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13 Things Do To Increase The Value Of Your

Even though sales of existing homes are currently slowing, the amount of money that people are throwing into home renovations continues to boom. But before you roll up your sleeves and start tackling projects, you need to know which ones will boost your home’s value and which could just wind up costing you a fortune with little return. They can help you understand which home renovations will bring you the greatest return — and realtors will typically give you such advice for free. It’s easy to get carried away with interior renovations, but it’s just as important to remember the outside of your house.
10 Ways To Increase Home Value | Duration 3 Minutes 12 Seconds For instance, you could paint your front door a bright color that contrasts with the siding and trim, plant colorful flowers in eye-catching containers, or upgrade the exterior lighting with chic lanterns or pendant lights. Countertops and shelves should be relatively bare with just some simple yet striking decor accessories. A good stager will be able highlight all the best features of your home and minimize the flaws. The cost of staging varies depending on where you live, but it’s money well spent considering that an expertly staged home will likely draw in more offers. Be sure to keep up with regular home maintenance so that the things you need to fix don’t become eyesores. Choose neutral colors that will appeal to the average person and brighten up the room. If you decide to make an even bigger investment, you could install solar panels. But with kitchen remodels, the costs of upgrades can add up quickly. You can do a lot of kitchen upgrades yourself, such as painting and swapping out drawer pulls. Purchase new towels or replace a tacky medicine cabinet from the ‘70s with a contemporary chrome or brass mirror. Not only do smart devices increase the efficiency of a home, but they add in an extra level of security as well. If you do add some nifty smart-home features to your home, be sure your real estate agent is on board and will tout the bonuses to potential buyers. Get your inspection reports done before you hit the market, not at the last minute. But once you’ve made it, the financial commitment doesn’t end there. Is installing a new roof with solar panels worth it? Whether you’re thinking of buying a new house or putting your current home on the market, it’s important to figure out what will bring you the biggest bang for your buck.

Top 10 Ways To Increase The Value Of Your Home | Duration 10 Minutes 39 Seconds Walk through your home and clear out anything that isn’t essential. Your realtor can usually recommend a professional stager who has had successful results in the past. If they see dry rot in the eaves or a small retaining wall that’s leaning, they’ll immediately be put off. Plus, if you decide to pick up that paint can yourself instead of hiring a professional, it’s relatively inexpensive. After all, the kitchen is the heart of your home — and the place where most buyers will look first when they’re determining whether or not they like a house. You’ll need to assess how much a revamp will cost versus how much you think you’ll get out of it once your home hits the market. But you’ll likely require some help for the bigger improvements. Make small improvements to a bathroom that will cost you very little money. The inspection reports will uncover anything you didn’t see that you could possibly get fixed for a lot less ahead of time.

5 Remodels That Make Good Resale Value Sense — and 5 That Don’t by houzz.com

I couldn’t afford to add a 6 foot extension to the side of my house. Also interesting are the comments about replacing worn carpets, countertops, and appliances. Buyers expect a home to come with functioning, non-obsolete appliances, countertops and flooring that have some life left in them. Best advice anyone can get about what to replace them with: they shoul d match the house and be what is the minimum buyers expect. Buyers expect stainless steel appliances, quartz or granite countertops, and hardwood flooring. You do what you can afford and hopefully that’s enough to make you happy. However, they are as solid as they come, have slide out shelving, and are solid wood.

Strategies To Increase Appraisal Value by investopedia.com

You’ll want to do these tasks anyway if you’re selling your home, so you might as well get started. Unless your yard, if you have one, is a total disaster, investing in elaborate landscaping is usually a waste of money. The appraiser may not be as familiar with your area as you are and could miss a comp that would work to your benefit. But don’t make major improvements now in hopes of increasing your home’s appraisal or resale value. But a little clean-up can be worth the weekend or two it might take. But don’t over-invest in renovations based on boosting your home’s value because you probably won’t recoup what you spend.

The Renovations That Up Your Home’S Value and The Ones That Don’t by lifehacker.com

But when it comes to increasing your home’s appraisal value, the answer to them isn’t always a resounding yes. Details can also make a difference, like putting shiny knobs on cabinets and purchasing a sparkling new faucet for the sink. Want more ideas on how to renovate your home in a green way? And what about installing high-tech speakers—throughout the house? Or they can be large, like double- or triple-paning your windows. Once you start embedding wine refrigerators or bookshelves and customizing the space’s structure, the room becomes less valuable, because the next owner may not want to spend money renovating that room. Plus, wood floors tend to be easier to clean, they don’t show as much dirt and they’re better for family members who suffer from allergies. They believe that financial planning should not be a luxury, which is why they’ve developed an advice-driven program that is personalized to your specific financial goals and situation.

