5 Ways to Improve the Value of Your Home
There are a few things that are out of your control to increase the value when selling your home, like the location of the house and whether the housing market is favoring sellers or buyers. Luckily, there are many options that are in your control.
Hopefully you are at a point where you have built up some equity in your home and will make a profit after selling your home. Did you know that you can increase the value of the home even more than the equity appreciation, by making simple adjustments?
In this blog, we will list out five helpful ways to improve the value of your home and it might be easier than you think!
1. Change the Aesthetic
Change the aesthetic? AKA, stage your house! No need to buy all new furniture or do all the renovations and updates you can think of.
Instead, add and change different things here and there. Move furniture around, consult a professional designer, use their furniture that you can rent and put your furniture in storage until you move.
Realtors reported that staging a home increased the offer amounts on homes by 1-5% and can also increase the value of the home by 6-10%, reported by NAR.
Don’t become stressed out about needing to stage your entire home, you don’t need to! The main selling points on a house are in four areas.
- Living Room
- Kitchen
- Master Bedroom
- Dining Room
Focus on these areas, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome!
2. Throw Some Paint on It
Now, let’s talk about the actual curb appeal. When you drive past a house that you see is for sale, is it appealing to the eye? Does it look well-kept? Does it look like it’s taken a beating?
Putting a new coat of paint on your fence and the exterior of the house can drastically increase the amount of eyes that see your listing and will most likely increase the amount of showings you receive.
Adding a plant or two and a well cut lawn can also help you quite a bit!
3. Make it Energy Efficient
Do you live in extreme weather? Cold or hot?
Adding energy efficient solutions not only increase the value of your home substantially but also increase the curb appeal quite a bit.
You will be providing your buyers with something...money in their pocket every month. By saving money on their electric or gas bills, they will be thankful that the sellers added that extra value and saved them a headache.
What are some ideas?
- Double-paned windows
- Increased attic or crawl space insulation
- Water softener
- Energy efficient appliances
- Central heating and air conditioning
- LED lighting
If you’re unsure of whether your home actually needs energy efficient solutions, try giving your utility company a call or certified energy auditor to evaluate how much energy your home may be wasting.
4. Add Technology to Your Home
Have you heard of a smart home? Don’t jump to conclusions and think that you have to automate everything about your home.
Take baby steps and think of small changes that can make a big impact.
Here are a few ideas:
- Adding a Ring doorbell or an alarm system with the sensors already on all the windows and doors, is a huge win for buyers. The upfront cost of an alarm system is two things, a lot of leg work and money!
- Sprinkler system with timers
- Outdoor automatic lighting that is also set up on timers
- Smart thermostats or carbon monoxide alarms
- Smart door-locks or keypads
These adjustments won’t always increase the value but it will increase the appeal. Not only that, but it will substantially cost less than a big renovation or addition to the house.
5. Make it Low-Maintenance
If there are improvements that could be made before the sale of the house, do them. For instance, if you think a repair may be needed in the near future that the new homeowners will have to take care of--take care of it beforehand and make it easier on them!
When buyers see that the sellers have made their future lives easier by paying a cost and taking time that the buyers don’t have to worry about, that is making your home a low-maintenance home and much more appealing.
This sets your house apart from other homes comparable in price and location.
Have an older refrigerator? Maybe a roof that will need to be replaced in 2-5 years? A water heater? A washer and dryer that have been huffing and puffing for 10 years? Make your buyers’ lives easier by taking care of these things for them in advance.
If you raise the price of the home a tiny bit to help cover that cost, it will still catch the eye of the buyer because you helped them!
Are you curious about how eHome can help your home buying journey? See which courses are the right fit for you and your situation.
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