6 Tips to Increase Your Home’s Value
Is your home’s public face in need of a little “TLC”? Or are you considering putting your home on the market this summer? If it’s the second, the LA Times reports that real estate market is hot, hot, hot, so this is a great time to cash in and move. But in either case, an attractive public appearance could add significant value to your home. And certainly, before you put the For Sale sign out on the lawn, we recommend working on your home’s curb appeal to get the most from home buyers. Here are six relatively simple and inexpensive DIY projects that can be done with or without the help of professionals.
1. Paint Your Siding
Nothing looks tackier than peeling paint on your home’s siding. If your home needs an entire repainting, hiring contractors will save you time. If your home simply needs touchups, you can do that easily yourself. Scrape away paint bubbles and flakes of paint with a paint scraper, sand the siding lightly, then repaint with two coats of matching paint.
2. Clean Your Home’s Exterior
Vinyl siding doesn’t need to be repainted ever, but it does need to be cleaned. Use a strong jet of water from a hose to spray down the siding and wash away the dirt. If your home is really dirty, use a scrub brush and soapy water to wipe it down. Use glass cleaner to clean your windows till they gleam. Worried about streaks? Use a microfiber cloth and a window squeegee for an extra clean finish.
3. Make Small Repairs
Broken things look bad. Broken door knobs, rusty mailboxes, missing bricks in the garden bed can all detract from your home’s pristine appearance. Make a note of everything on the front of your home that needs to be repaired, then run to the hardware store for your necessary supplies.
4. Install New Lighting
Solar garden bed lights are a relatively inexpensive way to dress up your home’s garden beds. They can be installed by DIYers and don’t need to be hardwired to your home. If your home gets dark at night, invest in one or two motion-controlled security lights and have them installed by an electrician.
5. Clean Up Your Landscaping
This project consists of three parts:
- Removing dead things.
- Maintaining existing things.
- Installing new things.
Dead shrubs, dead branches, dead flowers, dead plants of all types must go. When you cut them down or tear them out, be sure to put the debris in your green sanitation bin–don’t leave them in a pile on your side yard. Cut back overgrown plants and trim your grass, then give your lawn a good watering once you’ve finished pruning.
Finally, install a few drought tolerant shrubs and flowers that will dress up your lawn while requiring less time and money to maintain. When you’re done, sweep the pathways and sidewalks around your property to remove clippings, twigs, leaves and other organic material.
6. Make Your Home Look Inviting
This is the cherry on top of your curb appeal project. Repaint your front door in a bright, cheerful color that invites people to come inside. Replace your old grungy welcome mat with a new one. Install new house numbers that are larger and easier to see, then put blooming potted flowers on either side of your front doorway.
If you really want to go above and beyond, set out a few patio chairs and a little table where people can sit and enjoy the view from your front yard.
Tashman Home Center
As your neighborhood home improvement store, Tashman Home Center, is the place to head to for the supplies you need to make these improvements or anything else that might strike your fancy, including window and door repair and replacement. Stop by Tashman Home Center’s Hardware Store or shop on line at TashmanHomeCenter.com, because we carry it all, from light fixtures to paint brushes, cleaning products and more. We have a knowledgable and friendly staff and we’re always happy to help in any way we can!
Tashman Home Center – Paint Section