10 Ways To Improve Your Home For Less Than $100

Selling your home in the current market is difficult to say the least. You have to avoid costly blunders, and use every tip possible to so you can sell your home for top dollar. But what if you don’t have the cash you need to “spruce up” your home? What if you need to improve it on the cheap?
1.  Paint The Place!

Paint is the cheapest and easiest way to improve the look of your home. Depending on the quality of paint you choose, you can spend an incredible amount of money on paint. Don’t. You can get a good quality paint for $20 per gallon and each gallon should cover from 300 to 400 square feet of wall. If you have typical eight foot walls, you can cover at least 38 lineal feet of wall space. Here’s a unique idea, don’t paint an entire room. Try painting one wall an accent color.

Cost: easily less than $100

2.  Clear That Clutter!

Obviously you should clean and straighten up your home, but you should also eliminate knick knacks on your bookshelves, end tables and coffee tables. Clear the clutter from your night stand. Clear your kitchen counters. Put up all the makeup, cosmetics, toothbrushes, and bathroom things from the bathroom vanities. Clean out your shower and put up all the shampoo, conditioner, apricot scrub, loofah sponges, back scrubbers, and shower gels. Make a bold move and eliminate some of your furniture if you have some tight space in your home. If you have a small dining room, don’t keep 6 chairs around the table, reduce the number to 4…or even 2 if the table is small. Make sure your walls are cleared of clutter, too. Don’t hang too many pictures, especially personal pictures.

Cost: free, if you store things in your attic, basement, or at a relative’s home.

3.  Wash Those Windows!

All you need is some soap and water. If you have very high windows, you can buy a window washing attachment and an extension pole for less than $50. You won’t regret it; instead you may find that you cannot believe how well you can see through them! While you’re at it, take down the screens and give them a thorough washing with some soap and a gentle scrub brush. Screens can accumulate dust and pollen and inhibit your vision. A good washing will make them look like new.

Cost: $50 or less!

4.  Pamper Your Plants!

It’s easy to spend a LOT of money on landscaping. I could go to a local nursery in the spring and drop a huge amount of money on fertilizers, annuals, new pots, ornamental trees, and perennials. But you don’t need to do that to improve your home’s exterior appearance. A little liquid fertilizer, a few flats of colorful annuals and some ferns around the entry door will make your home appear wonderfully inviting. Sweep the entry and get a nice new “WELCOME” mat and you’ve spent far less than a hundred bucks.

Cost: less than $100

5.  Clean The Carpet!

Renting a carpet cleaner and thoroughly cleaning the carpets once saved me well over $300 by helping me recover a deposit on a condo I was renting. Cleaning the carpet is an easy way to increase your home’s value if the carpets are soiled or dirty. Carpets that are unclean will automatically turn a buyer off.

Cost: less than $100

6.  Fix The Fiascos!

Holes in the drywall should be patched and painted. Loose boards on the deck should be nailed down. Weeds should be pulled. Blinds should be dusted. Anything that screams, “REPAIR ME!” should be taken care of to the best of your ability. If you have zero handy person skills, ask a friend, or a friend’s parent for help. Offer to barter services by babysitting or washing their car! Go to a lumberyard or hardware store and ask for ideas and help with repairing your problem. If you find yourself needing some building materials, virtually every city has a “surplus” or “deeply discounted” building material supplier. These materials are perfect for inexpensive repairs. I have seen paneled doors for as low as $10. All they needed was a little paint. Carpet and sheet vinyl flooring for as low as 39 cents per square foot. Peel and stick vinyl squares for as low as 28 cents per square foot.

Cost: varies depending on what needs to be repaired, but you can drastically reduce the cost by searching for inexpensive materials and seeking help with the labor.

7.  Dress Up The Doors

I have purchased a bright brass entry door handle set for less than $40 at one of the discount building materials dealers. You can also buy a magnetized kick plate for the entry door for less than $50. It is possible to change out your interior door knobs for as little as $10 per door, sometimes even less. The only tool you’ll need is a screwdriver.

Cost: less than $100

8.  Transform The Tap!

You don’t have to have a boring kitchen faucet. A new kitchen tap will improve the look and appearance of your kitchen. Kitchen improvements are always positive.

Cost: less than $100 at many building materials retailers

And while we’re talking about the kitchen…
9.  Hooray For Hardware!

