When selling your home, any deficiency, required repair, damaged or worn appliance may present itself as a hurdle to your Buyer. the potential Buyer may then want to moderate their offer to reflect these perceived issues. In other words, a Buyer will offer you less if the feel there are large issues or many small issues to repair or revise as all of those will have an associated cost, a CTC (Cost To Cure) as we use in the Real Estate profession. By dealing with these small hurdles before listing your home, you will make it more acceptable to potential Buyers and should receive a higher offer.

Here are the top 15 Ways to Easily Increase Your Home Value in 2022 

Care for Your Front Landscape 

This could be one of the most straightforward tasks to stay on top of, automatically giving you the curb appeal you may be trying to achieve. It doesn't take much. Make sure that your beds look clean from any weeds. Trim your hedges, and be sure to mow your lawn more frequently in the warmer months. To help keep your home clean and free of grass clippings, rake all clippings off of walkways. 

Each time you get into the habit of your front landscape, remember this is the first thing people see as they approach your home. If not for reasons of resale, remember the first impression of a home starts at the front of the house.   

Replace Mulch at Least Once a Year 

Many homeowners do this in the spring before the hot summer months. We recommend trying to do it at least once a year but preferably twice a year. As the mulch sits, it starts to lose its vibrance. This is such an easy way to give the front of your home a refreshed look without having to do too much. 

You can pick up bags of mulch from your local hardware store and be shocked how much a little goes such a long way. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, though! Pick up gardening gloves, shovel out that old, matted, and faded mulch, and replace it with bright, fluffy mulch. While your at it, clean out any paper or garbage that may have blown onto your Mulch beds over teh winter or during a windy evening. This task will make even the most worn bushes and hedges look better-taken care fresh! 

Repaint Your Front Door 

Repainting your door is one of those tasks that most people hate doing! Let's face it, it's not hard, but it is tedious and inconvenient while you're waiting for the paint to dry! 

But grab a tarp to block off the area, so you don't end up with fingerprints on your freshly painted door, pick up a gallon of your favorite hue and start rolling it on! Be sure to tape off all trims and window/glass frames and the knobs. Light colour paints are more popular and especially if your door is under a dark porch. You can visit your hardware store or paint store for an idea of which are this season's most popular colours. 

As soon as the paint dries, you will see what a big difference giving your front door a fresh coat of paint will make to the overall look and feel as you enter your home! 

Power wash and Care for Your Fence 

Outdoor elements get the best of the outdoor features of our homes. Fences typically need some maintenance, especially if it's wooden fences. Even if it's not, you will want to keep your fence clean and tidy, as this is also a curb appeal item that could quickly deter buyers if not appropriately maintained. Even a newer fence will start to oxidize and fade or develop dark areas. Cleaning the fence boards and then sealing them will give them a "newer" look and help to extend their lifespan. You can also use the same or similar cleaners on your stone and concrete walkways and porch but use caution when sealing them as some of those can be slippery when wet. 

Deep Clean Your Home - Inside and Out Quarterly 

Cleaning your home every week seems like an easy task for most. This is not what we're talking about here. We are talking DEEP cleaning.

Deep cleaning consists of cleaning the grout, washing and wiping down the baseboards, cleaning the grease that omits from your oven to other kitchen surfaces, scrubbing the tiles in your bathroom, and thoroughly dusting your window sills and blinds, and ceiling fans. be sure to replace peeling sealant from tub or tile corners as those will trap moisture and mold. If there is any black mold, scrape it off, clean that area thoroughly with plain, clear vinegar or mold cleaner before applying new sealant. 

We recommend that these types of tasks be done at least 2-3 times per year, less so for the tub sealants, to reflect a home that has been well taken care of and maintained. Over time, if these things aren't done regularly, they will start to show and even lead to more expensive solutions to fix down the road. 

