Whether you’re a first time buyer or have a portfolio of homes, increasing the value of your property should be a priority for any home-owner. Home improvement is an efficient way to move up the property ladder. By making small changes to your property you can increase the appeal to potential buyers which helps sell your home faster and increase the value.
Increasing the value of your home doesn’t have to be a time-consuming and expensive task. A lot of the time, you can improve the overall appearance and value by giving it a lick of paint. Here are 7 tips to add value to your home.
Improve Your Kerb Appeal
First impressions are always important, and it’s no different when it comes to selling your house. By improving the appearance of the front of your house, you’re increasing its kerb appeal. A lot of buyers won’t book in a viewing if the outside of the house doesn’t pass their kerb appeal standards, so getting this right is important.
Give the outside a lick of paint to refresh the look of your house, and more importantly, stand out amongst your neighbours. The front door will be one of the key things your potential new buyers will focus in on. If you’ve got an old, tatty door, consider replacing it or giving it some TLC.
Make Your House Lighter
Making your house lighter gives it the appearance of more space, making it more appealing to buyers. Using some design tricks, you can give your living spaces the appearance of more room.
Give dark rooms a lick of lighter paint. Lighter paint will help keep natural light in the room while also giving it a face lift. Try to avoid magnolia or any other common dull colours, these lack uniqueness that’s needed in order to stay memorable.
Removing clutter can instantly give a room a newer appearance. If you have a room full of clutter it looks like there isn’t enough space to store all your belongings. Add in extra storage spaces to hide clutter and make the room look bigger than it actually is. Follow this guide on storage ideas.
Clever use of mirrors can help spread natural light around a room and make it look bigger. By using a series of mirrors, focussed in the right way, you can increase the appeal relatively easily. Combine a new storage solution to remove clutter with a mirrored finish, find out more about our mirrored sliding door range.
Improve Your Energy Efficiency
An energy efficient home is an important selling point. Estate agents will often push energy efficient homes because they’re easier to sell and can increase the value of your home.
Replacing old windows with double glazing will make your home warmer, more modern and more energy efficient. It’s rare to find houses without double-glazing, and it’s almost expected if you’re selling a house to have them installed.
If your home is using an old heating system that’s out of date and uses lots of electricity, then it might be time to replace it. Newer central heating systems can increase the value of the house because they’re less likely to go wrong in the near future.
Update the Bathroom
Bathrooms should look clean, tidy and hygienic. By updating the bathroom you’ll drastically improve the appearance of the whole house. Use lighter colours to make the bathroom appear bigger and cleaner. Add a mirror or two to make the room appear less cramped, this will also help make the room lighter.
If you have out-of-date or damaged bathroom units, then consider replacing them. Affordable, white baths, shower trays and sinks can be bought to replace old units. It’s important that your bathroom has a positive vibe to the buyer.
Tidy the Garden
It doesn’t matter if you have a couple of acres or a small yard, an over-run garden instantly makes the house look cheaper. By cutting back old bushes, pulling a couple of weeds, and cutting the grass, it makes the house much more appealing. If your house has a driveway make sure it gets some TLC before any viewings. Removing weeds growing through the driveway and giving it a quick jet wash will help improve first appearances.
Convert your Attic or Loft
Converting your loft space into another room is a good idea and can increase the value of your property. A loft conversion can be a sound investment and doesn’t have to be an expensive one.
If done correctly you can list your property with an extra bedroom, which can put your property into the next bracket of budgets. By adding in an en-suite into the loft conversion you can increase the value of the property even further. Check out this guide on attic conversion storage ideas.
Don’t Overspend
If you’re making home improvements purely to increase the value of your property then it’s important that you don’t overspend. You need to be able to recoup the investment put into improving the appeal of the home. Start with a budget and speak to your local estate agent to get some ideas of what sells in the local area.
Look at similar sized properties in your area to give you an idea of the average price. This can give you some ideas on who your target buying audience is and how much you should spend on home improvements. It’s important that your home doesn’t become too expensive for your area as it will struggle to sell.
