Home improvements seem daunting and expensive, however, the amount of money you spend on home improvements depends on the project. There are a lot of projects under $1,000 to spruce up your home to sell it. Many people take to "Do It Yourself" projects to add value to their house, without breaking the bank.
Inspect your home
A contract on your home can fall through if an inspector finds a major problem with your home. Have your home inspected before you put it on the market. You may find hidden problems that you didn't know. Some of them you may find early on before they get worse, causing you less money in repairs.
Paint
Choose colors that will compliment the lighting and living space and appeal to a large market of home buyers. If you are going to repaint the interior of your home, never choose a dark shade. The shade should enhance the room's natural features and make it feel bigger and brighter. Give the trim a fresh coat of paint as well. A gallon of paint is about $30 at Home Depot, so you can grab at a few gallons for less than $100. That's a deal, and it goes a long way in transforming the interior of a home.
Energy costs
How much energy are you using in your house? Can you cut costs here and there and save money? Check with your local utility company to see if they provide a free audit of your home. You can't put a price tag on a consultation, but you can save money by minimizing the cost of utilities used in your home. Every penny counts and if you add up your pennies saved here, you might have money to spend on other home improvement projects, big or small.
Goodbye popcorn ceilings
Popcorn ceilings-two words- instant turnoff. Before putting your house on the market, go ahead and plan to set a few days aside for scraping the ceilings. Your house will instantly be turned from old and outdated to updated and modern. It can cost up to $1,500 to hire someone to remove popcorn ceilings, so it is a lot cheaper to do it yourself. You'll need a drywall scraper and knife, paint roller, along with water, a spray bottle, and drop cloth. Be careful not to damage the drywall. If it proves difficult to remove, spray the ceiling with more water.
Replace wallpaper
Wallpaper makes a room feel dingy, small, and outdated. Replacing the wallpaper takes a little hard labor, but it is a doable DIY project. You'll see the return on investment by removing the wallpaper. You can use a concentrated solution to spray on the walls or a steamer to break down the adhesive to easily peel it off. Just like popcorn ceilings, you want to be careful not to damage the drywall.
Freshen up landscaping
Landscaping is a critical factor in curb appearance. If your yard is out of control, you can hire a landscaper to tame it. The cost of landscaping will depend on how big your yard or area is, but you can find landscapers who charge less than $400. Depending on who you hire and the job, it could be about $200, or you have the option of sprucing it up yourself by planting flowers, trimming bushes, and pulling unnecessary plants. Landscaping is as big or as little of a project as you want it to be.
Kitchen and bathroom updates
You don't have to gut the entire bathroom or kitchen to add home improvements to these home spaces. For both the kitchen and bathroom, you can save money by repainting the cabinets. Sellers often think they need to add brand new cabinetry, but paint can transform the look of cabinets. On top of fresh paint color, add new hardware to the cabinets. A curved shower curtain makes a shower feel more spacious, so that is another simple addition to the bathroom. Any update to the kitchen or bathroom will add value to your home.
Clean, clean, clean!
Cleanliness gets homes sold. If the cleaning project is too big to take on yourself or you don't have time to scrub the house from top to bottom, hire a professional. A cleaning service would cost a couple of hundred dollars, but that could mean less time on the market for your home.