50 Proven Ways To Dramatically Increase The Value Of Your Investment Property Instantly by onproperty.com.au

The house next door came on the market so we got the real estate agent who was selling that house to value our home. Whether you plan on selling it or just want to get the bank to revalue your property and open up some equity for you. The more people that want your property and the higher the demand for your property the higher the price. Different areas attract different people, and different people want different things. Your market will depend on two things, firstly your area and secondly on the type of property you own. If they want open plan living then don’t box in all the different living rooms, open it up. If they want a 4 bedroom house not a 3 bedroom house then find out if you can add an extra bedroom and do it. You want your potential buyers to imagine themselves living in your property…now. Make your house look immaculate and make it appeal to the widest market (neutral colours and what the market wants). Each room had ornaments and picture frames of that rooms colour. When increasing the value of your investment property be careful not to renovate it to your specific taste. Grab and pen and paper (or a fresh word document if you prefer writing on the computer) and note down the strategies that you can apply to increase the value of your investment property. Good street appeal makes people imagine a good interior and bad street appeal makes people imagine a bad interior (and a cheaper property).

5 Inexpensive Ways To Increase Your Home Value By Up To 20% | Duration 1 Minutes 20 Seconds Go through your area and choose the houses that you think look the best. The different shades compliment each other and invite you in. It can often be a good idea to add some colour to the back yard. You can also save money by painting the fence yourself and not getting the builder to paint it. Painting your roof can make it look almost brand new and replacing broken tiles will take away the eye sore and the concern of your buyers. The interior has a big job to do and this is an area that most people fail to successfully improve. Even if your interior is a nice colour it is likely to be dirty. When painting the interior you need to remember that whoever buys your house is going to repaint it anyway. Your goal is to make the house appeal to as many of your potential buyers as possible. This isn’t the case any more, feature walls wont have the impact they used to have. You need to give people what they want, trends tell you what people want. Wall paper has been dead so long that maggots have eaten the flesh off it and all that is left is a couple of bones of what used to be a trend. Hire a wall paper remover steam gun and take it off the walls. Granted, there are rare circumstances where wall paper is trendy. Remember, you want to make your property appeal to the most buyers possible. You don’t want your buyers thinking about the things that drive the value of the proprety down. Fresh flooring will help to put the buyer in the right mindset.

5 Ways To Boost Home Value Without Remodeling | Duration 4 Minutes 18 Seconds If you have carpet over tiles or floorboards you may want to think about ripping it up and showing what is underneath. Why then do investors feel like they need to rip out a bathroom and do a full renovation when they don’t like the colour or when the bathroom is a little dated? Yes there is now paint that you can use on tiles and even in your shower! We tend to avoid painting the floor tiles as dirt sticks to paint fairly easy and the floors would get filthy very quickly. You can also paint the vanity, add new modern handles to the vanity and put new modern towel racks in the bathroom. They now have paint that can go over the shiniest of laminates. There are now companies that can replace almost any kitchen top with a granite bench top. If it stands out like a sore thumb it is time to replace it with something that blends in to your new modern style kitchen. I want to show you 50 surefire ways that you can dramatically increase the value of your property without having to spend a lot of money. My parents had split and it was time to sell the house and share the profits. The house next door to ours was extremely similar to ours so the valuation on our property was going to be pretty accurate. This is an exhaustive list that will take you a while to consume. Things like restumping, structural work, electrics and other things that the average buyer can’t see just buy looking will cost you more than they add you in value. If less people want your property then there is little chance of creating a bidding war and people who do make an offer will have time to haggle. Someone buying a one bedroom apartment in the city wants something different to a young family in the suburbs. Talk to your real estate agent and ask what people are looking for in your type of property. If they want a backyard then don’t pave your entire backyard to make a courtyard. Give the people what they want and they will be more than happy to pay for it. Bold colours may put off the buyers and stop them imaging themselves in your property and that will make them not want to buy. Banks are in the business of making money and one of the ways they do that is they lower their risk by undervaluing properties.

Renovating A Small Kitchen On A Budget | Marble.Com | Duration 7 Minutes 41 Seconds You need to make them value your property at the highest amount. One room was red, one was green, one was blue, on was pink and the staircase was orange. I thought this would be hideous and ugly but my coworker was talking about how beautiful her house was. Your taste may be beautiful to you and ugly to everyone else. Each house needs different work and you need to work out what will increase the value of your specific property. You want to make people want to own your house before they have even seen the inside and you do this by creating great street appeal. Wouldn’t you rather them imagine a interior of great value that they would want to pay more for rather than a disgusting interior they wouldn’t even bother visiting let alone buying? We loved cotton candy as a kid but that doesn’t mean we want to live in a cotton candy house as adults. The front garden contributes to the overall “look” of the house from the street so make it look clean, taken care of and give it plants that are trendy but that look low maintenance. If your roof is extremely rusty or has huge gaps in the tiles then potential buyers will be aware of this and they may assume that the roof needs serious work, and then may steer away from your property or lower the price they are willing to pay. This will help to increase the value or your property, or at least stop potential buyers from decreasing the value of it. A new coat of paint will freshen up the walls and make the space look bigger and more inviting. Your goal is not to create to perfect paint job for the one person who does buy the house. In the 2000’s it was trendy to give every room a feature wall. Buy some of the latest home style magazines and look at the current trends. If you have a property that has wallpaper, or a mural on the wall, then get rid of it. You want them to be thinking of the things that makes your property valuable. People know they can always put carpet over floorboards, but it is harder to put floorboard under carpet. But painting the wall tiles generally makes the floor look not as bad so it doesn’t need to be changed. You can revitalize it on the cheap and still add a lot of value to your property. If you have a great house with a grotty kitchen then you are missing out on dollars you could be putting in your pocket. You can also paint the doors if you don’t want to replace them. At the time of writing, long brushed stainless steel handles are quite a good option. They simply put it straight over the top of your current bench top. Old, broken, moldy tap fittings w ill make your kitchen look old. This is more an area of the old will reduce value, rather than the new will increase value, so don’t go overboard. It is quite a long post as it covers some basic principles as well as 10 specific strategies for increasing the value of your property.

