Little Home Helpers

Help Your Home Value

Increasing the value of your home before putting it on the market is important, and your budget shouldn’t hold you back. Here are a few, simple tips to improve the look and feel of your home fast—all for under $400:

1. Low-maintenance lawn care: Overgrown lawns and bushes will cause your home to stand out—in a bad way. For a few hundred dollars, hire a landscaping service to tidy up. Adding plants and trees native to your region will also help boost the home’s curb appeal.

2. Deep house cleaning: Make sure your home says “clean” to potential buyers when they walk in the door. Even if you clean your home regularly, hire a cleaning service for a thorough top-to-bottom scrubbing.

3. Make your home feel bigger: You can’t change the square-footage of your home, but you can make each room in your house feel larger. A sunny room feels more open—replace heavy drapes with vertical blinds or shutters. Also, clear the clutter. Add shelving or storage space to help organize.

4. Replace and update: Dated wallpaper, old lighting fixtures, popcorn ceilings and broken features, such as ceiling fans, could turn many buyers away. Making these changes will add dollar signs to the value of your home instantly.

5. Add money-saving efficiencies: Updates to make your home more energy-efficient are a big bonus for buyers because it will save them money in the long term. Many utility companies provide free energy audits so they can show you how to maximize the energy efficiency of your home. Installing a water filtration system is an inexpensive addition that will also lower the buyer’s grocery bills—no more bottled water.