Happy Monday, Friends! As we are working on some projects at our new house and helping my sister stage her’s for sale, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite tips and tricks on how to increase the value of your home! Come see!
My husband and I have bought and sold 8 homes in the course of our 35 years of marriage. We purposely buy a house with resale in mind, no matter how long we plan to live there. So, our goal has always been to add upgraded features which we love, and believe future buyers will, too. Here are a few ways to increase the value of your home, while also adding beauty and charm!
1-Switch out builder grade light fixtures. Most builders install the very cheapest fixtures possible and they look like it! The first thing I always do when buying a new house (even if it’s not actually new) is switch out the light fixtures with fixtures that suit my style and decor. I adore crystal chandeliers so they are what I look for when shopping. These days, you can find great looking chandeliers, sconces and light fixtures at very reasonable prices. I like to shop at Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist, Habitat Restores and consignment/thrift shores. Often, they are perfect as is. Sometimes all they need is a bit of paint or rewiring. Once I switch them out, I donate the old ones. This is the actual chandelier our builder put in the dining room in our last house. I kid you not. (Photo credit goes to my former neighbor, Cliffy.)
So, I switched it out with this one! I found it at a consignment store for a mere $100. All it needed was a little TLC and new crystals! I bet it would cost close to $1000 if purchased from a lighting store, which is why I brought it with me to the new house! It now hangs in our dining room.
Of course there are other affordable options, like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Pottery Barn, Wayfair, etc. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend, but it’s always worth the money. What a difference, right?
2-Add trim and moulding for architectural interest. In our last house, crown moulding came standard in the living and dining rooms. But, we also added crown moulding to the powder room and the office. Crown moulding adds a sense of elegance to any room. If you are handy and have a few simple tools, you can add it yourself. Now, they make it easier than ever with mitered corner pieces so you only need to cut straight lines.
In our last house in the powder room, we switched out the builder grade light fixture (that was literally a bulb) with an antique chandelier. You can see the crown moulding we also added to the room. Between the chandelier and the crown moulding, it really upped the “wow” factor in this tiny space.
3-Change out dated hardware on your cabinets and built-ins. In our current house we added new hardware in the Butler’s Pantry so it all matched. It’s a quick and easy way to add a bit of personality to bathroom or kitchen cabinets. Hobby Lobby has a great selection of hardware and not that expensive. Another option is to look on eBay for unique or vintage hardware. It’s like adding jewelry to your cabinets! Or, if replacing the existing hardware is not in your budget, consider painting it!
4-Switch out faucets. Again, builder-grade faucets are usually pretty awful. Yet, they can be expensive to replace, so be sure to shop around for affordable options. Once I bought a vintage faucet on eBay and had it installed in the powder room. I loved it and thought it added a perfect, classic touch to a new vanity. With a little bit of elbow grease, new faucets can really update a bathroom or kitchen sink, and it needn’t break the bank! (We also replaced the builder’s tiny white pedestal sink with a more substantial vanity with storage from Home Depot’s Decorator Collection.)
In our former house, my husband also replaced the original builder’s faucet (on the left) with a more sleek and modern fixture. Tip: Watch a U-Tube video on how to change a faucet and install it yourself to save on plumber’s fees. (If you feel comfortable doing it, of course.)
5-Switch out builder medicine cabinets with nicer-looking alternatives. When we remodeled a former master bathroom, we pulled out the old medicine cabinets (shown left) and added Allen & Roth medicine cabinets, which are more attractive and streamlined. (on the right) We also added a Venetian Mirror above the vanity to pull in some feminine lines to the otherwise square cabinets and mirrors.
Also, consider replacing frameless mirrors in your bathroom with ones that are framed. You can even use vintage mirrors like we used at our lake house!
Or, you can add a frame to an existing builder grade mirror using simple trim. There are companies that will do this for you or you can make your own! This photo via Mirror Mate Framing. The trim really adds a custom look.
6-Paint your cabinets! In older homes, some of the cabinetry in the kitchen and bathrooms are still in good shape, but are outdated. It takes a lot of work, but it can be done and you can do it yourself! My husband and I painted the cabinets in our Butler’s Pantry recently and it completely transformed the room! Adding a custom backsplash can also add interest and value. (To see more of the Butler’s Pantry project click here: Butler’s Pantry Reveal!)
7-Upgrade your appliances! About a year before we sold our last house, we replaced nearly all of the appliances in the kitchen. A few were not working properly, like the dishwasher and refrigerator, but we while we were at it, we replaced the microwave and cooktop. Some were not that expensive to replace and knowing we would sell the house soon, we knew it was a good investment. And they all matched and were on sale!
When you add special and unique touches to your home, it truly makes it your own. And, when it’s time to sell your house, it will already have custom features which will outshine the completion. It will be unlike any other house in your neighborhood and buyers will pick your house every time. Do yourself a favor, and do the upgrades before you sell, so you can enjoy them, too!
My advice? Pick one project at a time and do it slowly as your budget allows. Be sure to make smart choices that you love, but buyers will too. And if you find a steal on a light fixture or appliance, get it! You don’t need to upgrade everything all at once. Steady wins the race. By the time you are ready to sell, your house will be ready as well!
Thanks for stopping by today! My sweet husband is working on a special project as we speak. It’s something that has waited patiently for a rainy day, such as today. Check in this week to see what it is! Have a lovely day! xo Dell