Remodeling: 6 Improvements To Increase Value by armsmcgregor.com

Dreaming of stainless this and marble that, with a dash of hip color? Some projects will protect your dollars more than others, especially if you’re planning to sell in a few years. We sifted through years of past results and aggregated the numbers to get an idea of what projects made the most of your dollars year after year. Year in and year out, replacing your old front door with a new steel door is a project that kicks up curb appeal and yields the best payback. Eighty-two percent of homeowners said their updated kitchen gave them a greater desire to be at home, and 95% were happy or satisfied with the result. You’ll gain living space without having to add on to your home’s footprint — the walls, floor, and ceiling already exist. That’s especially good news if you’re thinking about selling your house. Vinyl siding is low-cost, durable, and easy to install, and it hits all the right notes when it comes to getting a return on your home improvement dollars. Today’s vinyl siding includes fade-resistant finishes and transferrable lifetime warranties that are much better than the 10-year guarantees of just two decades ago. But a minor kitchen remodel — one that keeps a lid on costs by refacing instead of replacing cabinets, and includes new flooring, countertops, and modestly priced appliances — is an ever-popular project. But a treetop boudoir is much more than a daydream — it’s a good investment.

How To Add Value To Your Home: The Definitive Guide by theadvisory.co.uk

Again, estate agents that know your road well will be able to advise you of the maximum you can expect to achieve in your particular area. While it might love to have extra reception space, if the demand in your area is for an extra en-suite bedroom, that’s where you’ll see a real uplift in the value of your house. As a rough guide, redecoration and minor upgrades to fittings are easy to do and can add real value for little cost or at least make your home easier to sell. What people don’t like is something ‘in between’ that’s half finished. Essentially, anything that materially improves the structure and infrastructure of your home – the larger projects that are considered costly and disrupt day-to-day living in the property – will either be something buyers want to do themselves or will want done to show home standards. If your property is a three bed and demand for that is high, creating a four or five bed in an area where there are plenty to choose from won’t necessarily add any value. This is one of the most commonly-asked questions when it comes to home improvements. Generally speaking, the key is to head for something in the middle, that suits the style and price bracket of your home. While buyers are bound to be impressed (or hate it!) it’s not something they’ll be willing to pay extra for at that price point in the market. It’s about finding a balance and seeking expert local knowledge to make the decision of what you should – and shouldn’t – do. The main interest you’re likely to see is from people in the market for a 3-bedroom home who hope they might be able to get a lot more space for not much more money. As a general rule of thumb, if something needs doing in a property, owner-occupier buyers tend to overreact and knock more than the actual cost of doing the work or worse, decide not to offer at all. So for ‘big ticket’ items like kitchens and bathrooms, you can add value if they’re dated, unless of course the demand from buyers is for a ‘wreck’ to renovate as opposed to a ‘show home’. Older properties will often have up to four bedrooms with only one bathroom and that’s just not enough for modern needs. People rarely use front gardens these days, so turning what frontage you have into off-road parking, in an area where most people have to park on the road, can make your property much more desirable. While it won’t necessarily give you a huge profit, it’s certainly worth running the figures to see the diff erence between doing the work and selling and just securing planning and selling. This should give you a picture of which projects seem to be worthwhile so you can make an initial decision on whether your plans make sense. They are dealing with buyers every day, so really are the best people to advise you on what’s most in demand and what people are willing to pay for various improvements. If potential buyers see you take care of the surface of the property, they’re likely to have fewer concerns about the fabric of it. That’s likely to be seen as a downside and reduce your chances of getting your money back. As such, worth calling in a trusted friend or family member to critique your home and help you see it through the eye’s of prospective buyers. It can be amended and resubmitted at any time, so the works you propose are not set in stone. Take, for example, gaining planning permission for a two-storey extension on a semi-detached home: the architect’s fee for drawing up plans and submitting the planning application should be in the region of £2, 000 [7]. Don’t forget, planning permission is only half the work involved in extending, building control is a major feature of the project and you need to cost this in from the start if you intend to complete the build yourself. Below 80 years, mortgage lenders and solicitors start to become hesitant to proceed, whereas if you can negotiate a decent extension that can add value and make for a quicker and easier sale. The additional borrowing is generally spread over the remaining lifetime of your existing mortgage and by financing the project in this way, you can benefit if you have a low interest rate on the loan, as it’s secured on the property. Because the loan is unsecured, it also means your home is not necessarily at risk if you default. You may also find that because they are offering ‘interest free’ the cost of the