Increase Your Sydney Property Value with Low-Cost Home Improvements

 Increase your Sydney property value

If you want to increase your Sydney property value, you will want to pay attention to what prospective buyers are looking for when making home upgrades.

This doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg, either.

In fact, one afternoon and $1,000 or less could be enough to create a look buyers and agents will drool over.

Here are some inexpensive home improvements sure to create aesthetic appeal and increase the value of your Sydney property:

1. Do-it-Yourself Crown Molding

Sure, custom crown molding looks great, but it’s quite costly. Using some inexpensive faux techniques, you can create the look yourself for much less.

• With a nail gun, nail some decorative molding to the top of the wall adjacent to the ceiling. Then, nail another stripe four inches below the first row of molding all the way around the room. Lastly, paint the blank 4-inch area between the two rows with white paint for an eye-appealing finishing touch.

2. Do-it-Yourself Hardwood flooring

Hardwood flooring is another expensive commodity for the house, something that typically costs at least $50 per square metre. Bamboo flooring is a nice substitute, often costing as little as $20 per square metre.

• At that price, you could easily install bamboo flooring in a 200 sq. m. home for around $4,000. Keep in mind that hardwoods are not recommended for bathrooms and kitchens, so omitting these rooms from the equation results in an even lower cost.
• Many homes use hardwood flooring in entryways, dining rooms and living rooms only. Bathrooms and kitchen are usually tiled, and upstairs hallways and bedrooms are often carpeted.

3. Do-it-Yourself Landscaping

Add some eye-catching appeal to your front curb to entice a buyer’s interest the moment they pull in the driveway.

Attractive landscaping is one way to dress up a less than impressive front lot, providing the opportunity to spark their interest in the interior of your house.

• Be smart and tidy up a bit when showing your home to prospective buyers. You can rent a power washer for as little as $70 to deep-clean the siding of your house, deck, entryways and driveway. The one-time cost is well worth the additional curb appeal you’ll get from the process.
• You can plant flowers or shrubs on the sides of your porch to create a welcoming entryway for appraisers and buyers. Purchase plants in season to save even more money. Alternatively, you can even plant flowers as bulbs to save a few dollars, if you can afford to wait until they bloom before showing your house.
• Exterior shutters are another inexpensive investment that adds traditional charm to the house. Home improvement stores like Bunnings and Mitre 10 sell quality shutters for as little as $80 each.

4. Add a kitchen backsplash

Backsplashes in kitchens are like eyebrows on your face – they accent and frame the room with interest.

You can dress up the bare space between countertops and cabinets by simply adding a backsplash above the counter, transforming bland kitchens into sensational spaces in very little time.

• Kitchen backsplashes can be an expensive project up front, but you can use low cost tile for most of the space, then use a fancy striped or patterned tile that coordinates well in strategic areas.
• Save even more by considering unconventional materials like vinyl tile flooring or tin ceiling panels, or even painting a backsplash with some faux finish techniques. Creativity like this not only saves money but creates a conversation point in choosing something different for the space.

4. Upgrade a bathroom

Bathroom upgrades do not have to cost $30,000 to be worthwhile and attractive. You may not be able to afford a new vanity or an enticing garden tub, but a few small upgrades can make an equally impressive impact.

• You can buy $150 mirror framing kits to accent your builder-grade mirror in the bathroom quite nicely.
• Replace your vanity hardware for less than $50.
• Paint an outdated vanity or laminate tile for less than $50, and purchase a $100 faux-granite countertop paint kit for even more contrast.
• Refresh bathroom walls with a fresh coat of neutral paint.

Using these simple suggestions, you could give your bathroom a significant makeover for around $400 to $500. That’s the sensible way to recreate a space that just needs a little lift.

It’s your responsibility as a homeowner to ensure your home stays up-to-date and to increase its property value.

In the end, your home is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it. So it’s a good strategy to make a modest investment in upgrades and trimmings that most buyers are looking.