How To Increase The Value of Your Home
Increasing the value of your home is not too difficult of a task. Anyone can do it with a little planning and surprisingly low budget. This is usually done before you plan to sell your house or obtain a mortgage for it. One of the most important things before you apply yourself to this task is to understand the point of view of the buyer or evaluator.
The buyer or evaluator would look for value for money. Hence, you would need to impress them with your property well enough to offer you what you want or more. How do you that? There are two ways for increasing the value of your home – one is cosmetic and the other is real. Both are important when you want to add value to your home. However, a little cosmetic redo would be quite sufficient to raise the price a few notches.
What Is Cosmetic Remodeling?
This is one of the most critical aspects of increasing the value of your home, yet one that is most ignored. You need to have your home showcased for the buyer or evaluator. You need to have it displayed in the best light possible. The best offer – and sometimes any offer – would depend whether the person is impressed by the look of the house or not. The best way to achieve this is by beautifying the outside of the house:
Landscaping – If you have any courtyard make sure you landscape it into a simple, yet very attractive garden. If there is a lawn ensure that is maintained well, trimmed and green and that it adds to the beauty of the home. Any types of flowers would increase the appeal.
Fences – Pay close attention to the fences. A worn out, broken, scattered fence would create a poor impression. Have the fence fixed, painted and maintained in a flawless condition. The house should look as if it is lived in and well maintained. If you find that the fence is too costly to repair, remove it altogether to give the house a neat appearance.
Front door – Ensure that the front door looks great. It should appear both inviting and secure. If it is shabby and broken it would not appeal to the buyer. Take a close look at it. Would you like to live in a house with a front door like that? Repair the door, have it painted, and ensure that it looks as opulent as the building.
Drive ways – carefully clean the driveways and courtyards and remove all the junk that it might have been piled up in the past years when you lived there. Have the place cleaned so it looks neat and appealing.
Exteriors – have the walls scrapped and painted in appealing colors. This is an investment that would pay you back manifold. Ensure that the windows are clean, painted and the knobs are polished or new. Pay close attention to how the roof looks and do the needful so it is appealing to anyone who looks up at it.
As you can see increasing the value of your home is not very difficult. Just pay attention to the small exterior details and ensure that you have showcased your home in the best way possible.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Thanks for the great advice- We’re getting ready to sell our home and it’s amazing how easy it is to overlook these items. (I guess when you’ve lived somewhere for 5 years, you get really used to it.)
Chris
May 12th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Be careful so it is not overbudget.
May 24th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I am afraid because that will consume a lot of money so for some people that is not a good idea to spend before selling.
May 28th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Make sure older landscaping is trimmed and maintained. Re fresh mulch or gravel used for trim. Use a little Weed be Gone and kill dandelions to help give the yard a nice clean look. Also keeping the yard clutter free of toys and things will improve your curb appeal.