works is higher. On the other hand, if you have a family home with a very small garden, it may be well worth trying to secure some extra land to make it larger and more suitable for the house. Unlike building regulations, which are nationally consistent, planning regulations tend to vary from one local authority to another, so it’s vital you consult your own planning department as early as possible in the process. Often, people will initially apply for something larger than they intend to build so that they can be fairly sure their final application will be accepted, but seek advice from local experts who work with the planning department on a daily basis. You should get a decision within eight weeks from submission of your application. Both you and the contractor carrying out the work are responsible for ensuring the works comply. In todays more ‘transparent’ world, there are no excuses for instructing a ‘cowboy’ builder. In many cases, both your architect and a planning consultant should be able to give you some good advice on the best way to carry out the improvements to get the greatest uplift in value. Ideally, get a fixed price for the whole project or at least a specified contingency so you know what your maximum spend will be. Always hold back 10% at the end of the job until you’ve ‘snagged’ and are happy that the work has been carried out properly. It must not be higher than the eaves and ridge of the existing house. Around £8, 000 for an average property worth around £250, 000. Every road can be its own micro market, so make sure you’re not investing more than it’s possible to recoup on the sale price. Does it add value or just make your home easier to sell? People tend to look for either a ‘show home’ to buy where they have little work to do or a wreck. Adding extra usable space to the property – either through extension or conversion – can give a good return, as can replacing things like the heating system, windows and kitchens and bathrooms. Whether extra space adds value or not very much depends on local demand. While most people are looking to keep their outlay as low as possible, there’s a fine balance between not spending too much and achieving a look that doesn’t scream ‘cheap’. The biggest mistake you can make with your choice of fittings is to overspend on a modest home – for example, fitting solid marble work surfaces in the kitchen of a modern, 3-bedroom semi-detached property. If the property already has a large dining kitchen and two reception rooms, building another ‘snug’ or ‘den’ is highly unlikely to add value in the same way as if you added an en-suite bedroom, for example. Be very careful that you don’t exceed the price ‘ceiling’ for the type and size of property in your area. People looking for – and willing to pay for – a 6-bedroom home may well want to live in a more prestigious neighbourhood, alongside other similar sized homes. Bathrooms, in particular, are becoming increasingly important. Adding a family bathroom can increase a property’s value by around 5%[2] and, even if it means taking space away from a bedroom, adding an en-suite is a good move in the majority of cases. However, these are all ‘anecdotal’ figures, adding value depends very much on local demand and supply factors. So, if you really enjoy a jacuzzi bath, by all means put one in, but don’t expect other people to consider that it has any particular value. Again, advice from quality local estate agents will be invaluable here. For example adding solar panels rarely adds real value to a property (they are a turn off for many buyers) but can reduce your utilities bills of course. But remember, these are ‘average’ returns, they are not guaranteed and very much depend on the local demand in your area for property. Look at the historical sales data for those properties and get a feel for how much the improved properties have increased in value versus the unimproved ones. Cost out the work in as much detail as you can and see how the uplift in value compares to the spend. The other expert who should be able to guide you if it is a major project is your architect, assuming they’re experienced in conducting projects locally. It will certainly make you home more saleable and can even add up to 10% to the value of your home [6]. This is not always the case but it is something to watch out for. Or contact an independent financial advisor because if you’re spending tens of thousands of pounds this is just the kind of thing they can help you make the right decision on. While you might think more land would automatically increase the value of your home, that’s only true if a buyer wants it! You could make a neighbour an offer for a portion of their garden, buy a piece of adjoining land from the council or approach a farmer or landowner about extending your boundary into what’s currently their field. So it’s better to apply for full planning permission, even if the plans you submit are not necessarily what ends up being built. Because there are so many little reasons why a planning committee might refuse an application, it’s a good idea to work with an experienced local planning consultant, who knows how the council works and can help ensure your application has the greatest chance of success. You should approach them before any building works get underway, so they can advise of the standards that need to be met. As such, if you want to extend your property, you will need to double check initially whether you will be building over their pipework. Although paying cash can save you money on your build, if it goes wrong it means you have no guarantees or warranties to protect you and put the work right, even if the tradesperson falls sick or goes bust. For the other specialists you’ll need on the team, the most important thing is that they have experience in the type of project you’re carrying out, ideally in the local area.

