Increasing the value of your home is usually a long-term effort. Most homeowners spend 10-15 years living in a home and watching their investment appreciate.
However, if you are moving and selling your home soon, here are some quick home improvement projects to increase the value of your home. Each of these projects takes between a few hours to a few weeks to complete. But the impact they have on your home’s value is both significant and lasting.
Install Smart Technology
Smart home devices allow homeowners to control different functions through an app or the device itself. Some devices manage a single function in your home. For example, a smart thermostat controls the temperature automatically, keeping you comfortable while saving you money on your energy bill.
Other smart home devices manage a number of functions, from security cameras to lights to appliances. Such smart systems usually require a “hub” from which you can manage settings and fine tune functionality. The Amazon Echo and Google Nest both allow homeowners to place video calls, shop, control a television and more. Extend control to lighting, heating and air conditioning or security systems by connecting them to the hub.
Installing and connecting these smart devices can be done in a few hours over the weekend. The devices themselves may not increase home value directly. But the energy savings, increased security and overall modernized feel may appeal to prospective home buyers.
Kitchen Upgrades
Upgrading your stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave to stainless steel may not significantly increase the selling price of your home. However, new home buyers cite a modern kitchen as one of their most desired home features. And stainless steel appliances help create that impression.
Countertops and cabinets
If you truly want to boost your home value through kitchen upgrades, consider coupling new stainless steel appliances with quartz or granite countertops and resurfaced cabinet doors and drawers. That may feel like a major remodeling project. But an experienced pro can do the work in a surprisingly short amount of time.
Of course, many homeowners prefer to DIY. However, if you want to make upgrades quickly, a kitchen remodeling contractor can replace countertops in just a couple days. And depending on the size of your kitchen, a pro can resurface your cabinets in less than a week.
Most importantly, these kitchen upgrades can lift the value of your home by 3 to 7 percent!
Replace Carpets with Hardwood Floors
Another highly in-demand feature cited by new home buyers is hardwood flooring. Well-kept hardwood floors last longer than carpeting and are arguably easier to clean. They can also convey an impression of luxury and elegance.
However, don’t underestimate the difficultly of ripping out your old carpets and installing hardwood floors yourself. It is time-consuming and back-breaking work and one DIY mistake can be quite costly.
Instead, consider hiring a flooring pro. They can replace the flooring in a single room in a just a few days. But don’t forget to factor in additional time for unfinished wood to acclimate to the climate. Doing so decreases the risk of problems with warping or cracking in the future.
Add a Coat of Paint
You can give any room in your home a simple and cost-effective facelift by patching up and painting the walls. But here are a couple of things to consider before laying drop cloths and slapping paint on the walls.
First, consider the purpose of the room, as paints come in a variety of sheens, or finishes. Sheens vary in shine and durability and you’ll want to choose the one that best suits the particular painting project.
Choosing a paint sheen
High-gloss finishes are the most durable and best for door and window trim or cabinets and drawers. In other words, anything you frequently touch or handle. But they’re also quite shiny and may not be the best choice for interior walls, particularly in bright, sunlit rooms.
Semi-gloss is also fairly durable and good for trim. It is also suitable for kitchen or bathroom walls which see their share of moisture, wear and tear.
Satin isn’t a shiny as high gloss or semi-gloss but is still durable and relatively easy to clean. Family rooms, children’s bedrooms and other high traffic areas like foyers and hallways are good choices for a satin finish.
Eggshell and flat or matte finishes offer the least amount of luster while providing the best coverage. These paint finishes are great for walls that aren’t expected to require frequent scrubbing, such as bedrooms or office spaces.
Be colorful
Second, while many real estate agents recommend neutral colors like grey, beige or off-white, some rooms can benefit from a splash of color. Consider how the paint color may complement your floors, countertops and cabinets in a kitchen or bathroom. Accent walls can provide contrast and depth to an otherwise bland space.
According the the real estate site Zillow, the right paint color can make a difference of thousands of dollars in the sale price of your home.
Paint isn’t just for walls
Don’t forget there are other surfaces besides walls that can benefit from a fresh coat of paint! Garage floors, shutters, doors and other overlooked surfaces are places where a pop of color can draw the eye and improve a prospective home buyer’s favorable impression of the home.
Of course, if your not sure which sheen to use or don’t have the time to do it yourself, hire a local painter to take care of the job.
Improve Curb Appeal
As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. And a prospective home buyer gets that first impression before they ever step foot inside your house.
Power washing vs. Pressure washing
One thing that’s both quick and relatively inexpensive is power or pressure washing the exterior of your home. Though the terms are used interchangeably, power and pressure washing are slightly different. Power washing uses heated water, good for removing mold, salt, grease and other materials that adhere to a surface. Pressure washing still uses an intense stream of water to clear away dirt and grime, but the water isn’t heated.
Landscaping ideas
Beyond cleaning the exterior of your home, there are also a few simple projects you can do yourself to boost it’s curb appeal, such as trimming overgrown shrubs and trees or planting colorful flower beds. A new storm door or some paint touch ups to shutters or fencing make a world of difference and can be done in just a few hours or a day’s time.
If you have more time or money to invest, add a deck or rework your backyard landscaping around a patio. A backyard oasis, with a barbecue grill or fire pit and LED string lighting, appeals to younger home buyers who like to entertain.
Don’t Forget the Bathrooms
Because the bathroom exists primarily for utilitarian reasons, it often gets overlooked for home value upgrades. Simple improvements, like re-grouting tile or re-glazing the bathtub can make an old and worn out room shine like new.
Eco-friendly fixtures
On a slightly larger scale, consider replacing faucets and fixtures with eco-friendly models. Faucets, toilets and showerheads labeled Watersense use water 20 percent more efficiently than similar, non-Watersense labeled products. There are plenty of elegant, eco-friendly products on the market that improve the look and feel of the bathroom while still saving you money by using less water.
A professional plumber can replace your toilet, faucets or upgrade an entire vanity in just a day or two.
Increase the Value of Your Home with HomeExpert
If you’re so inspired and ready to tackle these home improvement projects to increase the value of your home, go for it! But if you’d prefer to hire a contractor to take on these or other upgrades, HomeExpert is here to help. Find a contractor near you, compare estimates, read reviews and increase your home’s value with HomeExpert!
