5 Improvements That Add Value To Your New Braunfels Home

dream-deck-before-after

 

Regardless of whether you are planning on selling your home or not it is always a good idea to consider the literal value your home improvement jobs will add to your home. There is usually an actual number you can put on it. I recently found out that adding a pool to your home will only add 50% or less of the amount you spent on the project to the value of your home and in some ways will actually make your home harder to sell (limiting the amount of people interested).

When you decide to sell your home there is usually a time when you sit down and decide what your home is worth and what things you are willing to “improve” or “fix up” in order to help sell your home. Here is a list of 5 home improvements that will give a maximum value at a reasonable cost!

Replace the Front Door

Estimated Cost: $150-$500

First impressions matter! The front door is one of the first things prospective buyers will see upon entering your home. Replacing an old or damaged front door is an excellent investment in helping sell your home. . You can expect a 129% ROI on a steel door, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2009–10 “Cost vs. Value Report.” Fiberglass models, which can cost three times as much, recoup only 65% of their cost. In some cases energy-efficient doors can earn you a tax credit of up to 30% of your cost.

Add a Patio or Deck to the Backyard

Estimated Cost: $500-$5000

Creating an enjoyable outdoor living area is an excellent way to improve your chances of selling your home. Especially in the Hill Country where we experience outside friendly weather for most of the year. If you have the talent and ability to build your own deck (or you can follow instructions well) then you could save a considerable amount of money. I had a friend/client recently tell me that she had a relative offer to build her a deck for $500, but she wasn’t sure if it was worth it since they might be selling their home. WOW! $500 in order to make selling your house significantly easier. I am still hoping she’ll take him up on that – what a deal! More than 85 percent of the cost of building a wooden deck could be recouped during resale of your home.

Replace Sinks & Faucets

Estimated Cost: $400-$1200

Kitchen renovations can go a long way in helping sell a home, but they can also be very costly. However, you can make a big impact at a fraction of the price by replacing the kitchen sink and faucet yourself in a matter of hours. Low-flow faucet aerators that can reduce water usage by 30% which can be a further selling point. Energy-efficient features are important to more than half of the home buyers in our current market. You can expect to recoup 70% to 80% of the cost of kitchen-remodeling work when you sell your home.

Paint Your House

Estimated Cost: $300-$1500

If you can add a fresh coat of paint to all or most of the rooms in your house, you could potentially see more value for this than anything else. With paint starting around $30 a can, this is an option for just about any level of homeowner. It is important to do a quality job, so if painting is not your thing you should hire a professional. Make sure you choose neutral colors to paint with as bold colors can distract potential buyers from seeing themselves living in this home. I have found references that show recoup numbers range from 125% all the way to 250%. The return on investment is incredible for painting your home.

Clean the Windows

Estimated Cost: Free!

Every realtor blog, home selling advice page, and ‘increase-the-value-of-your-home’ story on the internet mentions the need to increase the light in your home. You can do this all sorts of ways with everything from buying more lamps and light fixtures to replacing your curtains and blinds, but there is an even easier way: CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS. Spending your Saturday taking off the screens and cleaning your windows from top to bottom can do amazing things for helping present your house. Cleaning windows, washing curtains and cleaning blinds are things that often get overlooked in our busy lives. Even if the potential buyers don’t notice how clean your windows are, it will bring more light into the room and reassurance that this is a home that has been taken care of. That is a feeling that can go a long way in closing a sale.

Taking care of the home you have is the best way to add value. From the first day you own your home until the day you sell it, you can add value to your home without spending a dime. The number one tip on how to sell your house is to clean and de-clutter. Plain and simple; people want to be in a clean house. It’s much easier to say than do this, but this is also something the whole family can help with! And if that isn’t the case for your home or your schedule then you can always bring in the professionals. Weekly cleanings can eliminate problems in selling your house and it gives you one less thing for you and your spouse to bicker about on your days off – so treat yourself to a clean house!

Are you considering selling? Give me a call – I would be happy to meet with you to discuss ideas for selling your home in the New Braunfels area!

Clair Devers
Key Real Estate Services
Licensed Realtor
clair@casanewbraunfels.com
830.237.3109
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