Amazon: N Kitchenware Collection Ceramic Marble Wok 5 Layer Marble Coating Extreme Non Stick Marble by amazon.com

Non stick is superb and its handle weight does not tip it over when on the stove grid. Id say it is versatile and can replace some older flat pans that splash over when cooking saiad things. Great for single serving size and for most two serving dishes. But it could be thicker especially at the bottom so it can hold heat longer and more evenly. Non-stick doesn’t begin to describe how easy this is to clean. Non-stick doesn’t begin to des cribe how easy this is to clean. The frying pan came first, and we loved it so much we got a wok. The finish on all 3 pans has held up wonderfully, even though they’re all used several times a week (at least once a day in the case of this saucepan). Can also fry up 2 lbs of bacon in it very evenly, just stir as it cooks. Got the smallest size and cook everything from bacon and eggs, to stir fry, a lb of hamburg, rib eye and mushrooms. Between the wonderful surface and not having metal rivets inside, it really does just wipe clean. Then we loved the wok so much we got this smaller saucepan/wok.

Improvement: 10 Cheap Fixes To Increase The Value Of Your by bankrate.com

For a few hundred dollars, you can replace the kitchen faucet set, add new cabinet door handles and update old lighting fixtures with brighter, more energy-efficient ones. Next to the kitchen, bathrooms are often the most important rooms to update. You can install the new floor right over the old one,” she says. A more complete cover-up is a prefabricated tub and shower surround. In the end, your closets will be more functional while you’re living in the house and will make your home look more customized to potential buyers when you’re ready to sell. A professional carpet cleaning is an inexpensive investment, especially if your rugs are in good shape and are neutral colors. Unless it is truly hideous, most real estate agents don’t suggest replacing wall-to-wall carpeting right before you sell your house. Florida to add wood-grain doors to a home’s entry or garage. After it dries, she brushes over the base coat with a cherry wood stain. Although it sounds obvious, a nicely mowed lawn, a few well-placed shrubs and a swept walkway makes a great first impression. If you don’t have a green thumb, consider hiring a landscaper to install some new sod, plant a few evergreen shrubs and give your front yard a good cleanup. Our experts have been helping you master your money for four decades. The actual cost and payback for each project can vary, depending on both your home’s condition and overall real estate market values in your region of the country. Potential home buyers make a beeline for this room when they first view a home for sale, so make sure your kitchen looks clean and reasonably updated. If you’ve got a slightly larger budget, you can give the cabinets themselves a makeover. The room had a white dishwasher, microwave and wall oven mixed with other pieces that were stainless steel with black trim. I had to do was unscrew two screws, slide out the panel and flip it around. Moran also suggests replacing an old, discolored bathroom floor with easy-to-apply vinyl tiles or a small piece of sheet vinyl. If your tub and shower are looking dingy, consider re-grouting the tile and replacing any chipped tiles. These one-piece units may require professional installation but can still be cheaper than paying to re-tile walls and refinish a worn tub. Old houses, particularly, are notorious for their lack of closet space. Carpeting is another detail that can quickly update a home and make it look cleaner. If your carpet is showing serious wear, cover it with inexpensive, strategically placed area rugs. The new homeowners may want to choose their own carpeting after they move in. If you have boring recessed lights in your dining and living rooms, consider replacing one of the room’s lights with an eye-catching chandelier. If you have a ceiling fan and light, you can also buy replacement fan blades (leaving the fan body in place) to update the fixture’s look. Do you have a flimsy little knob on your main entry door? The good news, though, is that you can easily paint existing metal doors with stain and paint,” she says. Our tools, rates and advice help no matter where you are on life’s financial journey.

7 Renovations That Increase Resale Value by homeadvisor.com

Before you decide on a remodel, consider the cost versus the value, and decide if the remodel you want to do is a worthy investment. One thing that homeowners can do to increase the appeal of their property is open up the house to create more of a flow and enhance natural light. An open floor plan will also make a home feel much larger and is better for entertaining. It’s time to answer the question, how much does it cost to knock down a wall? It is said that a good first impression of a home can add five percent to its value. The driveway should be paved properly, and any lawn space should be properly maintained. Use higher grade materials to increase the life of the deck. Consider adding a bathroom if you do remodel the basement, as this can increase the value of the remodel even more. Updating bathroom amenities and fixtures or adding an additional bathroom if you have the space can really increase a home’s sale appeal. When planning a kitchen remodel it is really important to consider the cost of your materials versus the value. Things such as updated appliances or a window over the sink can add a lot of appeal. As long as you take the time to really plan accordingly, and don’t overspend, you can make some really nice upgrades to your home. There are a lot of loose shingles so we are going to be looking into some new roofing and talk with some contractors about other things that might need to be done. Most people want to get the best value for their dollar when doing home renovations and there are some important things to keep in mind. Ultimately, you want to improve your home and then when it comes time to sell, you can command a higher price. Perhaps you’ve wanted to do this for years, but worried about the cost. Vaulted ceilings are another idea that can help create the illusion of more space. There are several options when it comes to brightening up your home with natural light and these options have a range of prices. The first impression of a home that someone will have is from the look of the exterior. If you have a deck, add some nice furniture, or create a colorful garden in some extra space. If you have some extra space in your home, consider converting it into a home office. If you choose to install a deck, take some time to plan it out and come up with unique features such as built in benches or a fire pit if your city or town allows them. Try to keep the space as open as possible so it does not feel dark and cramped. If there are not enough bathrooms or if they are very outdated, it will be a big turn off to potential buyers. Based on the cost of your home, if you choose to install granite or marble counter tops, will you be able to recoup that money? There are tons of different projects that can be done around the home to increase value in addition to the ones listed above. One of the more weaker areas of our home regarding that is definitely our roof. We will have to incorporate your other tips as well, thank you for sharing!

