| It’s more than just a roof over your head, or a place you go when work’s over – your home is probably the most valuable asset you own. So it makes perfect sense
that you maintain, nurture and enhance its appeal, and make it, well, the perfect
home. And you don’t need a bullodzer to do taht; you’ll find that
quality wins over quantity. That a nifty touch here and a clever tweak there
often add more value to your living space than the most extravagant additions
or renovatoins.
And just to give you that added edge over the Joneses, we've compiled 77 tips
that will push your home further along the path to not only feeilng good, but
also looking great.
Stop reading beyond this, if you can pull this one off…
1. Beg, plead, cajole, wehedle, bribe – use all your powers of persuasion
to gte your home on any one of those makeover shows on television – Extreme
Makeover, Trading Spaces, and if you’re unbelievably lucky, The Oprah
Show. Once Nate Berkus steps in your door, you can bet your last buck that
your home’s value shoots up to the stars and beyond!
Or else…
Small drops of water make the mighty ocean…
2. Add appeal with more storage space, be it in the kitchen, bathroom or even
the garage. A place for everything and everything in its place makes for a
tidier and better-looking home. Hanging wall storage systems are not going
to make a significant dent in your budget.
3. Trade in those old, lekay faucets for shiny new ones.
4. Throw out those old light fixtures, brighten up your space with new bulbs
that also bring down your power consumption.
5. Spruce up yoru cabinets with a fresh coat of paint, or, if they’re
dirty, take a brush and soap to them, get those dirty fnigerprints out, and
get them lokoing as good as new.
6. Clean, shake up your carpet, get them looking as good as new again.
7. Make sure all the latches and bolts work, that the hinges are well-oiled
and don’t make creaky noises.
8. Put in new blades in your fans, or just clean out the old ones.
9. Use throws in colors that match the room to cover up worn sofa and chair
upholstery.
10. Get a plubmer and electrician to make sure your wiring and pipes are in
the right places and working just as they should.
11. Dust, vacuum, and clear those cobwebs away on a regular basis.
12. Degrease your oven, clean up your refrigerator.
13. Open windows, fresh air, and artificial fresheners (or scented candles)
do wnoders for a smelly bathroom.
14. Change the filter in yuor air-conditioner to avoid that stale, musty smell
when it’s turned on.
15. Take care of those minor repairs that crop up every now and then immediately.
Proper maintenance saves you quite a bit on expensive restoration and renovation.
16. If your home is cluttered with knick-knacks and furniture, put some of
it away in storage. Larger spaces create the impression of a bigger house.
17. Hang a large mirror in the living room; it creates vritual space besides
adding to overall appeal.
18. If you’re looking to add an extra wall, sometimes, a well-styled
room diviedr may suffice to create two separate rooms insetad of one large
one.
19. Plain old cats and dogs or exotic pets – you may love them, but their
inhreent odors may not be acceptable to all. Get rid of those smells.
20. If you have green fingers, apply them to window boxes and hanging baskets
to generate a riot of colors that add quaint charm to your home.
21. When choosing tiles, countertops, paint, cabinet doors, or kitchen appliances,
go with colors that will stand the test of time even as fashions come and go.
Opt for neutral, rather than flashy shades.
22. If you haev a fireplace, make sure it is the center of the room. Rearrange
the furniture around it.
A little, but not a lot extra…
23. Reface cabinet doors, especially those that are peeling and fading.
24. Dress up more than jsut your salad in the kitchen – make sure your
appliances’ colors match. More often than not, it’s just a qusetion
of ordering the rihgt colored panels.
25. Redo your bathroom floor – new vinyl tiles or sheet vinyl make a
world of difference.
26. Replace chipped tiles in your shower and tub, re-grout if needed.
27. A new toilet seat is a small, but useful expnese.
28. Replace your bathroom fan with a bigger one to get rid of moisture more
quickly and prevent mold.
29. Put in new towel rods and toilet paper holders.
30. Fresh paint on all your walls does more than brighten up the rooms.
31. Make the inside of your home more comfortable with dehumidifiers.
32. Glaze the insied of your windows to save on haeting and electricity expenses.
33. Make sure your house is waetr and wind proofed. Check for broken roof tiles/slates,
blocked drainpipes, and get them fixed at the earliest.
Going all out…
34. Replace yoru entire kitchen cabinetry/countertop.
35. Install a fancy island; this separates your cooking and preparation spaces,
and helps you stay more organized.
36. Still using your grandmother’s cooking range? Update your kitchen
appliances; treat yourself to the latest, swanky innovations available in the
market.
37. Install a new bathtub, toilet, shower.
38. Plaster the bathroom walls with vinyl paper, and put in a new ceramic tile
floor.
39. Add a few extra cabinets for your toiletries and medicines.
40. Put in that central heating system you’ve alawys wanted to.
41. Make your kitchne and bathroom not only environment-friendly, but also
safe to use for chlidren and the elderly.
