10 ways to fix up your house to boost its value
Looking
for ways to
fix up your house without putting yourself in the
poorhouse? Whether you're getting ready to sell your home or want to
spiff it up inexpensively for your own enjoyment, we've got 10 good
strategies for you to consider.
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.
Boost your home's value
These simple upgrades can easily add thousands of dollars to your home's value.
10 cheap fix up your house methods
- Make your kitchen really cook.
- Give appliances a facelift.
- Buff up the bath.
- Step up your storage.
- Add a room in a week or less.
- Mind the mechanics.
- Look underfoot.
- Let there be light.
- Reframe your entry.
- Consider curb appeal.
1. Make your kitchen really cook.
The kitchen is still considered the heart of the home. 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.
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.
.
If you've got a slightly larger
budget, you can give the cabinets themselves a makeover. "Rather than
spring for a whole new cabinet system, which can be expensive, look into
hiring a refacing company," says serial remodeler Gwen Moran, co-author
of "Build Your Own Home on a Shoestring."
"Many companies can
remove cabinet doors and drawers, refinish the cabinet boxes, then add
brand-new doors and drawers. With a fresh coat of paint over the whole
set, your cabinets will look like new."
If you're handy, you can
order your own replacement cabinet doors and door fronts from retailers
like Lowe's Home Improvement or The Home Depot and install them
yourself.
2. Give appliances a facelift.
If your kitchen appliances don't match, order new doors or face panels
for them. When Nicole Persley, a Realtor in Boca Raton, Fla., was
sprucing up her own home to sell, her mix-and-match kitchen bothered
her. The room had a white dishwasher, microwave and wall oven mixed with
other pieces that were stainless steel with black trim.
When
Persley called the dishwasher manufacturer to see about ordering a new,
black face panel, the customer service representative clued her in on a
big secret: Many dishwasher panels are white on one side and black on
the other.
"All I had to do was unscrew two screws, slide out the panel and flip it around. Sure enough -- it was black on the other side!"
Persley,
who has remodeled numerous homes for resale, says that a more
cohesive-looking kitchen makes a big difference in the buyer's mind --
and in the home's resale price.
3. Buff up the bath.
Next to the kitchen, bathrooms are often the most important rooms to
update. They, too, can be improved without a lot of cash. "Even simple
things like a new toilet seat and a pedestal sink are pretty easy for
homeowners to install, and they make a big difference in the look of the
bath," says Moran.
Moran
also suggests replacing an old, discolored bathroom floor with
easy-to-apply vinyl tiles or a small piece of sheet vinyl. "You may not
even need to take up the old floor. You can install the new floor right
over the old one," she says.
If your tub and shower are looking
dingy, consider re-grouting the tile and replacing any chipped tiles. A
more complete cover-up is a prefabricated tub and shower surround. These
one-piece units may require professional installation but can still be
cheaper than paying to re-tile walls and refinish a worn tub.
4. Step up your storage. Old
houses, particularly, are notorious for their lack of closet space. If
you have cramped storage areas, Realtor Moe Viessi of Miami suggests
adding do-it-yourself wire and laminate closet systems to bedrooms,
pantries and entry closets.
Firms like ClosetMaid allow you to
measure and redesign your closets online. You can also get design
details and parts for these systems at many large home-improvement
stores. Most closets can be updated in a weekend or less.
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.
5. Add a room in a week or less.
"If you have a three-bedroom house with a den, the only reason the den
can't be considered a bedroom may be because it doesn't have a closet,"
says Persley. "If you add a closet to that room, you've now got a
four-bedroom house. That adds a lot of value."
Persley says it's usually possible to add a custom closet system and drywall it in for less than $1,500.
6. Mind the mechanics.
Finley Perry of F.H. Perry Builder in Hopkinton, Mass., advocates
spending a few bucks on nitty-gritty stuff. "It's often very worthwhile
to hire an electrician and plumber for a couple of hours to look over
your electrical services, wrap or fix loose wires, fix any faulty
outlets, and check for and fix any water leaks," Perry says. "Those
details tell a buyer that someone has really taken care of the home and
can really influence its price."
7. Look underfoot.
Carpeting is another detail that can quickly update a home and make it
look cleaner. A professional carpet cleaning is an inexpensive
investment, especially if your rugs are in good shape and are neutral
colors.
If your carpet is showing serious wear, cover it with
inexpensive, strategically placed area rugs. Unless it is truly hideous,
most real estate agents don't suggest replacing wall-to-wall carpeting
right before you sell your house. The new homeowners may want to choose
their own carpeting after they move in.
8. Let there be light.
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. Home stores offer a wide range of inexpensive, but
nice-looking, ceiling fixtures these days. 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.
9. Reframe your entry.
Do you have a flimsy little knob on your main entry door? If so, spring
for a substantial-looking handle-and-lock set. "A nice, big piece of
hardware on the front door signals to newcomers that this is a solid
home," says Viessi.
Also, if you're stuck with a basic steel front
door, Persley suggests painting or faux-finishing it for more eye
appeal. "It's becoming a trend in Florida to add wood-grain doors to a
home's entry or garage. The good news, though, is that you can easily
paint existing metal doors with stain and paint," she says.
After
using a good metal primer, Persley gives the door a base coat of paint
(again, be sure to use one approved for use over metal). For a cherry
wood look, Persley uses a burgundy base paint. After it dries, she
brushes over the base coat with a cherry wood stain. "It really looks
amazing, and it only takes a few hours," she says.
10. Consider curb appeal.
Although it sounds obvious, a nicely mowed lawn, a few well-placed
shrubs and a swept walkway makes a great first impression. "What buyers
see when they first drive by your home is tremendously important," says
Viessi.
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. "These kinds of changes can
instantly change people's perception of your home and, therefore,
increase its value," says Viessi. And hey, your neighbors will love you
for it, too.