Replacing your kitchen hardware, that is the knobs and pulls, is an easy and cost effective way to dress up the kitchen. You have to be careful, though, these little knobs can get expensive so be a careful shopper and a shrewd negotiator. Ask about discontinued, overbought, or returned special order items to see if you can get a better deal.

Cost: it can be done for less than $100!

10.  Caulk Those Cracks!

A couple of tubes of caulk and a caulk gun can go a long way to improving the energy efficiency of your home. Caulk the cracks around windows and doors, around exterior spigots, and other areas, pipes, or wires that come through the walls of your house. If you have a large gap to fill, check into using some expanding foam sealant. This product comes in a spray can with a straw-like nozzle that allows you to put the product right where you want it. There are two types: minimal expansion and maximum expansion. The minimal expansion foam swells just a little, about 1.5 times its size, but the maximum expansion foam can swell well over 4 or 5 times its original size (maybe more). Just a word of caution: be careful with the maximum expanding foam.

Cost: one can of foam, 4 tubes of caulk, and a caulk gun are less than $30

Improving your home doesn’t have to result in a $50,000 home equity line of credit. You can get a lot of mileage from making small changes and doing them yourself.
Go ahead and give it a shot. You CAN do it!

                 

Lilly "Waynnie" Belcher

www.Waynnie.com

White House TN               Goodlettsville TN             Nashville TN          

Hendersonville TN                Robertson County

I am a customer driven Realtor dedicated to achieving results and providing exceptional service. If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, I will put my 20+ years of real estate expertise to work for you!  Contact Me:  615-400-3129 or 615-672-6729

EXIT Elite Realty  | 133 Edenway Drive | White House | TN | 37188 | 615.672.6729

Each EXIT Office Independently Owned and Operated


Waynnie.com Blog: http://www.waynnie.com/Web/AR413087/Blog/post/?post_id=21422&IDXSESS=givt696ese49p8vqujv3quj5n6
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HubRec: http://www.hubrec.com/apps/blog/show/12785179-10-ways-to-improve-your-home-for-less-than-100
Trulia: http://www.trulia.com/blog/lilly_belcher/2012/02/10_ways_to_improve_your_home_for_less_than_100
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Home improvement: 10 cheap upgrades

Home improvement: 10 cheap upgrades

Afraid of dipping your toe into the home improvement pool? Don't be. There are many things you can do to spiff up the old place without spending a fortune.

1. Make your kitchen really cook
The kitchen is still considered the heart of the home. For a few hundred dollars, you can replace the kitchen faucet set, add new cabinet door handles and update old lighting fixtures with brighter, more energy-efficient ones. If you have a slightly larger budget, you can give the cabinets themselves a makeover. Rather than spring for a whole new cabinet system, which can be expensive, look into refacing the ones you have. Many companies will remove cabinet doors and drawers, refinish the cabinet boxes and then add brand-new doors and drawers at a price considerably less than new cabinets. Unless the cabinets are mica, a fresh coat of paint can also do the trick.

2. Give appliances a face-lift
If your kitchen appliances don't match, try ordering new doors or face panels from the manufacturer. Many dishwasher panels are white on one side and black on the other. It can be as simple as removing a couple of screws, sliding the panel out and flipping it over.

3. Buff up the bath
Next to the kitchen, bathrooms are often the most important rooms to update. They, too, can be improved without a lot of cash. Simple things like a new toilet seat and a pedestal sink are pretty easy for homeowners to install, and they make a big difference. You can replace an old, discolored bathroom floor with easy-to-apply vinyl tiles or a small piece of sheet vinyl -- often applied right over the old floor. If your tub and shower look dingy, consider regrouting the tile and replacing any chipped tiles. A more complete cover-up is a prefabricated tub and shower surround. These one-piece units may require professional installation, but still can be cheaper than paying to retile walls and refinish a worn tub.

4. Paint
New paint makes everything look clean and bright again. And don't forget the ceiling. Paint the trim a contrasting color. Another option: Paint a wall three different shades of the same color. Measure equal sections and use painter's masking tape to mark off each area. Do the bottom of the wall first with the darkest shade. Once it dries, do the middle section with the next lightest shade and so on.

