Six Affordable Upgrades That Add Value to Your Home

You’ve spent the past decade living in your current home.It’s been the setting for a lot of family“firsts” — from your baby’s first steps toyour first time hosting Thanksgiving. Now, your family is growingand planning to upgrade to something bigger. In order to buy abigger home, you’ll need to first sell your current one — and, hopefully,for its maximum value.

One strategy to help you do that?

Make simple, affordable upgrades that can add value to your home— before listing your property. 

Here are six home updates that can have a big impact.

1. Hardwood floors. Has your home had thesame carpet since the 80s? Dust, dirt, and dog hair often cling tocarpets, giving rooms a drab appearance. Freshen up bedrooms andguestrooms by hiring someone to install hardwood floors. Genuinehardwood has the greatest visual appeal, but it can be expensive.If you’re on a budget, vinyl or laminate flooring are worthwhilealternatives. Depending on the size of your bedrooms and flooringselection, it can take anywhere from a half-day to a full-day perroom installation.
    
2. New, matching stainless steel appliances. Weoften wait until our appliances break to replace them.There’s a reason for the age-old adage: “If itain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, upgradingyour appliances can add value to your home, making it a worthyexception. Matching new appliances bring a unified look to yourkitchen. Plus, new appliances will typically be built with thelatest technology, making them more energy-efficient than your lastappliances. Consider black stainless steel, as it is a little moreresistant to fingerprints and smudges than silver. 
    
3. Quartz countertops. Move over granite andmarble countertops. Quartz is the latest material of choice. It hasa high-end appearance and is more stain-resistant than granite,based on Consumer Reports’ testing. During thetest, Consumer Reports piped half-inch splotches of potentialoffending liquids — from hot coffee to chocolate syrup— on each surface and recorded the effects after 20 hours.Quartz fared better than granite with beet juice and food coloring,making it the winner.   
    
4. Fresh coat of paint to walls and cabinets. Afresh coat of paint can instantly transform a space. Semi-glosspaint has traditionally been known for its durability, but it alsoreflects light. As a result, matte paints tends to hideimperfections better, making walls appear smoother and mark-free.Which colors appeal to homebuyers? Stick to neutrals, such asbeige, ivory, taupe, or gray, and pull in color through accentpieces. A chevron navy and white rug or an aqua armchair can reallypop in a gray bedroom. If your home has any rooms with extremelybright paint colors, such as a pink child’s bedroom, startthere. Neutral colors allow homebuyers to see the room’spotential instead of getting stuck on the paint.   
    
5. Walk-in shower. Angie’s List gotpersonal and asked 2,000 survey respondents: do you prefer a bathor a shower? It was a clean sweep for showers, which received 90percent of the votes. Based on the results, the likeliest person toprefer showers is a 20-something male. Comparatively, the likeliestperson to choose baths was a 40-something female. Interestingly, ifyou have a tub with a built-in shower, you might think you have thebest of both worlds. However, modern homes are moving towardwalk-in showers. They’re sleek and functional,allowing for easier access. That’s important for an olderdemographic — and anyone who needs the space to bewheelchair-accessible. 
    
6. Landscaping. The entrance to your home makes alasting first impression on prospective homebuyers. If they walk upto dead plants and excessive weeds, it’s not a good look.Consider hiring a landscape company to select the right combinationof native plants, which have adapted to the local climate and soilconditions. Native plants are typically low-maintenance and aremore likely to thrive throughout the year than exotic plants.Thoughtful landscaping can also attract potential buyers whenthey're driving through the neighborhood.    

A few simple upgrades can add value to your home, helping youget closer to the right buyer — and price.