Easy Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home

There are many easy ways for you to increase the value of your home. Increasing your home's value will not only help you sell it for more money in the future, but can also allow you to get it appraised at a higher value, which will enable you to borrow more against it if you ever need a loan. 

Keep in mind that increasing your home's value can potentially increase your property taxes, making this list of tips a bit of a double-edged sword. Regardless, the more valuable your home is, the better off you will be in most cases, so it is likely worth the short-term tax.

Repaint the Exterior

First appearances are very important when it comes to the value and appeal of a home. A fresh coat of paint will do wonders for people who may be interested in buying your home. 

Depending on the size of the house, repainting it will be relatively inexpensive and, if you have the skills and equipment, this is something you could even do yourself over the course of a few days. 

If you don't have faith that you can pull off this job the right way, hire a crew to come in and repaint the place. The cost from this crew will be miniscule in the return you will get from the added home value.

Landscape and Garden

A nicely cut lawn, green and healthy flowers, and no weeds will improve the impression your home makes. Nice landscaping shows that the exterior and land around the home has been well taken care of and has the ability to look good. 

Hiring a gardening crew to come in and touch up the property, plant flowers, and reseed the yard will only cost a couple hundred dollars or so. The process may take a couple months, depending on the season and the weather in the area in which you live. 

Taking this extra step will not only improve the initial appearance of your home, but will also put the appraiser in the mindset that you are a conscious and responsible homeowner who cares for your home and property.

Clean Out Storage

All that stuff that's been piling up for a decade, and really isn't worth anything, is only bringing down your home's overall value. This means you need to sell it, give it away, or even take it to a dumpster to get rid of it. 

Doing so will clear space and allow you to either do something with that basement or storage room (like turn it into a game room or nice coat closet) or just have open space, which will draw attention to the tidiness of your home. Cleaning out your old storage will also take care of a lot of dust in your home, making the space seem cleaner overall.

Reseal Windows

This is especially important in areas where it is cold for a good amount of the year. Resealing windows will help with overall energy costs, and is something you can mention to anyone who is trying to figure out your home's value. This will be an inexpensive thing to do around the house and will save you (and whoever buys your home) a ton of money on electricity for both the heater and air conditioner.