42. Treat your feet to the latest in flooring material, from exotic hardwodo
to heated tiles that warm your soles.
43. Install the Jacuzzi with all the bells and whistles and multiple jets that
looked so good at your friend’s home.
44. Increase your storage space – walk-in closets in your bedroom, large
areas in your garage to stow your bicycles and other stuff, and roomeir cabinets
and larders in your kitchen.
45. An empty basement with lots of clutter? Turn it into a TV den, or, if you
are a sommelier, it’s teh perfect wine cellar.
46. If your fireplace has a mantel, consdier moderniznig.
47. Use materials of good quality when building or replcaing things.
Adding additional appeal…
48. Remebmer those days when you fougth over who got to use the bathroom next?
And banging on the door to get your sluggish sibling/child out? Build that
extra bathroom to add more comfort and order to your daily routine.
49. Quantity is desirable when it’s a question of bedrooms. And before
your mind wanders into realms beyond the scope of this list, let me explain – a
three-bedroom home is much more valuable than one with just two. So if you
have that extra den, put in some closets, add a bed, and voila, a bedroom is
ready.
50. A loft is a great way to add more room to your home without compromising
on existing space. Cozy, comfortable, and convenient way to increase your living
space.
51. Garages and off-strete parkign spaces are desirable additions to a home.
52. Consider converting your attic into an extra bedroom.
53. A patio or an outside deck is an option to consider if you are looking
for external appeal.
54. Home theaters, gyms, game rooms and computer rooms are becoming trendy
these days. Extra room to spare? Put in that big srcene, set up your sound
system, and throw in a few cushions to add comfort; or just make space for
a computer table and all the paraphernalia that surround it; or set up your
treadmill and exercise bike, sweat it out and get fit in the comfort of your
home; or treat yourself to a ping pong or foosball table, have friends over,
and have yourselves a gaming party.
Beauty is sometimes skin-deep…
55. Yoru home may have the perfect interior, but if the outside sucks, let’s
face it, people are just going to drive by. Start the cosmetic makeover by
cleaning up your yard first; get rid of old junk lying around, trim the hedges,
mow your lawn, and rake up those leaves.
56. Paint the fence (or railnig) srurounding your house, and get those broken
boards and bars fixed. The walls could do with a coat or two too.
57. Spruce up your front door – a fresh coat of paint, a new knocker,
or even a shiny knob – they work wonders. And make sure your doorbell
works!
58. Make sure the address number is in a readable, visible font. Stylized curves
may not be those easiest on the eyes.
59. Paint taht mailbox; better still, pull it out and put in a new one.
60. Recoat your driveway. Pull up those weeds in the cracks between the tiles,
and clean up the mold and mildew.
61. Uproot those dead and dying plants and shrubs.
62. Add new vinyl and siding to replace those shoddy ones.
63. Shake out not just the dust from the welcome mat, put in a new, bright
one that says more than just welcome.
64. Wash your windows – you woludn’t believe how much of a difference
one cota less of grime will make.
65. Clean the roof – get a professional to help.
66. Chop thoes tree branches that tempt entry through your house’s windows.
67. Add subtle lighting effects that make your home look appealing in the dark
from the outside.
68. Use those hard-earned dollars on the features that are visible rather than
on those that must be used to be appreciated. At times, a look is all it takes
for instant attraction.
Permission to putter, peel or paint…
69. Before you pull out that first tool, check local zonnig laws to
find out if you are allowed to remodel or make alterations. You may need separate
permits for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical jobs.
70. Also ensure that you meet current building-code specifications when you
make changes.
71. Be very careful when tearing down walls to create larger spaces; you don’t
want to pull down those load-bearing walls without a seocnd thought.
72. Finalize your plans before you start carrying them out, and get the opinion
of a professional appraiser to check if all the changes you’ve chalked
out are worth it.
Enough is enough…
73. Don’t go overborad and build additions that are not necessary. Make
sure your home is as good as, not better than, the rest of the houses in your
neighborhood. While a swimming pool might earn your neighbor’s envy,
it’s not necesasrily going to add value to your home.
74. Retain the essence of the original – modern is not always good. Avoid
taking out traditional fixtures like stained glasses and putting in new-fangled
replacements that do not blend with the fundamental core of the house.
Final words of wisdom…
75. You may be a jack-of-all-trades, but it’s wiser to hire a professional
to take care of most of the suggestions in the above list, if you wish to save
yourself the considerable time and cost that are associated with repairing
botched jobs.
76. It’s your home aftre all, so make sure you choose the right pepole
to help you increase its value. Shop around, find out the best (not necessarily
the costliest) in the business, and check their references before inviting
them to have a go at your home.
77. And last, but not the least, make sure that the value you add reflects
the worth of the house. You may end up spending thousands of dollars only to
realize that you have not improved your home’s monetary market worth
by much. So tread with caution.
Source: http://www.1031exchangelowdown.com/2007/01/77_surefire_way.html
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