Long been looking for ways to increase the value of your home without breaking the bank? Luckily, there are many things you can do that won’t burn a hole in your wallet or squander your resources. Better yet, these projects can be done all on your own, assuming you’ve got the right DIY spirit. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to sell your home for a greater profit, or simply sprucing it up to increase the quality of your own life, these inexpensive tips can be a great place to start.
These home improvement projects vary from the quick and easy to weekend projects, and the value they add to your home increases accordingly. Whether it me replacing an outdated appliance, or planting a tree to beautify your yard, these home improvement projects will offer long-lasting benefits.
The bigger you decide to go depends on your individual budget, but none of these DIY projects should cost you more than $500 on average. Now, get busy increasing the value of your home, no matter the region or real estate market with 15 DIY home improvement projects that make your house worth more.
(Some of these home improvement projects may require a bit more specialization, like plumbing or electrical experience. Always remember to consult with an outside expert beforehand.)
Plant a Tree
Trees make everything look nicer, lusher. Planting a tree in your yard is actually surprising affordable – depending on the size of the tree. A nice sized tree that will increase your property value can be had for around $60, a no-brainer investment for forward thinking homeowners.
The labor shouldn’t cost you your entire weekend, either. A good DIY spirit should have this project done in just a few short hours, while the value it adds will be seen over the years and decades to come.
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Paint a Room
Simply painting a room can have a serious impact on how people perceive it. So, with the average gallon of paint only costing about $25, what are you waiting for? Who likes walking into a drab, badly painted room, especially if they’re thinking about buying it – nobody!
It should only take two or three cans of paint at most for most rooms, and when you do the labor yourself it’s an easy way to improve your home and make it worth more.
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Increase Air Flow
Air flow is critical to a safe home, but it is often overlooked, especially when it comes to the attic. Improving the ventilation in the attic will help with help with a bunch of common household issues, and it will certainly boost the value of your house.
Improving the air flow will help save on air-conditioning costs, as well as keep the attic from getting mildewy from trapping all that excess heat.
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Update a Kitchen Appliance
One of the quickest ways to add value to your kitchen is by updating and outdated or weathered kitchen appliance. There are a number of ways to go about this, but one of the best ways to increase value is by adding a reliable dishwasher. A nice dishwasher that will stand up to thousands of uses can be had for around $300. A small price to pay to add a modern luxury to your kitchen.
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Energy Efficient Fixtures
Elements you add that save energy are always going to make your home more desirable, and a great way to do this is by installing some energy efficient fixtures. One of the most inexpensive ways to do this is with a ceiling fan, which will help you save on energy costs while also being an attractive focal point. A solid ceiling fan can be purchased for under $100.
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Tankless Water Heater
Recently, tankless water heaters have started to become highly sought after because of their energy saving abilities – they use up to 50 percent less energy than traditional water heaters. So, naturally installing one if you home will only cause your home’s value to shoot up, and, if you do the labor yourself, won’t cost you very much. It might sound like an expensive renovation, but in reality, an electric model can be found for around $500 – sometimes lower!
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Grass
Bad grass or an unkempt lawn is one of the first things potential buyers are going to see, and if your grass appears dead you can bet it will impact your property value. Luckily, fixing this issue is one of the easiest ways to increase curb appeal, and the average sized lawn can be sodded or re-sodded for only $200.
This is also the type of project where you don’t have to worry much about DIY experience, as there isn’t any real danger involved with sodding a lawn, and the worst that can happen is maybe you waste a bit of sod – and time.
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Water Filtration
You will likely not need a water filtration system in all the areas of your house that disperse water – like the bathroom or backyard house. Most of that water simply goes down the drain wasted, so it wouldn’t do you much good there. However, in the high point-of-use areas such as the kitchen sink, a water filtration system could really bring benefits to the home. It’ll allow you to ditch the wasteful bottled water while also bringing added value to your house, and all for around $100.
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Area Rug
Hardwood floors are a serious investment in any home, so why not protect that investment best you can? Getting an area rug to put in your high-traffic areas will really extend the life of your floors, in turn making your home worth more. Even if you don’t have genuine hardwood floors, an area rug will still protect whatever flooring you have underneath, preserving them past the point when exposed floors would begin to show signs of wear and tear.
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Resurface Concrete
A busted up and tired looking driveway can really cause your curb appeal to take a serious dive. If your driveway is full of cracks and has seen better days, consider resurfacing the concrete, as it’s a surefire way to make your home worth more. This is a DIY project that can be pulled off for as low as $300 in many cases.
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Wallpaper
Cracked and faded wallpaper can be a hassle to rip out, but if you don’t mind a little sweating it can increase the value of any home. For a smaller room, such as the bathroom, the whole project can be accomplished for around $400 – depending on the size and scale of the bathroom, of course. Wallpaper can really do wonders when it comes to warming up a bathroom and making it seem more inviting.
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Sink Basin
Sink basins can start to get scummy over time, and it’s possible yours has seen better days. If that happens to be your current situation, don’t worry, this isn’t too difficult a fix. Replace that old and word out sink basin for about $125, it’s a proven way to add some value to your kitchen, as it instantly brings a fresh look to the room.
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Replace a Door
Accidents happen, and sometimes they’re avoidable, but other times they unfortunately are not. Whether somebody slammed it too often or punched it in a fit of rage, the doors inside your home can take a beating. This can really hurt when it comes time to selling your home (not to mention it’s embarrassing) and eat into its value – replace it for an average of $200.
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Replace a window
Windows are sometimes seemingly built to break, and having chipped or shattered windows is not a good look for your home. But, if you replace that damaged window you’ve been meaning to get around to, your house will quickly increase in value – all for about $300.
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Replace an Electrical Outlet
While doing electrical work is generally not advisable, especially in a DIY manner. (unless you’ve got a background, of course). However, some homeowners can replace outlets without issue. Electrical outlets can warp and weather over time, and nobody wants to plug into an outlet that looks on the verge of sparking. This isn’t a tough fix, and each outlet should only set you back about $15. Read further about electrical outlets before getting started.
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Whether you’re looking to increase the value of your home and hopefully sell it for a greater profit, or simply sprucing it up to increase the quality of you and your family’s life, these actionable tips are proven to work.
Don’t wait around while your home’s value begins to dwindle, be proactive and take some measures, and a great place to start is with DIY home improvement projects that make your house worth more.
