A neatly groomed lawn and trimmed hedges will grow your home's value and invite buyers in.
Home Improvements for $200 to $400
Tip 1: A messy lawn creates a bad first impression.
Overgrown or patchy lawns and oversized bushes will cause your home to stand out -- in a bad way. The good news? Taming your jungle is an easy fix. For a few hundred dollars, you can hire a lawn service company to trim your lawn and shape your hedges. Your home's curb yard will go from cluttered to clean-cut -- without blowing your budget.
Tip 2: Cleanliness counts.
You only get one shot at a first impression, so make the interior of your home shine from the entrance to the exit. For less than $400, you can hire a cleaning service for a thorough top-to-bottom scrubbing. Even if you clean your home regularly, you likely miss or overlook some nooks and crannies. Let a cleaning service do the dirty work to really make your home sparkle.
Tip 3: Visually increase your home's square footage.
The size of your home dramatically affects its value, but square footage isn't the only thing that counts. Make sure your home feels as large as possible by visually increasing the space in every room.
Sunny rooms feel larger and more open, so replace heavy drapes with blinds or shutters that let light in. Also, adding a large mirror in each room can visually double the space in a room. Finally, clear the clutter. For less than $400, add an attractive shelving unit to an underused space and store your clutter out of sight.
Tip 4: Add new energy-efficient fixtures.
A functional, decorative ceiling fan is a beautiful thing. But an outdated, wobbly, loud or broken fan is a useless eyesore. Replace old fixtures with new to make your home more enjoyable now -- and increase the bottom line should you decide to sell.
Tip 5: Small bathroom updates equal a big return.
Bathroom updates are always a smart move. Even if you can't afford a full remodel, small changes can update the room without bruising your bottom line. For a quick, inexpensive face lift, replace dated wallpaper or light fixtures with updated paint and lighting.
Watch this video for tips on increasing your home's value for $200-$400.
