The most cost effective renovations are the quick fixes, not the gut and replace strategy. Here are some top tips for adding value to your home:
Cleaning
Keeping your house clean will extend the life of everything from the kitchen to the exterior paintwork. In the kitchen and bathroom wipe up spills before they sink into the MDF and make it swell. Keep that ceiling free of fly spots – or deter the little blighters in the first place with an automatic insect spray dispenser.
A lick of paint
There’s nothing better for a slightly tired home than a new lick of paint. It costs money, but with the right choice of colours it can modernise the house almost instantly.
Add new kitchen benches and cupboard doors
We all dream of having a new kitchen. But there are much cheaper ways of adding value to the heart of the home without spending tens of thousands of dollars. Sometimes a flash kitchen bench, a trendy bin, replacement cupboard doors, or a modern splash back is all it needs. A full replacement kitchen may not add as much value to the home as it costs.
Create outdoor living
Your home will be much more appealing to buyers if there’s a comfortable area to sit outside. You might want to pave an area and add some sort of covering such as a shade cloth, pergola, or waterproof awning. If you can afford it, build a deck. Fire pits are the in thing right now, in part thanks to TV programs such as The Block. “Built in pizza oven” is another great selling point. Just ask real estate agents.
Create more rooms
If you can turn a three bedroom home into a four bedroom one by keeping the same footprint but enclosing spaces or moving walls, then you’ll almost always add value. Make sure, however, that you have council approval.
Repair, repair, repair
Repair those windows that don’t open and close, the cracking paint on the deck, leaking pipe that will eventually rot the floor.
Declutter
By getting rid of clutter you can make your home look ten percent bigger. Do you have an old-style TV still hanging around that never gets watched? Or masses of books that you’re never going to read? Get rid of both them and the unneeded bookshelves.
Simplify your garden
Is your garden overgrown? Simply removing carefully chosen plants and pruning the rest will make a huge difference. So will choosing some “trendy” plants from the local garden centre.
Create a man cave
If ever there was a modern selling point for a home it’s the “man cave”. Turn that damp draughty garage into something that a man would aspire to spend many an hour tinkering in.
Finally, if you’re going to do major work, find out what it’s really going to cost and speak to a real estate agent about whether it’s worth it. Maybe you’re watching too many home renovation programs.
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