4 Simple Ways to Increase the Value of Your Property

It’s summertime. The warm weather brings more than bugs and rays of sunshine. It brings longer hours of light outside, which is perfect for doing those home repairs you’ve been putting off.

As a property owner, you know that your property needs to be appealing for someone to want to live there. Sometimes a roof over your head for a fair price is appealing enough. If you live in an area that affords renters a lot of options, then you need to do something to compete.

Whether you own property and are looking to sell or just want to rent it out, you need to make sure the property is pleasing to the eye and could be a place where people feel at home. Here are four simple ways to increase the value of your property and attract buyers/tenants.

Yard

The first thing people notice when they pull up to the property is what the yard and exterior of the home look like. This is called “curb appeal”. As people are sitting in their car looking at your property, the last thing you want to be happening is them writing your home off as undesirable, you know, the whole “don’t judge a book by its cover” principle.

The only judgment you want is people looking at the outside of your home and thinking how beautiful it is. A simple way to do this includes having plants in the yard. If they are nicely planted and manicured, it will make your house look amazing. Keep the plants in check though, because if someone wanted to live in a jungle they would move to the Amazon.

Paint

This can apply to the inside and outside of your property. Painting the outside can freshen it up since it is exposed to a lot. Painting the inside can give a variety of moods and character to different rooms in your home.

When trying to appeal to others through painting, it is important not to go over the top. Keep things neutral in color and tone. If you painted a room a funky color because it matched your inner child, that’s cool, but be prepared to paint it a normal color that will appeal to potential buyers or tenants.

Repairs

It is nice when moving into a home to know that repairs have been made. Imagine the difference in the way you would feel if you started renting a home and the landlord told you he just had the roof re-shingled, versus the landlord saying that the roof hadn’t been maintained regularly for decades.

Repairs are a great way to make your home worth more, as you are fixing problems and usually upgrading in the process. If you are fairly handy, you can easily make many home repairs and save the cost of hiring a professional.

That being said, here are some situations where you should hire a professional:

• if you don’t know what you are doing,
• electrical work, 
• many plumbing jobs, 
• if there is potential to make the problem worse if you mess up, 
• and any job you don’t have the correct tools for.

Appliances

“Outdated appliances are really great and never pose any problems,” said no one ever. We all want the super nice appliances with smart technology, right?

If you want to increase home value and attract more people to look at your property, upgrading appliances is a huge step to take. Yes, they are expensive. No one is saying buy a brand new one, but if you have an oven that is 8 years old and find a great deal on a 4-year-old oven, take it! It will be worth it when you are able to sell your home for more as a result.

Conclusion

The value of property changes frequently. Some of that has to do with factors outside your control, like the housing market. However, there are many things that you can do to ensure that the value of your home goes up and that it is an appealing place to live. The takeaway is really that any good effort put into improving your property will benefit you in the end.