We all want to increase the value of our homes, especially when it comes to selling up and moving on.
There are lots of conventional ideas out there, such as de-cluttering the rooms, fixing any visible faults and cleaning from top to bottom, but here are a few lesser-used tricks that can add more pounds to your asking price. Some of them require an outlay, but you will reap the benefits and get your money back (and more!) if carried out properly.
Stand out with a pop of colour
Add a dash of colour to the exterior of your house to make it stand out from the crowd. There is a fine line between getting this right and actually devaluing your property so choose carefully. The idea is to add colour that gives your home kerb appeal, but not so bright or garish that it makes buyers run for the hills. Our advice is to go for pastel shades which are in keeping with the area.
You can paint the whole of the front or just spruce up the doors and windows, depending on how brave you are feeling. Heritage tones are good to consider if you want to keep your colour scheme muted, but still cheerful and lively. Mustard yellows and dusky violets will make your place different to the rest of the street without adding any shock factor.
Spring clean your neighbours
If you have next-door-neighbours that have let their front gardens run into disrepair, ask if you can help them tidy up. Investing in a skip that will get rid of next door’s supply of old bikes and broken flower pots will pay dividends in the end so it’s worth the cost of ordering one.
A few hours cutting the lawn and trimming overgrown bushes in your neighbour’s property and maybe using the services of https://www.thelocaltreeexpert.com/ will make you home more valuable, and you might find you’re helping someone who isn’t able to do it for themselves in the process.
Give your house a fancy new name
Believe it or not, naming your house gives it a bit of extra style that attracts a higher premium. Forget ‘Housey Mac House Face’ or ‘Dunroamin’ or indeed any other transient fads, but instead have a good, long look at your property and come up with something descriptive and positive. Imagine Apple Tree House, High Fields or Corner Cottage, something that is accurate of course, and let the local council know. Make sure to update Land Registry and the Royal Mail so it is an official change, and have a smart sign made. You’ll be surprised how well this will go down with potential buyers.
Smarten up the local area
This one might take a bit of time, so think ahead, but you could raise the value of the entire neighbourhood with a bit of community spirit. Start a local resident’s group and get the council to do outstanding repairs, make sure all the street lights work and any fly-tipping is reported. You and your party members could plant some flowers in public spaces and pick up litter that collects along the kerbs. Get security upgraded where it is lacking, and join forces to help elderly people who are vulnerable. You could even organise an annual street party or village fete – these are all things that make an area more desirable and nicer a nicer place to live for everyone. The more appealing it is, the higher the property values go.
Get political
On an even grander scale, pressurise your MP into larger projects to improve things locally and make sure you are aware of anything that could affect the price of your home. Large housing developments, road re-design, change-of-use applications might be great for your area, but they might also be detrimental to house prices so make sure you are fully informed and ready to act if needs be. You should be actively looking after your investment and taking steps to increase it as much as possible.
