How Can I Increase My Home Appraisal Value When I’m on a Budget? 

When preparing to sell a house, you want to make sure you can get the most money for it. Having a professional home appraiser appraise your home before listing it is one of the best ways to determine how much you can expect to get for it. As the appraiser inspects your home, there are a few specific things they’ll look for.

Knowing what these things are gives you the opportunity to increase the appraisal value. Making big upgrades to your home can get expensive quickly, however. How can you increase the value of your home while on a budget?

In the guide below, you’ll discover a few different inexpensive upgrades you can make to your home that will help increase the value. Continue reading to learn more!

Build Curb Appeal

If you want to sell your house fast, then you’ll need to boost the curb appeal.

The first thing anyone sees when approaching your home is curb appeal. Take a few minutes to step outside, step back, and examine your home’s exterior. Does it offer good curb appeal?

Pay close attention to the lawn, landscaping, and condition of your home’s exterior (front door, windows, siding, and more). If your home’s curb appeal is less than ideal, consider making a few upgrades. Fortunately, upgrading the curb appeal is fairly expensive.

For some, all it takes is mowing the lawn, removing debris from the yard, trimming trees and shrubs, and applying a fresh coat of paint. If you want to take it a step further, then you can consider replacing the front door (or paint it a different color from the house), planting new plants and laying fresh mulch, and upgrading the driveway.

The choice is yours, but don’t feel as though you need to spend tons of money on the project. Most of your curb appeal can be increased simply by cleaning up the yard. If you want to add some outside home decor, then that works well also!

Apply Fresh Coat of Paint

A fresh coat of paint on the inside and outside of your home can go a long way. Paint is fairly inexpensive and can completely transform your home. When selecting paint colors, do try to stay mutual.

This is true for both the exterior and interior. Future buyers will want to see your house as a blank canvas. Some buyers can be turned off by bold colors.

After selecting your paint color but before painting the walls, be sure to follow all paint instructions or have a professional complete the project for you to ensure the job’s done correctly.

Switch Out Hardware

Hardware in the kitchen and bathrooms brings the entire home together when they’re in sync with one another. If your current hardware doesn’t match or is outdated, then now is the perfect time to switch it out. Replace old hardware with new and improved pieces.

You can even get creative and find antique hardware or unique hardware pieces at your local home improvement store. Just be sure the pieces match the kitchen and bathrooms’ cabinets and counters.

Install a Security System

A home with a security system adds comfort and security to new homeowners. Having a security system in your home can help increase the value. Although security systems can become expensive, there are several affordable home security systems to choose from.

Do some research and find a system that’s of good quality yet affordable. A basic alarm and cameras is an upgrade from having no security system at all.

Replace Appliances

New and improved appliances in your home can help attract buyers and increase your home appraisal. It’s also a good idea to replace your current appliances with ones that all match one another. For example, if you have a mix of stainless steel, black matte, and white appliances, it can make your kitchen appear outdated.

Do your best to have appliances made from the same material. Stainless steel is always a great option if possible. To save money, keep the larger appliances (refrigerator and oven) and try to replace your smaller appliances to match the larger ones.

Replace Old Carpets

Old carpets in a house can be an eyesore. Carpets that are worn down, dirty, stained, or torn can turn buyers away and bring down the appraisal value. Home appraisers will know that buyers will need to replace the carpets themselves, dropping the value of the home down.

Although replacing old carpets with new hard floors is costly, you can consider replacing them with a more affordable hard floor material or with new carpets. Replacing with new carpets is normally the cheapest option and will still look nice.

Declutter the Home

What’s the simplest and cheapest way to boose your home’s appraisal value? Declutter your home. Clutter in the house not only makes your home appear in worse condition than it most likely is, but it also makes it appear smaller than it is.

Before having a professional home inspection, do be sure to clean each room and open up space. If needed, you can rent a storage unit and place items in the unit until you’re ready to move into your new home.

You Can Increase Your Home’s Appraisal Value Today

Are you in the market to sell your home? Before you list your home for sale, it’s a good idea to have it appraised. An appraisal gives you a good idea of where to start with a listing price.

For this reason, all homeowners want the highest appraisal value possible. Be sure to follow these steps listed above for increasing your home’s value while on a budget.

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