5 Ways To Increase The Value Of Your by wikihow.com

Taking the time and money to make home improvements and clean your house can quickly increase the value of your home and make it easier to sell. Time and time again realtors stress that a fresh coat of paint is the easiest way to increase the value of your home. Go for neutral tones like beige or muted green with simple white baseboards to appeal to a wide range of buyers. Avoid both bright colors like pink or yellow and dark shades like navy or chocolate brown, as these are polarizing choices for certain buyers. Wallpaper is a big turn-off for potential buyers because it is a hassle to remove if they don’t like it. Some wallpaper, especially in small rooms, can be effective if chosen correctly. Having one shiny, high-end appliance like a dishwasher gives the impression that all of your appliances are high end. If you are on a budget, look up new “faces” for your appliances. Rip up the old flooring and add tile, clean wood floors, or a new carpet. Start in “high-value” rooms like the kitchen or the living room if you want new floors. Get tile for small, frequently dirty floors (bathroom/kitchen), hardwood for the living or dining spaces, and carpet or wood for bedrooms. Switch out the shower curtain for a clean glass shower door. Bring them in to help value your house and suggest ways to improve it. The kitchen is the most important room in the house when it comes to home value. A fresh coat of paint that hides splash marks can cheaply update a kitchen. This is a very high-value fix, especially if done with updated appliances. New cabinets can completely transform a room for the better, giving the appearance that the whole room had a makeover. Marble or granite counters are expensive but tend to last longer, remaining beautiful with age. The number of square feet in your house is a major indicator of your home’s worth. Homeowners like big, wide-open floor plans because they can imagine how their own stuff will fill the house when they move in. Remove the island in the middle of the kitchen to open up the house. Finishing the basement, however, can reap rewards when it is time for resale. In general, improving your current house will lead to a greater return on your investment than adding new sections. Modern windows make your house look beautiful and provide insulation to save on heating and cooling costs. Focus on your entryway to intrigue buyers before they even walk into the house. Green technology is in, and energy efficient houses have a big leg up in the marketplace. Solar panels can lead to tax breaks for homeowners, which will quickly increase the value of your house. If you’re paying high lease rates to a third party, when the panels break, who will fix them? New vinyl siding is one of the top ways to increase the value of your house, and you can usually make back all of the costs during a sale. Over the years, lime mortar used in brick houses will start crumbling and degrading due to reaction with salt in the air. The process of fixing the old mortar and restoring the brick walls to their original condition is called repointing. Done right, brick pointing will ensure a home’s integrity for at least 40 years. Having a visually attractive house to sell will roughly increase the price with 2-5%. Start near the front door and add small plants around the edges of your house to make it open and inviting. Trim or replace overgrown shrubbery if it’s already planted. The box at the end of your driveway might be an afterthought during remodeling, but it can be the first thing anyone sees. You can easily buy and install your new mailbox by yourself and make it sparkle for a few dollars. This can be difficult in some climates, but healthy grass is green, devoid of weeds and covers the entire lawn. If your lawn has large bare patches, consider getting your lawn professionally seeded or installing sod (already grown grass) to make your lawn pop. If you are still fixing the roof or painting the walls when the first buyers show up you are losing your best chance to sell the house. The cleanliness of a house is the first thing a potential buyer will notice, and it won’t matter how great your countertops look if they are covered in crumbs. Empty your closet partially – all buyers love seeing how much storage space they might have. You should take the same care to clean the outside of your home as the inside. Clean up your pet’s mess and put all pet supplies out of sight as you show your home to make the best impression. Unfortunately, adding a new bedroom and bath to the back side of your house won’t increase the value enough to pay back what you’ve spent. Large renovations often cost more money than they add to house’s value. Tons of family photos, knick-knacks, and personal items are a big turn-off for potential buyers. Hide any toys, books, computers, or keepsakes when people come see your house and limit the number of family photos scattered around the house if there is a picture of you on every wall. Even small things, like installing new lighting fixtures and faucets, can increase the value of your home. To learn how to update the exterior of your home to increase its value, scroll down! Your home is an investment, and like most investments you can increase your home’s value with a few smart purchases and some elbow grease. That said, a bright purple room may be off-putting to potential buyers. If you are on a budget then paint the most commonly used rooms first, like the kitchen, living room, and main bathroom. Stick to neutral paint colors to get the maximum value for your house. Put in a skylight or sun tubes (glass holes in the roof that allow in sunlight) to bring light in naturally. A new oven, washing machine, or fridge tells a buyer that the home is up-to-date. However, a new stainless steel oven will look odd if the rest of the appliances nearby in are worn, retro styles. Often the front plate of an oven or dishwasher can be removed and replaced with a new one if you call your manufacturer and ask for a replacement. Old carpets, scratched wood floors, and dirty tiles can all cause your house’s value to plummet when it goes on the market. Recent trends have shied away from carpets, as most consumers now prefer hardwood floors. Even the smallest, cheapest fixes can make your home sparkle and sell for more. The more question marks you eliminate for potential buyers the more likely you are to sell your house for the right price. Professional realtors know trends in your area and can work with your budget to get the best return on your investment. Planning ahead will help you get the most money back when you finally put your house on the market. This is the room most buyers focus on, and you can expect to get up to 85% of your remodeling costs back when the house sells. Begin in the kitchen before updating the bathroom or bedrooms. For a cheaper fix, hire a resurfacing company to clean and stain your old cabinets, making them look like they just came from the hardware store. But you can create the illusion of more space by eliminating clutter as well. Adding a screen-in porch is an expensive undertaking, but it might not actually help your house’s value in the long run because it cannot be counted as part of your square footage. If you have the money, consider adding additional rooms to your house. Additions, however, are expensive to construct and may take several months to complete. The front door is the first thing potential buyers see, and repainting a door is a cheap way to make a great first impression. On the other hand, solar panels might be a big concern for the buyer. Not only does new siding usually give your house a facelift, but it usually helps with insulation and heating costs. Eventually cracks will appear and the brick walls will become loose. It involves removing the old mortar and replacing it with new mortar. This only costs a few hundred dollars, but an attractive lawn brings in more buyers and drives the value of your home up before anyone even steps through the front door. You want to make anyone walking into the house feel like royalty on the way in. If it is dilapidated, rusty, or falling down then people will assume the same about your house. Cut your grass regularly so that it is trim and clean looking. Use a weed whacker to trim away tall grass next to the house, driveway, and walkways. The first 2 week on the market is when a house generates buzz and interest. Wait to put your house on the market until it is clean and updated. This is the easiest way to increase the chance your house sells for the amount you deserve. If you are low on time, hire a cleaning service the day before you show the house to make sure everything is sparkling. Keep your grass trim and clean up the gardens and flowerbeds regularly to make a good impression as buyers enter the driveway. If the sides of your house are dirty, rent a pressure washer to blast away grime from the siding. Focus instead on little renovations, which can return more money than you spent when it is time to sell. While you want to your house to feel homey, you don’t want it to seem so personal that the next owner can’t see themselves living in it. You can just make small changes, like a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint or updated appliances, or you can also do bigger renovations, like new cabinets and countertops. To create this article, 16 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.

