How to Inexpensively Increase the Value of Your Home

Are you looking to increase the value of your home while staying within your budget? Full remodels, even for one room, can cost many thousands of dollars. If you’re looking to make improvements that are simple and cheap. Here’s how.

Eliminate clutter inside the home
Get the house organized and get rid of clutter or put it in storage. A nice, tidy house will seem larger and more elegant.

Wash walls and windows
Many times a good cleaning will make your home’s finish look good as new. Pressure-wash your home’s exterior, and wash interior walls. Clean your windows so that you can’t tell they’re there.

Add a fresh coat of interior paint
Sometimes you just really need to repaint, but you can do it yourself relatively cheaply on interior walls. First, patch up any holes, no matter how small. To get a silky smooth finish, apply a coat of primer. After the primer dries, lightly sand it with fine grit sandpaper. Apply the first coat of latex paint, and then lightly sand that layer also. Wipe the walls down with a damp cloth after each sanding session. Then apply the final coat of latex paint.

Put up fresh curtains and blinds
Blinds don't cost much, and curtains can be cheap also. Over time, the sun fades the colors from your blinds and curtains, so new ones will make a better impression than old ones.

Clean up the carpet
You can shampoo or steam clean your carpets, or you can use a dry cleaning system which requires no water or steamer rentals and which dries instantly and kills virtually all mold and bacteria. Apply according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and then vacuum. If all else fails, get a professional to do the carpets for you. You'd be surprised how much better your carpet will look after a good cleaning.

Install modern light switches and outlets
Some of the new style switches can be easily installed using the wires already running to the old switches. Just be sure to turn off the power to the room or entire house before doing any work. The new outlets look nice, and give the impression that the electrical wiring in the house is newer than it really is. Dimmer switches are especially desirable.

Refinish kitchen cabinets
Outdated or worn cabinets can bring the whole kitchen down, but refinishing them is relatively cheap and easy to do. If you have a dark or small kitchen, make it look larger and brighter by using a lighter finish on the cabinets.

Up the wattage of your light bulbs to make things even brighter
Just make sure you don't exceed the maximum specification for lamps and other lights. (You could use compact florescent light bulbs in order to make the room brighter without getting new fixtures, plus they save electricity meaning they save you money.)

Wood Trim
New wood trim is a cheap and easy do it yourself idea that can add tons of "WOW" factor to the look of your home. Simple ceiling trim and armchair railings are the easiest and most typical upgrades found in newer homes.

Semi-gloss paint will make your walls seem brighter
If your walls have imperfections, such as dents in the drywall or cracks in the plaster, consider using flat paint to hide those imperfections.

Install ceiling fans
If you live in an area where warm weather is common, replacing built in ceiling lights with ceiling fans will improve the form and function of your home. You can find ceiling fans at any "big box" retailer or at your local hardware store.

Use floor and table lamps in every room.
Lamps give a softer light, which makes the room more home-like and less clinical.