10 inexpensive ways to increase your home's value

Thinking of renovating but cash is a little bit tight? Are you looking for ways to spruce up your home without breaking the bank? If you are thinking of selling your home, or just fixing it up so you can enjoy it yourself, here are 10 great ideas to consider.
The kitchen is and always be the nerve center of the home. Someone looking at your home, and I do it myself, head straight to the kitchen to check it out. Make sure the kitchen is clean, smells clean, and is updated. For the cost of a nice night out at a very nice restaurant, you can install new lighting, that is brighter and even more important, energy efficient. How about replacing the faucet. There are some really nice and reasonably priced faucets on the market. New kitchen cabinet door handles look great and really don't cost that much. Go for it!! Letting out the belt? For a few more bucks, how about new cabinet fronts?? You don't need to replace everything, how about just the fronts. You can have the fronts replaced, remove the drawers and replaced, refinish the cabinet box and in a short period of time, you give the appearance of brand new cabinets.
Appliances need a face lift too!! You can order new front panels for you appliances. Inexpensive and something you can do yourself. Sometimes the backs of the panels may be a different color. Check first before you spend any money at all.
Next to the kitchen, the bathrooms are equally important to update. Simple things like a fresh coat of paint, new towel sets, new toilet seat. Feel feisty? How about a new sink? I like a pedestal style sink. Really classy. I just finished re-caulking the tub. It was old and dingy and had to go. Cheap fix that looked nice also. Try your hand at re-grouting the tub. Not difficult, take your time, read the instructions. Some people might even go as far to install a new, one piece tub that fits right over the old existing tub. You might want to hire a professional to do this job.
A home I used to live in was nice, but the closet space was cramped to say the least. I went to Home Depot and looked around. I decided the best thing for my money was wire shelving. You can hire companies to do the job, or you can do it yourself. I just measured the closet, asked for some help in the store, bought what I needed and did the job, saved a few bucks and it looked great. Lots of options doing this. This added space and really helped to organize my tiny closet space.
I have seen homes listed as 4 bedrooms. I went upstairs and what they were calling the 4th bedroom was just a loft. A closet less loft. For it to be a bedroom, you need to have a closet. It had heat, but no closet. For less then $1200 you can frame out and drywall a closet. NOW, you can call it a 4 bedroom home.
How is the carpeting? Maybe just a good cleaning? Is the path from the kitchen to the door to the deck deeper the the grand canyon? It's outttta here. Just replace it. Not going to cost you a bundle, but it does look great. That's something a potential buyer is certainly going to notice. Hardwood floors? How about a good cleaning as well? Make them shine!!
Is the light in the room not as bright as it used to be? Have you tried cleaning the bulbs? Unscrew them, take a dry rag and just clean them off. You'll be amazed how much brighter the room is. If that still isn't good enough for you, consider replacing them with a nice chandelier. I put in a new ceiling fan with lights. I think surgery could be performed with all the lights. Real nice addition. Not to mention, it helps keep the house cooler in the summer.
As I mentioned last week, you can do a home inspection for your self if you are considering selling. How about bringing in an electrician, or a plumber just to check some of the bones in the house?
Again, curb appeal!! You really need to make a great first impression on a buyer. Purchase the mulch, add the mum's, trim the hedges, re-paint the front door. Just do it!
How about the front door? Ugly? Tired? Nice coat of paint, or a faux finish! OY! It will pay for it self at the settlement table! You can do it! Confucius said" the longest journey starts with a single step" or something like that. "If you want to sell your home, you gotta call Rick", and I'm Rick and that's my blog for this week. Talk to you again next week, and thanks for stopping back. My cell is 610-613-2840. I hang my license at Keller Williams In Exton, Pa. My office number is 610-363-0400, and I am at extension 2452. Just ask for me.