Buying a home is no mean feat. After the long slog of saving for a deposit, followed by the highs and lows of house hunting and then the mission of applying for a mortgage you will want to ensure your new home is worth the blood, sweat and tears.
Investing in your property, therefore, to ensure you’ve not only made it your own but added value, is vital for many homeowners.
Whether you have purchased a house to upgrade and sell straight away or you just want to ensure your home is easy to sell when the time is right, there are a few ‘upgrades’ you can make which will pack a punch when it comes to increasing the value.
From fixing cracks and keeping it clean to creating spaces which are in line with modern living, here’s how to add £66k to the value of your property
Fix the little things
Start small and fix the little things first. Whether that involves finding and filling in any cracks in walls or making sure your taps aren’t leaking – doing these seemingly insignificant DIY jobs, could actually add as much as £18.6k according to Henry Martin, a residential and commercial property developer.
Henry explained, cracks in walls can easily knock off £9.49k from your home, and no double glazing can reduce the value by £9.14k.
But these are quick fixes and while you may need professional help with some, if the cracks are under 5mm you should be able to do the filling yourself.
Create a home office space
Thanks to hybrid working, the home office has become one of the most sought-after features in a home.
Some people have gone all out and built outdoor offices in their garden but you don’t need to go these lengths.
Simply redeploying the spare room can do the job. Replace the junk with some simple office staples such as a desk, chair, and storage and this could add a potential £20k to your property, said Henry.
Paint the room a light colour, add greenery and create the ideal work environment for a potential buyer.
If you don’t have a spare room, try earmarking an area of the house – the corner of the dining room or dead space under the stairs – to work as an office area. Again, by putting a desk here, painting it a different colour and adding accessories you can make good use of the space.
Add modern touches
Introducing more modern touches to your home is a quick and easy win, advises Henry. Not only does this add up to £8.85k to your property, but it will create a home in which visitors will feel comfortable and joyful, benefiting the sales process too.
Whether it’s improving kerb appeal with metal window frames, or adding simpler modern trends such as introducing house plants or swapping out your throws for more scandi-inspired colours such as white and grey, this will provide a space where potential buyers can easily picture their life at your home.
Look after your outside space, as well as in
Another trend which emerged from the pandemic was garden entertaining. All those outdoors-only group restrictions meant those of fortunate enough to have outside space were able to use our gardens as an extra room.
As such, investing in our garden to make sure it’s a comfortable and relaxing place to spend time, is money well spent.
According to , Henry 64% of UK residents said they wouldn’t buy a home if it didn’t have an outdoor space, so it’s certainly something worth focusing on if you plan to sell.
Henry said it could add up to 5% of the property’s value.
Maintaining your work
It’s amazing what a lick of paint can do. In fact, not only can it make your house look cleaner and fresher but Henry reckons it could add a further £9k to value.
“Scuffed paintwork or marked walls can knock £9.25k off a property, so make sure to schedule in some DIY time,” Henry said.
“Use neutral colours, such as white or grey, allowing your potential buyers to picture their style.”
Keeping your house clean will also help to create a calm space and will ensure small blights – like mildew or bath residue – don’t build up and become immovable.
Henry said keeping your house clean could potentially add £9.29k to your house when you come to sell.
He said: “This easy fix can be so easily overlooked but offers great reward when undertaken! The best part is that this couldn’t be a simpler fix. Only costing you a little bit of time, making sure your home is well presented to your visitors is more than worth it.”
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