Home Improvement: DIY Projects that Can Boost Your Resale Value

When you decide to sell your home, you want to offload it for a high price in as little time as possible. While most people don’t have the time or budget to make major home improvements that will help make their home more appealing to buyers, there are some projects that just about anyone can do on their own that can add value to their home -- and thousands more to their sale price.

The experts at Kevin Szabo Jr. Plumbing offer the following guidance to help you give your home a refresh. 

Update the kitchen

Even home shoppers who don’t have superior cooking skills hope to have a nice kitchen, which is often considered the heart of the home. Luckily, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to give it an edge over other homes in your area. Even simple upgrades can make a big difference in the appeal of your kitchen. Consider small changes, like replacing your tired hardware and installing new light fixtures. Giving the paint a refresher is another great way to update your kitchen with minimal expense, time and trouble. Here are some other suggestions to keep in mind:

• DIY cabinet upgrades

• How to put up a kitchen backsplash

• Modern peel-and-stick wallpaper is a great paint alternative

Make bathroom upgrades

The bathroom is another space that gives a healthy ROI when you show it some TLC. A trip to the home improvement store is all you need to give it a budget-friendly makeover. Just like in the kitchen, simply replacing hardware, installing new lighting and repainting the walls can make a tremendous difference. Sometimes just changing the shower curtain and linens is enough to pack a wallop. If your space is particularly dated or you’re just ready for a bigger project, consider these ideas:

• Refresh your bathroom vanity

• How to replace your toilet

• Is your bathtub showing wear? Here’s how to refinish it

Heighten curb appeal

Just as important as fixing up your house is manicuring the yard. Quick, effective landscaping will give your home some curb appeal, making it eye-catching to buyers and piquing their curiosity about the inside of your home. Start by cleaning things up. Put away toys and tools, and tidy the landscaping by removing broken and dead branches, replacing the mulch, and neatening the edges. Then replace any dead plantings and dead patches in your lawn. With a clean canvas, you’re ready to dive into bigger projects. 

• What to plant to add curb appeal to home

• How to clean your fence

• How to spruce up your driveway

Stage to impress

Once you’ve made lasting changes inside and outside your home, it’s time to stage it, or set it up in a way that allows interested home buyers to picture what it would be like if they lived there. The best part? The investment is minimal -- and sometimes, you don’t need to purchase a thing! The key is to pull out the belongings that really make the home yours, and turn your space into a place where buyers can imagine themselves living there. 

• How to declutter before staging your home

• How to deep clean your home before staging it to sell

Tackling DIY projects to boost your home’s value can be a lot of work. The upside is that these upgrades are in almost everybody’s wheelhouse, and they’ll instill a sense of pride in you when you realize all you’ve done to improve your property -- and in the end, your house will be ready to shine for potential buyers.

Guest Contributor: Kelli Brewer