Affordable Upgrades That Boost Home Value

A home that’s in pristine condition will do well at attracting the eyes of buyers and impressing them enough to put in an offer. If your home could use a little sprucing up, make sure you do what you have to do to bring it up to par before it even hits the market.

But you don’t necessarily have to break the bank to make sure your home is in tip-top shape. There are certain tasks that you can do that cost very little compared to the return they can bring. The following upgrades can easily be done on a tight budget to boost the value of your home and bring in large profits come sale time.

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Update Your Hardware and Fixtures

Never underestimate the power in the details. Simply replacing a few light fixtures, kitchen cabinet handles, door knobs, faucets, and outlet covers can go a long way in breathing new life into your home. This is one of the most affordable and effective ways to enhance the look of your house, and make a big selling impact to buyers.

Paint

With a couple of hundred bucks worth of paint, you can completely change the look of your home’s interior and hike up its value. In fact, painting can bring as much as a 112% return on investment, making it worth your time and money. By freshening up the walls and repainting them in a neutral color, buyers can better see the potential of your home with a clean slate.

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Change the Front Door

For less than $1,000, you can make a huge impact on the curb appeal of your home simply by changing the front door. If the one you presently have is looking a little tired, replacing it with a new one can make a massive difference to the look and feel of your home.

If you don’t want to sink money into a new door, consider refacing it instead. Sand it down, repaint it, add a new door handle, hang a decorative wreath, and add a ‘welcome’ mat to completely transform the esthetics of your door. 

Add Shrubs and Flowers to the Landscaping

Curb appeal speaks volumes. In addition to a new or refaced door, consider grooming your lawn. Sounds like a no-brainer, but your grass should be cut and the weeds should be pulled. While you’re at it, plant some shrubs and flowers, and trim and dead branches or leaves off the trees. What buyers look at when they first approach your home is critical. Changes like these can instantly change their viewpoint of your home and boost its value.

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Replace the Kitchen Counters

In the world of real estate, the kitchen is typically considered the most important room in a house. A completely new kitchen would obviously add a ton of value to a home, but it’s often an extremely expensive endeavor. You don’t necessarily have to go all out to make an impact on buyers and boost your home’s value. If the counters are old and dated, you can quickly and easily switch them up for something a little more modern, like granite.

Years ago, granite was typically only reserved for wealthy homeowners, but these days, the cost of this gorgeous material has come down quite a bit. Depending on the size of the surface area, the average granite countertop costs around $50 to $100 per square foot. For 8 feet of counter space, you can easily change your counters for less than $1,000.

Reface the Kitchen Cabinets

Considering how important the kitchen is to the value of a home, anything you can do to spruce it up would be extremely helpful. Refacing the cabinet doors is an excellent way to improve the look of this space. With a little elbow grease, you can sand down and repaint your cabinets in a new color that will make it look as if you’ve completely gutted the place.

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Replace the Toilet

Aside from the kitchen, the bathroom is another room in the home that plays a key role in its overall value. Replacing an outdated, cracked, ugly toilet can have a big effect on your bathroom. Get rid of that old thing and get yourself a stylish, environmentally-friendly one for a couple hundred bucks.

Reface the Bathtub

An old, dingy bathtub is enough to turn anyone’s stomach. If that sounds eerily like the one you have, it’s time to reglaze it. Luckily, this doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. For a few hundred dollars, you can totally reface your tub and bring it back to its original luster, or better.

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Add New Window Coverings

If your windows are still covered with tacky aluminum blinds, they’ve got to go. Nothing makes a room look more modern than brand new window treatments. If your windows are standard-sized, you’ll have an easy time finding blinds that fit like a glove. You can even get yourself pairs of curtain panels from stores like Target for anywhere between $15 to $40 each.

Pinpoint all the components of your home that could use a facelift, and apply any one of the above tips to make the necessary changes to increase your home’s value and impress buyers. With a few hundred dollars and a little elbow grease, you can make a big impact on your home that will translate into more money at the negotiating table.