How to Increase Your Home's Value

Do you want to increase your home's value? You should. Your house is your most important financial asset. More importantly, if you are preparing to sell your house, there are things you can do to enhance the sale price. The good news is that you can gain substantially, with a relatively small investment.

Here, we present the top five reasonably priced home improvements that help increase the value of your home, along with specific details and tips for getting them accomplished. Some suggestions may not have a tremendous financial impact, but they may reduce your time on the market if you are hoping to sell your home quickly.

Which Home Repairs Increase Home Sales Prices the Most?

In HomeGain’s Prepare-to-Sell study, 2000 agents were surveyed. The overwhelming conclusion was that small improvements pay the biggest dividends when a home is sold. Below is a summary of the results for five specific items identified by REALTORS® as most important for increasing your value pre-sale. Click any specific item for a detailed description and additional tips.

You don't need to do a lot. Our agents told us that you should do as little as possible. For instance, spot touch-ups to floor tiling, rather than replacing the entire floor; or shampooing carpets instead of laying down new carpeting.

However, more extensive work may be required if you need to bring your home up to the standards of your neighborhood. If home buyers deem your home below the condition of those surrounding it, they will want a lower price to perform necessary work themselves.

While these improvements appear to be common sense, many sellers too often fail to perform them and it costs them more than they realize. We hope the numbers here encourage you to better prepare your home for sale, and may you realize top dollar for your efforts!

If you are selling, we recommend that you choose a real estate agent and plan your improvement strategy with him or her, before you run out and spend a lot of money on home improvements. Together, you will need to consider the local market and the condition, age and location of your home to identify which items you can do that will yield the greatest payoff in price.

If you have not chosen a REALTOR®, you can search for REALTORs®, where you can get matched with an experienced agent who has sold homes in your own neighborhood.

Alternatively, You may also get an instant home value and request a professional comparative market analysis from a REALTOR® by using our home values tool. Results are fast and eay, but we suggest contacting a REALTOR& to get an accurate assessment of your home's worth.

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