{"id":7559,"date":"2018-01-30T14:29:09","date_gmt":"2018-01-30T14:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/?p=7559"},"modified":"2018-01-30T14:50:02","modified_gmt":"2018-01-30T14:50:02","slug":"10-hacks-improving-homes-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/blog\/2018\/01\/30\/10-hacks-improving-homes-value\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Hacks for Improving Your Home\u2019s Value"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to the housing market reports 2018 is predicted to be a seller\u2019s market – which means there are fewer homes on the market than there are buyers. That\u2019s great news if you plan to sell your home soon! And with spring time traditionally being the most active real estate buying market, now is the time to get it ready to put on the market. Here are a few ways to get your house into tip top shape and increase your home\u2019s value. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exterior Hacks<\/strong><\/h4>\n

$$\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Update and Clean Up Your Landscaping<\/strong> \u2013 all you need is a little muscle and determination to clean up your landscaping. Trim overgrown bushes and remove weeds. If your scrubs are overgrown dig them up and replace them with new ones. Add new mulch and in one weekend you can freshen up the look of your house and property.<\/p>\n

$$\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professionally Pressure Washing Your House, Driveway, Deck or Patio <\/strong>\u2013 the reason I recommend \u201cprofessionally\u201d vs. \u201cdo it yourself\u201d is that a reputable\u00a0 pressure washing company will know the right amount of water pressure and detergent to use to avoid damaging your property and ensuring good results. Even if you washed your house before, you will be surprised what a professional power wash can remove \u2013 like those ugly black streaks on your gutters and roof or oil stains in your driveway.<\/p>\n

$\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Paint your Front Door and Shutters<\/strong> \u2013 I don\u2019t think this one needs an explanation!<\/p>\n

$$\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stain your Deck and Fence <\/strong>\u2013 the best time to do this is right after you\u2019ve had the deck and fence pressure washed because you need to start with a clean and dry surface. This is a very time consuming job, but definitely one you can do yourself if you choose. \u00a0If you\u2019re a little intimated with staining, check with your pressure washing company to see if they offer wood staining services. Sometimes you can save money when doing both services at the same time.<\/p>\n

$ – $$$\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Get your Lawn into Shape \u2013 <\/strong>unfortunately this is an ongoing process and the cost really depends on how much time you have to devote to lawn maintenance. Some people love working on their lawn \u2013 cutting, weeding, fertilizing, cutting, weeding, fertilizing\u2026.. well you get the picture. Obviously it\u2019s less costly to do it yourself, but if you\u2019re like me, I prefer to hire landscaper. You might be surprised at the cost \u2013 most landscapers will offer a discount if you sign an annual contract. If you\u2019re on the fence about lawn care, reach out to a few local landscaping companies for an estimate.<\/p>\n

Interior Hacks<\/strong><\/h4>\n

$\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Declutter Your Home <\/strong>\u2013 If you don\u2019t do anything else on this list please make sure you do this task. It\u2019s a proven fact that potential home buyers will dismiss a home immediately if it is cluttered and has a lot of personal items like family pictures displayed. The reason being is that the potential buyer will not be able to visualize themselves in the home because they can\u2019t see past the clutter.<\/p>\n

$$ – $$$<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Paint the Interior of Your House \u2013 <\/strong>much like staining your deck, if you\u2019re willing to spend the time to tape off the woodwork, prime the walls and are confident you can cut in a straight line, then doing it yourself can save you a lot of money. But if that isn\u2019t your cup of tea please call a professional. A bad paint job and really hurt your property value.<\/p>\n

$$ – $$$$\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Update Your Kitchen \u2013 <\/strong>depending on the last time your kitchen was update, this task could range from a few hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. I am going to focus on items that you can do for under $1,000:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Update your counter tops<\/strong> \u2013 although granite is beautiful it can be expensive. They now make l laminates that look like granite for a third of the cost. If you don\u2019t like the look of stone, pick a neutral color and texture \u2013 stay away from patterns.<\/li>\n
  • Put in a new floor<\/strong> \u2013 check out our local home improvement store, they now offer really nice laminate and stone products under $3.00 per sq. foot. When picking out flooring, keep it neutral. If you don\u2019t know what to pick, ask the flooring specialist. They will help you match the flooring to your cabinets and woodwork.<\/li>\n
  • Install a new sink and faucet<\/strong> \u2013 this is a quick update that should cost you under $300 if you can do it yourself<\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    $ – $$$ \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Update Your Bathroom<\/strong> \u2013 much like your kitchen, you don\u2019t have to spend thousands of dollars to update your bathroom. Here are a few ideas for a quick update:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Put up a new shower curtain and rod \u2013 <\/strong>try adding a new curved shower curtain rod. They open up the shower space by adding more room in the tub area.<\/li>\n
    • Replace the faucet fixture \u2013 <\/strong>this will instantly update your sink\/vanity area for under $100.<\/li>\n
    • Put down new bathroom rugs \u2013<\/strong> add a pop of color or stay in the neutral palette. This little change can help draw your eye away from the floor by covering most of the useable space up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      $$\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Update your lighting fixtures \u2013 <\/strong>old lighting fixtures will date a house quickly. Replace your old fixtures with ceiling fans or new, modern light fixtures.<\/p>\n

      If you selling your house remember there is a lot of competition in your neighborhood, so any improvements you make will give you the upper edge. 90% of all home shoppers use the internet to look at homes, make sure your listing best represents your homes features and benefits \u2013 buyers aren\u2019t looking to purchase your furniture!<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Your Sparkle Wash team wishes you the best of luck in your venture, if we can help improve your homes exterior please give us a call.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      According to the housing market reports 2018 is predicted to be a seller\u2019s market – which means there are fewer homes on the market than there are buyers. That\u2019s great news if you plan to sell your home soon! And with spring time traditionally being the most active real estate buying market, now is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[15,19],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7559"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7559"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7560,"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7559\/revisions\/7560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sparklewash.com\/eauclaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}