15 Easy Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value

You’re finally ready to put your home on the market, but want to ensure you get top dollar. Are there any easy fixes that can increase your asking price without breaking your budget? Here are some tips, ranging from free to under $1,000. Happy selling!

1. Invite a REALTOR® over to give you suggestions on how you might increase the value of your home. REALTORS® will often do this as a courtesy, and many can offer great ideas for low-cost upgrades based on their day-to-day experiences.

2. Get an inspection to make sure you won’t be blindsided by hidden problems once your home’s on the market. Some small problems can cost a lot if they’re ignored for too long. So be proactive and see what your home needs to be in top condition.

3. Get an energy audit to see how you can improve the efficiency of your home. Many utility companies do energy audits as a free service, and figuring out how to make your home more efficient can be a great marketing tool when you decide to sell.

4. Paint! Applying fresh coats of paint to every room is relatively low cost, but can be time consuming, which is why many people decide to forego this project. But take the time if you can, because it will pay off. And remember, neutral colors are best because they appeal to most everyone.

5. Plant a tree, or two. Even if you plan on selling your home in a week, planting trees is always a good investment in your home. If the tree has time to mature, and provides shade to your home, it can cut down energy cooling costs as well, sometimes by as much as 40 percent!

6. Use native plants to increase your curb appeal and save money on water. Find out what grows naturally in your region and showcase those plants in the front of your home. Saving water is a great benefit to new homeowners, and planting native plants is an easy way to “go green.”

7. Install a water filtration system in your kitchen. The cost to install these is fairly low, but is one of those small details that home buyers love.

8. Remove your popcorn ceiling. This sounds expensive, but scraping away the popcorn texture from your 1970s ceiling is actually a fairly inexpensive DIY project. Just visit your hardware store for advice, then start scraping.

9. Hire a lawn service company to cut your lawn and trim your hedges. Having this task professionally done before listing your home can go a long way towards improving curb appeal.

10. Hire a cleaning service to make the inside spotless. Again, this is a low cost way to make a great first impression.

11. Rent a storage unit. One way to really open up the space in your home is to rent a storage unit and put half your furniture in it for safe keeping. The relative emptiness of the home is appealing to buyers because it gives the impression of more space.

12. Small upgrades in the bathroom and kitchen can improve a buyer’s first impression. Change out the knobs on the cabinets. Install updated lighting fixtures. Put in a new faucet.

13. Replace worn carpets or rugs. Area rugs are fairly cheap to upgrade. Replacing carpet with wood floors, or discovering the wood floor underneath, is ideal but may not be cost-effective for you. Do what you can to improve flooring. At a minimum, consider getting the carpets professionally cleaned.

14. Get a tankless water heater. Today’s home buyers are looking for eco-friendly details that will save them money long term. Upgrading your standard water heater with a tankless version is a fairly low cost way to improve the efficiency of your home, and help the earth too!

15. Upgrade appliances. If you’re able to upgrade any of your appliances it will increase the value of your home. Look for Energy Star-rated appliances so you can show potential buyers another way this home will save them money in the long run. 

5 Basic ideas of Modern Home Decor

Simplicity. If you were looking for a word that described what modern home decor was then that would be; it is simplicity. Of course, simple doesn’t mean boring and modern decor with its clean lines, neutral color palette and geometric shapes is anything but boring. Instead, modern home decor can be warm, inviting and completely stylish in just about any home. But how do you achieve modern home decor? Obviously, it isn’t as simple as walking into a store and choosing items that have clean lines. There takes a bit more to that and there are several basic ideas that should be incorporated into a modern decor.

The first idea is to keep it simple. Remember that word that best describes modern design and make sure that you incorporate it into your space. There is no need for the room to simply be four walls and a chair for sitting, we aren’t going to that extreme, but you will want to keep things as uncluttered as it possible. Studies have shown that clutter can lead to stress in your life so keeping your decor simple will help alleviate some of the stresses that you feel.

The second idea of modern home decor is function. Not only should your rooms be simple with those clean lines and minimal artwork and accessories, but it should also be functional. This varies greatly from room to room but when you go into a room, it should be easy to access and use various items in it. So, for instance, a kitchen that is designed with modern decor in mind should have ample workroom and everything should be easy to access.

Technology is the third idea for a modern decor in your home. It is actually a lot more than simply stating “technology” and any electronics that are in your home should work with the space. It is often recommended that all electronics be streamlined, so flat panel televisions, built in DVD players, small flat screen televisions in the kitchen, and computers tied in to a room rather than being a lump in it, are important to keep those lines clean.Open spaces. If you are going with a modern decor, then you will want to utilize our fourth idea by having lots of open space in your home. This may not be possible in some homes that offer closed rooms instead of an open concept but you can create the appearance of open spaces by using color, fabrics and furniture. You can also keep windows coverings that are light in color and airy in feel to create an open feel in to the room, even if it isn’t.

The last idea for creating a modern decor in your home is to add a little bit of character to the space. It can be amazing how one splash of color on an otherwise neutral palette can create such an alarming effect to the room. Don’t hesitate to explore your options with color and make the space one that you will enjoy sharing with every.

Creating a modern decor doesn’t have to be difficult and there is a lot of room to play around with your spaces. All you really need to remember are these five simple rules and before you know it, you will have a modern decor that shines.