8 Easy Home Renovation Upgrades You Can Tackle This Weekend

If there's one thing we've learned from this year's cost vs. value report, it's that over-improving won't help you recoup those major costs when it comes time to sell your home. As long as your home is functional and major repairs that impact the integrity are not needed, your dollars and time will be best spent on getting the little details right. These eight easy projects below will make your home ready for the market in no time.

1. Touch-Up Your Paint

Take a look around your home. After years of wear and tear, your walls are sure to take a beating. Look for chips or smudges in your paint and take some time to fill those in. Do you have a room painted in a bold color? Consider taking it down a notch by painting the room a neutral shade. Keep in mind that a buyer needs to be able to see her own style translate into the home.

2. Create Curb Appeal

When it comes time to sell, first impressions definitely count. Give your curb appeal an easy boost with a few potted plants around the door and a new welcome mat. If your front door color has faded after years of exposure to the elements, give it a fresh coat of paint and clean up the hardware to make it look brand new. Don't forget to polish it off with a welcoming wreath that will make buyers feel at home.

 

3. Organize the Entryway

The entryway is the first thing you see when you arrive home and will be first to greet potential buyers. Keep their minds at ease by organizing the space with hooks for jackets and keys, baskets to store shoes, scarves and various accessories and a bench to pull the look together. If there's not enough space for this organization system, create a landing strip with a small table to catch phones and keys and a couple hooks for purses and jackets.

4. Repair Your Flooring

Your walls aren't the only ones that take a beating through the years. Take time to clean your carpets and hardwood floors, remove any stains and repair chips and scratches. Hiring a professional to come in and do these things is certainly the easiest and most effective option, but also the most expensive. If budget won't allow for it, rent a steamer and spot treat your carpeted areas. There are plenty of tutorials online for repairing your hardwood floors, too.

5. Clean Fixtures & Hardware

Dusty, dirty fixtures and hardware can send the wrong message to potential buyers. They may be likely to think if you didn't take the time to care for those details, what else have you neglected that they can't see? Show buyers you did care for the home by paying attention to those details that are often overlooked by giving your fixtures and hardware a good clean. Don't forget your electrical outlets, too! Fresh covers can really pull the look of a room together and give it the feeling that the style was recently updated.

6. Refresh the Bathroom

There's no reason to fully gut a functional and quality bathroom to impress buyers. Make updates to small details like ensuring the hardware matches throughout the room. Consider purchasing a new, water-efficient shower head. Buyers will be impressed by the shine and will enjoy the added benefits of greater efficiency. Put the finishing touches on the bath tub by re-caulking. This tutorial will help even a first-timer achieve straight, professional lines.

7. Upgrade your thermostat

The connected home is in and energy efficiency is a growing concern for homeowners. Upgrading the thermostat is an inexpensive way to impress buyers with the level of control they will have over energy use in the home. Give them - and yourself - the option of controlling the temperature in the home via a mobile device or remote computer with a smart thermostat.

8. De-clutter

There's a reason why staged homes are so appealing to potential buyers. Unnecessary clutter can create anxiety and give a bad impression of the home by detracting from the more important details. Take some time this weekend to remove any items that may keep buyers from envisioning the home as their own. Consider renting a storage unit to keep your items safe until you move or add more organization with new shelving and cabinets.

 

What projects are you working on this weekend? Comment below and let us know!