Talk to a professional
The first and probably most helpful piece of advice I can give you is to call in a realtor or interior decorator to help you get started.
For a small, affordable consultation fee, you can bring in someone who makes a career out of making peoples homes look good. They can give you pointers on what upgrades will be most beneficial, estimates on cost and for the more difficult projects, information on contractors to hire.
If you don’t follow current interior design and housing trends, calling in a pro is the best thing you can do when trying to increase the value of your home.
Low-cost Landscaping
When it comes to selling a house one of the primary factors that any real estate agent will tell you is the importance of improving your curb appeal. When potential buyers go to view a house they know within the first 30 seconds of walking through the door whether or not this is the house for them, and the first impression they are going to get is what your house looks like from the outside.
In Phoenix, one of the best ways to brighten up the landscape in the front of your house is by making it drought-tolerant and beautiful with the addition of low-water plants.
In an area that is barren and flat with very little plant life, having a beautiful green front yard makes a great first impression on potential buyers.
Paint
Some of you are going to read this and think that painting should be common sense and not on the list, while others will think why would I invest my time and money in painting when the buyers are just going to repaint everything anyways.
Having a well painted interior is extremely beneficial when you are showing your house to buyers. Even if the new owners are going to change the interior colors of the house, they want to see the potential of what could be. If your walls are flat or you have paint chipping off, it will leave a bad impression and possibly cost you a sale.
Simple Bathroom Updates
Bathrooms are one of those often-neglected areas that can make or break a house. Having a bathroom that is plain and basic will not impress buyers, which shouldn’t be the case because bathroom upgrades are some of the easiest most cost effective ways to improve your homes value.
Upgrading your your sink, lighting, even something as simple as adding a towel hanger can help make your bathrooms and house look more appealing.
Keep your Home Clean and Maintained
Keeping your home clean and in working order can be extremely helpful when it comes time to put your house on the market. Houses that aren’t well maintained can be devastating for owners when they put their house on the market because of the piled up invoices for all of the repairs and cleaning required to get the house ready.
By simply keeping your home tidy and taking care of repairs as they arise, you will save yourself a lot of time and money when it comes time to sell.
Update Your Lighting
Good lighting is constantly brought up as one of the most important aspects for buyers when they are looking for a new home. Whether that light is natural or artificial, people like houses that are well lit.
Simple upgrades to improve the lighting in your house could be as easy as changing out your old fixtures for more modern ones to improve the look of the house, or adding a dimmer switch that allows the owner to set the mood of the light.
Add a Back-Splash to your Kitchen
For as little as $20 per sqft, you can add an amazing backsplash to accent the style of your kitchen. While something as simple and cheap as a backsplash doesn’t seem like it can add a lot of value to your house, it can.
Back splashes cover the gap between counter tops and walls making the kitchen look more appealing, while also protecting the wall from water damage and molding.
Backsplashes add that little some
thing extra that makes a kitchen look and feel complete.
Add Storage Space
People will never have enough space to store all of their useless junk, which makes having an abundance of storage a huge plus, even more so if the storage is unique or visually appealing.
Adding storage space is probably one of the more difficult and expensive items on this list, especially if you want it done right and want it to look nice. While storage in general is usually a plus, don’t think that you can just nail 2 x 4’s up on a wall and call it shelving. To add value to your home the storage needs to look professional, so if you’re not comfortable with constructing it, hire a professional.
Miscellaneous Improvements
Every house is unique and has its own special elements that can be upgraded to give your home more appeal and value.
Adding a slab rock walkway in your backyard, replacing old tile or carpet or replacing showerheads are just a few of the ways you can improve your homes value at cost.
You know your home better than anyone, so think about what you would want upgraded if you were looking at buying your house and weigh the costs and benefits.
Do your Research
I can stretch this point enough. The best way to improve the value of your house is to know what people are looking for when they are buying a house. Look into what types of flooring are popular, what types of appliances and fixtures are trending.
Knowing what people are going to be looking for when buying a house is the best way to know what you need to improve. So do yourself a favor and Google current trends before you jump into a project, it will pay off in the end.