Add Interior Plants and Care for Them Regularly 

Interior plants add charm and value to the home; the best part is if you care for them well, they will continue to add aesthetic value to your home at no additional cost! But, if you have a smaller home, don't fill the space with large plants as that may lead buyers to feel the house is "cramped". Also, choose plants that are easy to care for and don't drop leaves constantly. 

If you take the time to find plants that will do well in your home based on the amount of light you can provide, you will find these areas of the house to be the most aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Even if you're trying to find the best way to stage your home, this is a quick and effective way to draw the eye to natural elements inside the house! 

Change HVAC Air Filters Every Three Months at a Minimum 

Talk about a cheap and easy way to avoid a costly fix down the road! Changing air filters regularly will save a homeowner from having to replace their HVAC unit and will give the homeowner more time. Dirty air filters could trigger a "are they not maintaining the system and will the furnace break down soon?" thought in the mind of the buyer. 

Most HVAC units, if maintained well and regularly, should last around 20 years. If you think about it, why would you want to replace your HVAC unit at ten years when you can get it to last 20 years? 

Changing the filter every three months is sufficient, but if you want to take it a step further, pick a filter that filters out the most dust, mold, and allergens and change them out every 1-2 months. This is a quick and easy way to keep your HVAC healthy and your potential Buyer happy! 

Shampoo Your Carpets Regularly 

Shampooing your carpets will lengthen the time between a complete replacement, and each time you get your rugs shampooed, it will give the room an overall effect of cleanliness. Carpet fibers carry a lot of dust and odor that can be unpleasing to most people. Cleaning carpets is also a must if you have pets as any pet stains will quickly devalue the broadloom in the entire room or even the entire house! 

If you can find the time and the money, this would be a great thing to add to your home maintenance routine every six months. Not only will it leave you feeling like your home is cleaner, but it will impress your guests. Most guests notice the floor if it's dirty, so avoid that route by taking good care of the carpeted areas of your home! 

Wash Your Windows Regularly 

Washing your windows is another task, like repainting your front door. Is it a nuisance? Yes, but the results quickly reward you and your prospective buyers. One of the first questions a Buyer asks me is "when were the windows done"? This is because replacing windows can be very expensive. Most windows only need to be replaced if the glass cell is corrupt, leading to fog and stains between the glass or if the frames are corrupt due to damage or, in the case of wood-sash windows, rot. Most wood-sash window frames wear on the bottom parts and if the exterior finish has worn off, wood rot will soon take hold and the entire unit will need replacement. Clean off the exterior frame of any staining (Oxidation) and re-seal or re-paint the frames if they are wood sash.  

If your windows aren't cleaned regularly, the glass will start to dull and fade, leaving you with a lackluster look on your windows. Again, the more time you invest cleaning your windows, the longer you can wait to replace them.

This small and very cheap task will save you a lot of money in the long run because replacing windows can be extremely costly, depending on the size and the number of windows needing to be replaced. 

Repaint the Interior of the Home Every Five Years 

This is something that homeowners often look at as more of a color preference, but what they need to realize is the effect of fresh paint. Gone are the fingerprints and scuffs. It's just how new paint coats the walls and gives the interior of your home a refreshed look and feel without having to spend much money. 

We recommend that you pick one room a year that gets a fresh coat; that way, you don't have to repaint the entire house at once! This simple life hack gives the interior of your home a renewed feel without wasting too much time or money! But, as you are looking to sell your home, make sure you paint for the BUYER not yourself. You may appreciate wild colors or textures but if Buyer's dont, those will quickly become another cost the Buyer has to consider and their offer price may reflect that. 

Remove Any Popcorn Ceiling or Wallpaper 

Popcorn ceilings are always something we recommend to be done before moving into a home but it can be messy! 

Please don't worry if you've moved into your home without doing this first. It can be done in a manageable way, but be prepared. You will want to ensure your surface areas and furniture are completely covered and be prepared for quite a bit of dust (this is where changing those HVAC air filters regularly will come in handy!) 

