How to increase the value of your home

Getting more bang for your property buck.

Whether you’re looking to sell your home now, or you want to make it as saleable as possible in the future, it makes sense to try to add as much value to a property as possible. You don’t necessarily have to speculate to accumulate and spend a fortune – there are lots of different ways that you can increase the value of your home.

Upgrade your kitchen

According to experts, if there’s one room in the home where improvements will really add value it’s the kitchen. You can add roughly 4.6% to the value of a property by making positive changes to your kitchen, from new fittings and features, through to updating tiles and paint. If you really want to create an irresistible kitchen then make sure it also has all mod cons, including dishwasher, water filter and a cutting edge fridge.

Apply for planning permission/permits

You may have no money to pay for a conversion to the loft or an extension to the outside area. However, you will add to the value of the property by having the permission or permit in place for a buyer who might want to do just that. Survey, design and planning processing can cost several thousand. However, once this is complete you’ll have added a whole new dimension to your property, giving it huge potential and cutting the red tape for the buyer in the process.

Pave over the front garden

Whether this will work for you really depends on the location. For example, if the property is located in the country then a front garden might be a feature that buyers expect. However, in urban locations front gardens are not particularly popular and are often seen as a bit of a burden. This is particularly so when you consider how much parking costs in urban locations. Paving over the front garden will give you a private parking space, which is a huge selling point.

Change the front door

This is probably one of the cheapest ways to increase the value of your home with minimal effort. Repaint or replace the door, clean up glass panels and replace chipped or broken pieces. If you don’t want to go the whole hog and replace the front door then you can opt for a new letterbox for around $25 or a new doorknob for roughly $35. Remember that the front door is the one part of your home that every buyer who arrives will definitely see so it’s worth making it smart and appealing.

Improve the hallway

Another key part of the first impression your property makes is the hallway. Clear out all the junk that tends to accumulate in spaces like this and give it a new lick of paint. Think about hanging some mirrors so that the space feels larger and more inviting. If you put two mirrors up, one on either wall, you’ll double the feel of space in the hallway.