5. Step up your storage
Old houses, particularly, are notorious for their lack of closet space. If you have cramped storage areas, add do-it-yourself wire and laminate closet systems to bedrooms, pantries and entry closets. Firms such as ClosetMaid allow you to measure and redesign your closets online. You can also get design details and parts for these systems at many large home-improvement stores. Most closets can be updated in a weekend or less. In the end, your closets will be more functional while you're living in the house and will make your home look more customized to potential buyers when you're ready to sell.

6. Mind the mechanics
Finley Perry of F.H. Perry Builder in Hopkinton, Mass., advocates spending a few bucks on nitty-gritty stuff. "It's often very worthwhile to hire an electrician and plumber for a couple of hours to look over your electrical services, wrap or fix loose wires, fix any faulty outlets, and check for and fix any water leaks," Perry says. "Those details tell a buyer that someone has really taken care of the home and can really influence its price."

7. Look underfoot
Carpeting is another detail that can quickly update a home and make it look cleaner. A professional carpet cleaning is an inexpensive investment, especially if your rugs are in good shape and are neutral colors. If your carpet is showing serious wear, cover it with inexpensive, strategically placed area rugs. Most real estate agents don't suggest replacing wall-to-wall carpeting right before you sell your house unless it is truly hideous. The new homeowners may want to choose their own carpeting.

8. Let there be light
If you have boring recessed lights in your dining and living rooms, consider replacing one of the room's lights with an eye-catching chandelier. Home stores offer a wide range of inexpensive, but nice-looking, ceiling fixtures. Add accent lighting instead of sticking with the two ordinary lamps that flank both ends of the sofa. Spotlights that plug into existing outlets can direct light to features you want to emphasize, like art or plants. If you have a ceiling fan and light, you can also buy replacement fan blades (leaving the fan body in place) to update the fixture's look.

9. Reframe your entry
It's the first thing you, and your guests, will see. Repaint or refinish that front door. If you have a basic steel front door that has gotten dented, consider replacing it with either another inexpensive steel door or a fiberglass, wood grain door for a slightly higher cost. Next, replace that worn, flimsy little knob on your main entry door with a more substantial-looking handle-and-lock set. A nice, big piece of hardware signals newcomers that this is a solid home. Then, place two large planters on either side of the front door, with a profusion of healthy plants spilling out. Look for foliage colors and blooms that complement each other. Go for different heights and textures, mix perennials and annuals, blooming and nonblooming varieties. If you want to add another touch, tie it in to the front door with a coordinating wreath.

10. Consider curb appeal
Although it sounds obvious, a nicely mowed lawn, a few well-placed shrubs and a swept walkway make a great first impression. As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. What buyers see when they first drive by your home is tremendously important. No matter how nice it is inside, they may never come back. If you don't have a green thumb, consider hiring a landscaper to install some new sod, plant a few evergreen shrubs and give your front yard a good cleanup. These kinds of changes can instantly change people's perception of your home and, therefore, increase its value and your neighbors will love you for it, too.

         

Lilly "Waynnie" Belcher

www.Waynnie.com

White House TN               Goodlettsville TN             Nashville TN          

Hendersonville TN                Robertson County

I am a customer driven Realtor dedicated to achieving results and providing exceptional service. If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, I will put my 20+ years of real estate expertise to work for you!  Contact Me:  615-400-3129 or 615-672-6729

EXIT Elite Realty  | 133 Edenway Drive | White House | TN | 37188 | 615.672.6729

Each EXIT Office Independently Owned and Operated


Waynnie.com Blog: http://www.waynnie.com/Web/AR413087/Blog/post/?post_id=11668&IDXSESS=ibjve6rus83ir1i6qb542vup15
EXIT Elite Realty Blog:  http://www.exit-elite-realty.com/Web/AR404639/Blog/post/?post_id=11667
withEXIT:  http://www.withexit.com/apps/blog/show/9201342-home-improvements-10-cheap-upgrades
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HubRec:  http://www.hubrec.com/apps/blog/show/9201373-home-improvements-10-cheap-upgrades
Trulia:  http://www.trulia.com/blog/lilly_belcher/2011/10/home_improvement_10_cheap_upgrades
Merchant Circle: http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/Lilly.Waynnie.Belcher.-.EXIT.Elite.Realty.615-672-6729/2011/10/Home-Improvement-10-Cheap-Updates/811592
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