Five Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home - For Under $100

April 2, 2008 By Debbie Dragon

If you’re thinking about selling your home, or just want to improve the value of your home in general, there are a number of things you can do for less than $100 that will make a big difference.

1. Paint.  Adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls makes everything look clean and updated.  Choosing a neutral color is more attractive to a larger majority of people as opposed to painting a room bright orange with aqua stripes - so if you’re looking to sell, a few gallons of neutral colored paint and paint rollers is a good investment.
2. Bring in a professional.  You can ask an interior designer or realtor to come into your home and give you suggestions for improvements.  They might give you ideas for paint colors, how to arrange your furniture, or easy improvements to make that will increase the overall value of your home.  The hourly rate of an interior designer is typically under $100; and you can get a whole list of ideas for an hour of their time! 
3. Hire a home inspector.  Sometimes, the improvements your home requires are not cosmetic.  Things that can be occurring behind the scenes, unnoticed by you, can be the cause of a home not selling or can create costly repairs later on.  Many home problems start out as minor issues that can be repaired with a few dollars and a bit of time; but left unfixed, these same problems can result in humongous expenses. 
4. Curb appeal.  Walk across the street and turn and focus on your house.  Does it look good?  This is the first thing people see when they come to your home; and if you’re selling your home, it can make or break the deal before a potential buyer even steps foot into your house.  Simple things like flowers along the walkway, painting the front door to make it the primary focus (while taking the eye away from the oversized, unsightly garage door, perhaps!), weeding flower gardens or planting shrubs will go a long way in making your house look appealing from the street.
5. Kitchens add value.  For $100, you can’t remodel your kitchen, but you can add some improvements!  Anything you do in a kitchen will add tremendous value to your home.  Repaint the walls, add a tile backsplash, hang a new pot rack over a center island, or a new light fixture.  These are minor, relatively inexpensive things you can do in a few hours that will generate major value for your home.

Increasing the value of your home is a good idea, whether you are considering selling the home at this time or not. When you do home maintenance and improvements, keep the paperwork and records as it will show future buyers that you’ve kept up with the home and cared for it - which will give them confidence that the home is solid.  Minor improvements can also make you enjoy your home more if you plan to stay living there, and make fun family projects.

Posted in family, home improvement, miscellaneous, real estate