Whether you want to sell your home soon or are just looking to improve your living space, increasing the value of your home can be an easy and tangible project. In order to get the most value out of your refurbishments, sit down and make a list of what it is you like about your home, what you would like improved, and what needs to be improved.
To help you make this list, consider consulting both a home inspector as well as a real estate agent. They can help direct you to structural issues that need to be prioritized over more cosmetic changes. They also can help relay to you which renovations in your home will yield larger returns on your investment. Once you have come up with a list and have aligned it with a feasible budget, your next plan of action is to tackle one room at a time.
Renovating an entire home can be chaotic and overwhelming – you may even be forced to take temporary lodging elsewhere while your home is being worked on. Therefore, having a plan of action that minimizes these extraneous costs will be your best bet. To get the ball rolling, I have provided a list of starting ideas to help increase the value of your home as much as possible.
Deep Cleaning
To get you started on your path to increase the value of your home I strongly suggest deep cleaning it. While no one really likes to do this, you will be amazed at what a thorough cleaning and preparing the home for sale. Lifting years of ingrained grime in a bathroom or a kitchen can make a space look refreshed and renewed. And while you are slowly cleaning every nook and cranny of your home, you will actually be killing two birds with one stone as you will also be auditing the home for any big or small jobs that might be ahead of you.
Tip: If the task of deep cleaning your home seems especially daunting there are many local professionals who can deep clean your home in a matter of hours.
De-Clutter the Home
With deep cleaning, comes de-cluttering. Extra bits and pieces slowly collect themselves in the home and before you know it you feel you are completely without storage space. However, if you go through your home you will realize that pets, children and even single adults can amass a lot of things that are only collecting dust. Divide your unwanted belongings into three piles: to sell, to donate and to throw away. You might find the odd piece in your home that has an excellent resale value that you no longer need that can help fund your refurbishment plans!
Ultimately, de-cluttering your home will visually increase your living space, making you much happier in your own home, while definitely increasing the value of your home.
Storage Solutions for the Home
Every homeowner wishes they had more storage solutions or smarter ones. Whether you live in a gorgeous old Edwardian home or a chic new condo, creating ideal storage will always present a challenge. This is a great time to consult an expert to explore whether built-in storage would yield an increase in the value of your home. If the space you are working with is low on square footage, consider installing ceiling shelves above your furniture so that in addition to creating layers of focus in a room, you are also maximizing its storage capabilities! Here is a great list of inventive small-space storage solutions.
Painting Your Home
A tried and true way to spruce up any home on a dime-sized budget is a fresh coat of paint. While it can be very tempting to use the season’s trendiest colours, in this department it is best to play it safe. Calm, neutral colours such as greys, beiges, whites and off-whites will reflect light in your home and create a cheery sense of space. When you can better see the room it allows for both you and potential homebuyers to better envision how the space can be used.
If you want to paint the walls yourself make sure you are using a paint that will do a solid job of covering the old paint. If, however, you want to play it safe, for a few hundred dollars per room, you can get both furniture and walls professionally painted.
Before you go taking a sledgehammer to your home, remember that in order to increase the value of your home you do not need to break the bank! Simple changes such as making your home more energy efficient or adding light-control dimmers can make a big difference. All of the above suggestions can be done on a budget of any size and will hopefully increase the value of your home.
