Six Simple Upgrades That Can Add Value to Your Home

These DIY updates can help you sell your home for more—no sledgehammer required.

If you’re thinking of selling, but don’t have the budget for bigger changes like a whole new kitchen or bath, you might think that staging is your only option to up your sale price. Luckily, there are quite a few smaller upgrades that don’t involve demolition and reconstruction that you can do yourself to increase the resale value of your home.

Get gardening

Making sure that your landscaping is well cared for and has a clean look can increase the selling price of your home by 10 to 20%. To give your landscaping a boost, you can add some large planters with flowers for a pop of color, freshen up the mulch in your garden beds, or add some window boxes. Any upgrade you make to your garden will boost your curb appeal and can help you increase your sale price.

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Upgrade walkways

Another good way to increase curb appeal is to upgrade your walkways. You can make a walking path using pre-poured pavers, or you can choose to mix your own concrete and mold your own pavers. If you prefer a gravel path, refresh your gravel and level your walkway with a rake to keep it looking neat and tidy.

Install a picket fence

It seems like a cliché, but a picket fence can add the kind of classic charm you need to get a higher sale price on your home. In addition to adding safety for kids and pets, a picket fence can increase your selling price, so it’s a good project to tackle if you’re an enthusiastic DIYer. Just make sure to call 811 before you dig so you don’t hit any utility lines while you’re digging your post holes.

Put in a fire pit

A fire pit can pull in a buyer with the promise of outdoor entertaining space, and you can add one with a DIY fire pit kit for between $500 and $700. The kit comes with most of what you need to build it, although you’ll need to level the area you want to put it in as well as clearing any vegetation from the area to avoid causing a fire hazard.

Add some vintage details

While it might not seem like a big thing, vintage hardware and fixtures can really make a difference to the overall look of your home. Vintage touches are in demand, and they can give your home a timeless quality that is attractive to buyers. Adding some vintage-inspired drawer pulls, cabinet handles, and knobs to your existing cabinets can give you an instant upgrade you only need a screwdriver to install. You can also opt for a vintage-inspired light fixture to add some nostalgia to your home.

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Install smart lighting

Smart lighting like the Philips Hue system can improve your chances of getting a better sale price on your home as well as saving some money on your electric bill. The trick to successfully adding smart lighting to your home is to choose one integrated system that will communicate with other smart features. You can usually add smart lighting for between $300 and $400, and you’ll need some simple tools and basic knowledge of electrical systems to do the installation yourself. Make sure to turn off the power to the switch you’re working on at the breaker to avoid electric shock.