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10 Cheap Fixes to Increase the Value of Your Home
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 with Real Estate of Florida, in Boca Raton, 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 Realtors
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.
Bankrate.com
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