If you’re looking to sell your house over the next few months or years, increasing your home’s value is a good idea. But how do you go about it? While there are seemingly endless ways to spend money on your house, not all improvements will pay off. Don’t worry. If you’re wondering how to prepare to sell a house, we can help. Here are some ideas that are likely to increase home value in the Houston area.
Aim for Curb Appeal
Regardless of how old your home is, updating the exterior so that it looks its best is essential to increasing its value. New paint, new siding, new gutters, a healthy lawn — all these efforts delight the eye and can increase your home’s value. Almost anything you can do to make your home look amazing on the outside is recommended. There is one caveat: Be sure not to do anything that will require a lot of maintenance from the potential new owner. Elaborate landscaping may look nice, but if it requires five hours of professional upkeep each week, it could actually work against your home’s value when you try to sell.
Update and Transform the Interior
Painting the interior of your home in neutral colors with high-quality paint is a sure way to increase its value, but there are other less obvious ways that work, too. An updated water heater, furnace, and electric panel might not make for exciting photographs, but they will help increase your property’s value. Without spending too much money, you can also purchase new light fixtures to give your house a fresh and modern look.
Some interior changes don’t even need to cost you any money. Decluttering can make your home feel more spacious and roomy, and a thorough deep cleaning before your first open house will help potential buyers more easily imagine themselves living there.
Regular Maintenance
If your home’s appliances, HVAC, or roof are still in good shape and aren’t quite old enough to justify replacing them, then leave them be. Have a professional come out and inspect them and perform any necessary maintenance. Being able to reassure potential buyers via outside, professional proof that all the features of your home are in good, working order will lessen doubts around a five year-old dishwasher or a seven year-old roof.
Increasing your home’s value in the Houston area is something almost any homeowner can do, whether you’re hoping to sell or you’re looking to tap into home equity for retirement. With forecasts predicting that housing prices in Houston in 2021 will continue to rise, make sure you get all the value out of your home that you can. Good maintenance, curb appeal, and some strategic efforts on your home’s interior will literally pay off.
Do you have financial goals you want to achieve? Reach out to a TDECU representative and discover how we can help you today.
Sources:
https://norhillrealty.com/increase-homes-value-28-5-tips/
https://www.opendoor.com/w/guides/how-to-increase-your-home-value