Home improvement ideas that can add value to your home. The slowing economy has made everyone evaluate their spending habits. If you are a "swiper", you definitely think twice before swiping your bank card for a purchase now more than ever. If you own a home, you're even more careful about spending money especially if you're among the home owners that experienced a decline in your home value, like most homeowners across the United States.
Embarking on home improvement projects for your home is probably the last thing on your mind. There are some home improvements that are costly and could put a further dent in your wallet. However, there are some home improvement ideas that can add value to your home and keep your wallet intact without putting any holes in it as well. Bottom line is the best way to protect your valuable investment is by making sure it is up-to-date and maintained. Even if your home is upside down in value according to your areas market conditions, you will add or keep more money to your home if you make simple, inexpensive upgrades that would be favorable to your selling position if and when you decide to sell your home.
1. Declutter Your Home - You become very comfortable in your home and don't mind stepping over your clothes that fell off the chair or side step by the boxes that sit in the dining room to get to the kitchen, but a prospective buyer might cut their visit short simply because they don't want to feel like their imposing by having to side step boxes or walk through clutter zones.
2. Painting - Paint fades over time and can look dingy. It won't hurt to give your home a new coat of paint. This easy idea makes your home look new and fresh. It changes the feel of your home. Painting is inexpensive, if you do it yourself. You can also find cheap labor to tackle a painting project. The cool thing is you don't have to do it all in one day. Neutral colors are recommended as the classic selling choice. But don't be afraid to use color paint as well. Choose happy bright colors and be careful with bold colors like reds and dark colors overall. Light colors will make a room look larger while darker colors may hide imperfections. If you decide against painting, then at least clean the walls and power wash the exterior.
3. Curb Appeal - When you read the first page of that novel you picked up, if it doesn't lure you in within the first few paragraphs, you might put it down and never pick it up again. Same concept applies when someone pulls up to your house. First impressions are lasting in almost every category. Expensive landscaping or labor intensive projects won't do too much at all for your home value but it doesn't hurt to make the outside of your home look pleasing to the eye. You can achieve this by planting inexpensive flowers, keep bushes trimmed and the lawn manicured. If you have bare spots in the grass, plant some seeds and be sure to remove any dead plants or trees, bushes etc.
4. Repair Damages - Let's face it, your home will not be low to no maintenance ever. Things will break and wear out. You may elect to put fixing these items on the back burner and while they may be expensive or annoying to repair, they should be a priority. Fill interior and exterior cracks. Investigate cracks to make sure something isn't going on with the structure of your home. Replace dry rotted wood or discolored wood flooring or carpet, tighten loose railings or fixtures.
5. Updating Bathrooms and Kitchens - Completely remodeling your bathroom or kitchen could be costly. But there are some minor details you can change that are not expensive that can change the look and feel of your kitchen or bathroom. Changing the hardware on the cabinets, draw handles and wall switch covers could go a long way. Replacing dated appliances with used appliances could also be a winner. Used appliances may not sound appealing but there are advantages in looking into used appliances. These appliances may be from builders that over stocked for projects and sold them for dirt cheap to the local appliance store in your neighborhood. Or they might have a minor defect that is not visible like a knob missing that could be replaced but is modern like stainless steel and brand names as well.
6. Adding Accessories - sprucing up your living room with a few new throw pillows can go a long way. Adding mirrors in key places also give a boost to the room. Putting a tall tree or plant can change a room making it look bigger because it draws the eyes upward.
7. Flooring - if you can't change the carpet in the entire house, the next best thing is to rent a power cleaner and clean them. There are some industrial cleaners you can get that restore your carpet almost to its original color. Upgrade your kitchen floor with self adhesive tiles if your kitchen flooring isn't hardwood or ceramic.
8. Dressing Up Your Wall - Can make a difference. There are inexpensive paintings or posters that you can frame to look like a million bucks. The key with accessories is to incorporate color schemes that flow throughout the room and home. Some designers recommend adding a thing in two's to provide balance to the wall or room.
9. Upgrade Lighting - if you've lived in your home awhile, chances are the lighting fixtures have become dated and possibly discolored. Upgrading to newer models can post a positive return on your investment.
10. Changing Faucets - Changing your faucets in the kitchen and bathrooms to water efficient faucets makes a difference in appearance and usage.
