1. Keep it clean. How your house appears goes a long way to increase house value. If you are looking at two identical homes, but one has trash in the yard, stains on the carpet and a strange odor, which one would you pay more for?
2. Repair highly visible problems. If the paint is flaking off, the screen door is hanging crooked and there are holes in the walls from doorknobs, the value of the house will significantly drop. Keep up on minor repairs and you will not be hit with a huge price tag to tidy things when it is time to sell.
3. Paint those 1970s era yellow and orange walls. Keeping colours up to date is a relative cheap way to increase house value. Replacing aged Formica and floor tile will help increase house value as well.
4. Add value by upgrading your countertops: Any room you have countertops – kitchen, bathroom, bars, or utility rooms the more money you can spend into a higher end countertop the better. Plastic laminate countertops are considered the lower end grade, solid surfacing, concrete and granite is considered to be the higher end grade. Consider overlay countertops that are made from composite granite/resin combination for the look of granite at a fraction of the cost.
5. Master bedrooms should feel like a retreat: The master bedroom or suite as some like to refer to it is a high commodity for home buyers. Upgrade flat ceilings to raised tray ceilings and allow for several lighting options. Recessed lighting with dimmers, lighting wall sconces help create an ambiance that has a high value in appeal and for the value of your home.
6. Paint inside and out. A fresh coat of paint always increases home values. Use earth tones, like muted greens, soft browns, rustic reds and soothing blues. Bold is not the way to go if you're trying to add value.