3 Things That Can Cause Property Value To Decrease by thebalancesmb.com

Some of these things, such as natural disasters, are out of your control. As interest rates increase, home affordability decreases for potential buyers. Mortgage rate increases not only affect home buyers, but they affect sellers as well. Before the interest rates rose, your home may have been in the price range of 30 prospective buyers. You may have a harder time selling your home at the current list price. Of course, they do not have to be the most catastrophic event in history to have an effect on home values. When you bought your home, it may not have required flood insurance. The flood zone maps would then be altered and require you to have flood insurance. Not only do you have to worry about repairing the damage caused by these storms, if your property is still standing, you have to worry about ever being able to sell your property. For example, you have a 3 bedroom, 2 baths, 1500 square foot home. Having short sales and especially foreclosures on your street decreases the value of your home. Your home is not as valuable because people have to pay more to buy your home at the higher rates. With the higher rates, this number may have decreased to only 10 prospective buyers. These natural disasters can strike without warning and can completely devastate an area. One hurricane could come in and cause flooding in your town. If you have insurance, you will usually get some money to pay for the damage, but it is rarely enough. Sometimes these storms completely destroy property and it is not salvageable. People will be very apprehensive about buying property in an area that was just devastated by a disaster. These affect your property value by skewing the comparable sales in your neighborhood down. Even if they are not direct comparables, as in same square footage and the number of bedrooms and baths, they are in your immediate neighborhood, so can make the en tire area depreciate in value.

