same effect if you colored outside the lines and got paint on trim, window sills, and door frames.
Floors
Upgrading flooring is a great way to add value. Fresh carpet, vinyl, tile in the bathrooms, and even luxury vinyl plank, or hardwoods are great home additions. I would recommend removing any laminate flooring in the home. Laminate flooring products have fallen out of favor within the last 10 years.
On the other hand, failing to address floors that need replacing will motivate buyers to negotiate for a lower price. Presenting their homes with ugly flooring is a common maintenance mistake sellers make.
Fixtures
Other home improvements to raise value include replacing broken and outdated hardware through the house. These include:
- Light fixtures
- Door knobs/handles
- Drawer pulls
- Cabinet handles
- Sconces
- Outlets
- Ceiling fans
- And more
Collectively updating these fixtures throughout the home will make the home feel better cared for, modernized, and more valuable.
3. Upgrade the Kitchen
Easily, one of the most valuable home improvements you can make is to your kitchen. This is especially true if your current kitchen has out-dated appliances, bad lighting, poor space for entertaining, little storage room, etc. Most people consider the kitchen the heart of a home, it’s not a space to neglect.
Countertops
Granite, or in higher price points quartz, is a great way to add value to a home. One thing most upgraded homes have in common is granite countertops in the kitchen. An affordable, level-1 granite, is sufficient for the $250,000 and under price point. You don’t have to put granite in the baths though.
Appliances
Top-notch luxury appliances are great for getting attention from buyers, however, you’re unlikely to get back what you paid into them. Mid-range, stainless steel appliances are consistent with the look of a higher-end homes. Buyers respond positively to this choice.
Cabinets and Cupboards
We also recommend revamping your cabinets and cupboards. A fresh coat of paint and some modern hardware can go a long way to making your kitchen look more modern and high-end. Just make sure you choose a color scheme that goes with the rest of the house and kitchen.
Want More Advice on the Most Valuable Home Improvement and Other Real Estate Issues?
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