Even though this can be done as a do-it-yourself, because it's so messy, we recommend calling the professionals for this! Because the professionals do this daily, they have ways of minimizing the mess and ultimately making the project take much less time. 

If you're thinking of putting your home on the market and you have popcorn ceilings, you should consider this item as it tends to be one of the most hated features in a home for current home buyers. BUT there is one Caveat..... that popcorn may be covering up mediocre drywall seams and removing the popcorn may make those seams, dips, ripples or uneven taping more obvious. 

Update Light Fixtures 

Those "builder" fixtures may have been decent offerings but they are rarely fashionable or complimentary. Consider new fixtures that really accessorize your room or help brighten it up. These don't have to be expensive; just nicer than the mundane, dim fixtures left by builders. 

You can do this on your own, but this is another one that we recommend calling in a professional for safety reasons. Hiring a professional to hang your light fixtures is the safest route if you aren't trained in electrical work. This alone can change the look and feel of your foyer, kitchen, dining room, or primary bedroom and give a dramatic touch to make a significant impression on your guests. 

Replace Damaged Tile Floors and Re-grout 

Tile floors can be beautiful, but the effects on a potential buyer can be devastating if not taken care of correctly. Dirty grout and cracked tiles overwhelm potential buyers, and they often will walk away thinking this project is more than they wanted to get involved with. 

Missing or cracked and stained grout can quickly age a floor. Missing grout will also weaken the tile, especially at the corners so clean and replace missing grout or do an entire re-grout if needed. 

You can easily replace your tile floor or even pick some tiles that need to be replaced, and adding a fresh coat of grout after you will leave your kitchen and bathrooms looking much cleaner and way less overwhelming to a potential buyer. If you can find the time and resources, this is one way to increase your home value almost automatically. 

Upgrade or Repaint Kitchens, Kitchen Cabinets and Update Hardware 

Kitchens are one of the most important features on my Buyer's list of demands. Kitchens almost always tend to be the focal point of the home. If your kitchen is feeling drab or the color scheme is dated, one of the easiest and most effective ways to change the look and feel of your kitchen is by repainting your walls and possibly the cabinetry itself. 

Repainting may not be the best choice for all kitchen cabinetry though and there are resurfacing services that can really make your kitchen look newer by resurfacing worn finishes or replacing worn varnish, if the cabinetry is wood. Before choosing a service, visit your local kitchen supply and try to get an idea of which colors and profiles are the most popular. 

You can take it further by replacing the hardware with a more modern look and feel. You will find an instant return on investment when you're talking about any improvements being made to your kitchen. 

Most home buyers will tell you that the kitchen is one of the most important rooms of the house, and having it look updated and modern is a common desire for most people purchasing a home in the current market. If you are considering a full Kitchen cabinetry upgrade, that will cost far more than the $2000 guide we have been using so consider the full cost carefully as over-improving the kitchen may not guarantee a selling price that will recapture the entire cost of the remodel. 

Upgrade your Appliances 

This one seems straightforward. It can be costly depending on how many appliances need replacement, but it can instantly change how your home looks and feels by adding a touch of "newness" that many people like to see as far as appliances are concerned. 

Appliances should last ten years, so updating appliances instantly make your home look more appealing by swapping out some of the older devices when you can! If you cannot afford to upgrade appliances, give them a deep clean and make sure all of the features are working properly. An "almost" working appliance is a burden few Buyers will accept. 

Ways to Increase your Home Value - Final Thoughts from an experienced, local Realtor.  

In closing, you can see that taking small steps to care for your home will give you more equity in the long run and make your home much more appealing to prospective buyers. 

We hope this article has helped you find ways to improve your home on a budget and will give you some to-do's going into the coming year!

If you or someone you know is looking to sell their home, contact me, and I will be happy to help answer any of your home selling or buying questions! 

Regards, 

Peter Barbati 

Realtor, First Choice Realty Ontario Ltd.