Brokers Tell All: 10 Ways To Boost House Value by thisoldhouse.com

If you like cork, she says floating cork wears better than cork tile which is glued down and can peel. Surveyed brokers say these kinds of improvements can get expensive. If you need to do more than a touch up, choose neutral colors. Here’s what veteran real estate professionals from around the country say are the best value home improvements, whether you are selling now or in the future. For the price of a few hundred dollars, you’ll transform the feel of the house. Haas says homeowners might want to consider a moveable island. Bailey says, with tubular skylights, sunlight is nice, and moonlight is even nicer. Remember high wattage bulbs make small spaces feel larger, and soft lighting brings warmth to empty spaces. Yet, landscaping is one of the top three investments that bring the biggest return. The owner had encompassed almost the whole area with a deck. Other small projects with a big impact include repairing broken tile, patching damaged floor boards, and tossing out the wall-to-wall carpeting. It may not be economical to do a major renovation if you are trying to spend as little as possible before putting a house up for sale. She recommends getting the impartial advice of a friend who can tell you what’s drawing attention and raising questions for the wrong reasons. Learn just what brokers are saying to themselves—though never,… Anything that opens the space and creates a sense of flow in the house is generating a response from buyers who can afford to be choosy. But if the kitchen has enough cabinets, it could pay to haul the island away. Less expensive than framing in a skylight, sun tubes—also known as light pipes, sunscoops, and tubular skylights—use reflective material to funnel natural light from a globe-capped hole cut in a rooftop down through a ceiling fixture and into a room. Brokers and agents from across the country say the houses that get attention in this buyers market are in tip-top shape. If you’re up for more exterior upgrades, move to the back or sides of the house. Ninety-four percent of real estate pros recommend spending some money on floors.

Top 5 Ways To Boost The Value Of Your by consumerreports.org

That’s because purchasing a home is comparatively cheap right now, thanks to still-low interest rates (they recently dipped below 4 percent for a 30-year fixed mortgage). And although home prices will continue to climb in 2015, they’re expected to do so at a slower rate than in 2014. Avoid the most typical mistakes and you could gain 11 to 20 percent, and even more in some markets, of the home sale’s price. Buyers will have a hard time imagining themselves in your home if it’s filled with family photos and other personal effects. In addition to making your current home more sellable, a pro can help you get off to an organized start in your new residence. The service might even be worth it if you plan to stay put for the time being because living in a cluttered home takes a psychological toll. And give the entire interior a thorough cleaning, including vacuuming, dusting, and wiping down every surface. In fact, 53 percent of real estate professionals told us that the kitchen is among the most important rooms of the home to have in good shape before selling. Once you’ve made the kitchen fully functional, think about a gentle spruce-up. And consider this: 42 percent of real estate professionals we survyed said the bathroom is one of the most important rooms of the home to have in good shape. If you’re not looking to sell right away, there are several larger upgrades that shouldn’t cost a fortune, given the small dimensions of many bathrooms. Adding new toilets is also a smart upgrade because it can improve the look of a home while also making it more water-efficient. But it probably doesn’t make sense to have your entire house repainted prior to putting it on the market. Kitchens and bathrooms are two candidates for a complete paint job given the high traffic they see. Invest in a top-quality product if you’re planning to be in the home for a while. Because a brand’s flat, eggshell, and semigloss formulations perform similarly overall, we’ve combined the scores into one to simplify the process. Nor should you try to sell your home without sprucing up its exterior. As with your home’s interior, it’s also important to make minor repairs, such as replacing cracked siding boards or repointing brick walls. Indeed, 31 percent of real estate professionals said the roof is one of the more important parts of the home to have in good shape. They can cost two to three times as much as the three-tabs but in our tests proved much stronger. So how do you make the most money, no matter which end of the transaction you’re on? And both buyers and sellers can come out ahead with our guide to savvy financial and negotiating moves. Vital to the process is de-cluttering and depersonalizing the space as much as possible. For severely cluttered residences, or if you’re downsizing and need help winnowing your possessions, consider hiring a professional organizer. Your boss might not be coming over, but someone in the position to write you a very big check hopefully is. But that doesn’t mean you should drop tens of thousands of dollars on a new one before putting your house on the block. His first advice to clients is to make all of those minor repairs that can lead to serious second thoughts for buyers—the leaky faucet, the loose light fixture, the burn mark on the countertop. A couple thousand dollars will get you a top-performing refrigerator, range, and dishwasher, all with popular stainless-steel finish. Installing new bathroom fixtures will make the space look brighter and more appealing. Updating the mirror and lighting will improve the sensory experience. We recently tested toilets to see how well they handle solid waste (using sponges and plastic balls) without leaving unsightly stains inside the bowl or creating a deafening whoosh. Whites and off-whites tend to attract the most buyers; the neutral palette allows them to focus on a home’s attributes. It might be worth completely repainting the entry door, provided that won’t make the rest of the facade seem tired and outdated. The roof is another area to pay close attention to because prospective buyers are sure to do the same. If you’re not in a rush to sell, consider upgrading to laminated shingles, also known as architectural shingles. Whichever type of shingle you choose, look for a product with a warranty that can be transferred to the next owner.