The average home sale price in the United States is $428,700 as of 2022. In recent years, home prices have been continuously increasing. However, there are certain factors that may decrease or increase the price of a house. If you’re thinking about selling your home, you might be wondering what you can do to increase the price of the property. The answer has to do with home improvements. Home renovations can do a lot to increase the value of your home, but only if you choose those home renovations carefully.
Otherwise, you might only end up losing money on your investment. But where should you start, and what kind of home improvements will increase the price of your home the most? Keep reading and learn more about your options with these home improvement tips.
1. Paint the Exterior
Painting the exterior of your home is one of the easiest ways to increase the price of your property. You might not think that a simple layer of fresh paint could accomplish anything, but you would be wrong. That’s because painting the exterior can transform your home in a variety of ways, even if it is only a superficial change.
In particular, giving your home a new layer of paint will make the home look much newer and fresher than it really is. The newer and better your home looks, the more attention it will get from potential homebuyers. More than that, homebuyers prefer homes that are newly painted compared to homes that have old paint that is chipping away or faded.
Painting the exterior also improves the home’s curb appeal, which simply means that it makes the house look more visually attractive. This is important if you want to sell the house at a good price and in a short period of time.
2. Replace the Roof
Replacing the roof of your house might be a good idea if your roof is already quite old. This is because an old and damaged roof can actually lower the value of your home. This is the case because most homebuyers aren’t interested in houses that need such a big and costly repair right away.
Of course, repairing or replacing the roof using your own money may seem counterproductive if you plan on selling your house. However, you can think of this project as a sort of investment. The money you put towards the roof will only count toward the price of your home when you sell it.
Once you replace your roof with a brand new one, you can sell your house for several thousands of dollars more than before, perhaps even several tens of thousands. A new roof is also something that many homebuyers look for, so your home might sell quickly as well.
3. Fix the Floors
Floors are important no matter what house you have. If a potential homebuyer sees pictures of your house for sale online and likes what they see but then sees pictures of dirty, stained floors, that homebuyer will likely be turned off to the entire idea of considering your house. Old floors are considered deeply unattractive.
Even if your floors are perfectly clean but have old stains or look worn down, people will think that those floors are dirty and undesirable. This is not to mention that an old and ugly floor can take away from factors in the house that are otherwise attractive such as freshly painted walls, new countertops, and so on.
4. New Appliances
If you want to make sure that your house stands out and sells for more money, you should consider replacing your appliances with new ones. If your fridge is old and dirty or if your oven is 15 years old, replacing these things can make a big difference.
First of all, homebuyers love to see homes with new and mostly unused appliances. Secondly, the sheer value of these appliances will increase the value of your home. Thirdly, new appliances don’t cost all that much compared to other, larger home upgrades.
Some home upgrades might cost thousands upon thousands of dollars, but getting new appliances shouldn’t cost you nearly as much.
5. New Cabinets
Cabinets, like floors, can make a great first impression as long as they look good. If they don’t look good and instead look worn down, scratched, or stained, they can end up lowering the total value of your home.
This is not to mention that old and unattractive cabinets are quite undesirable to potential homebuyers. This is because the task of fixing or replacing the cabinets would fall to the homebuyer. But if you do this beforehand, you’ll be in luck.
Getting some new cabinets for your house will immediately make your house look more modern and fresh. This is not to mention that the right cabinets can bring a great splash of color into your home and make it look more vibrant and attractive. The more attractive and tidy your home looks, the more desirable it will be for potential homebuyers, so keep that in mind.
6. New Windows
If your windows are old and rundown, you might want to consider replacing them. This is especially true if the windows are damaged in some way, such as if they are cracked or have moisture trapped between the panes. This is especially true if you have old single-pane windows.
Most homebuyers will pass up homes with old windows because, after all, installing new windows is a real pain. If you do this before putting your house up for sale, you’ll be one step ahead. New and efficient windows are immensely attractive to homebuyers.
This is because new windows are great at insulating the house and keeping moisture out of the interior. New windows also look nice and can complete the look of the house.
7. Landscaping
As mentioned before, curb appeal is very important when selling a house, especially when you’re trying to sell it for a lot of money. If your front yard looks desolate and doesn’t have much more than some patches of dead grass, your home isn’t going to look very attractive. But if you spruce up the environment, you’ll have much better luck.
All you need to do is add some flowers, plants, bushes, and other types of vegetation. Doing this will add plenty of color to your property and make it look more attractive and valuable. Landscaping your property doesn’t cost very much to do either.
8. Paint the Interior
As mentioned before, painting the house’s exterior can help boost the price, but so can painting the interior. The interior, of course, is where people will live and enjoy themselves, so it only makes sense that the interior should look nice.
If the interior paint is stained or chipping, it’s time to give it a new coat. Doing this can give your home a nice boost of color and make the interior look much newer than it really is. And, of course, it will help increase your home’s value.
9. Replace the Countertops
If your kitchen countertops don’t look great or if they are discolored or damaged, this is a big turnoff to potential homebuyers. On the other hand, if your countertops are fresh and luxurious granite, quartz, or another impressive material, then homebuyers will be much more interested.
More than that, they will be willing to pay more for brand new high-quality countertops. Of course, you don’t need to buy the most expensive counters on the market to attract homebuyers, but you should pick a material that is high-quality and matches the rest of your kitchen.
This is also true for bathroom countertops. As long as they are new and look great, you shouldn’t have any trouble selling your house at a high price.
10. Don’t Forget the Details
There are various details you can upgrade if you want to increase the value of your home. For example, you can replace all the doorknobs and handles on your cabinets and doors. You and also replace light fixtures, light switches, and more.
Even something as simple as replacing the mailbox can help, so don’t leave any details unexamined.
All About Home Improvements
If you want to increase the value of your home, there are several home improvements you can try to accomplish this. For example, something as simple as painting the exterior of your home or landscaping the front yard can make a big difference. Replacing floors, windows, and appliances can also be a big help.
To learn more about selling your house, contact us here.