Inexpensive ways to spruce up your home

The arrival of spring means that homeowners again have the chance to get to those household improvement plans.

Whether looking to sell or simply wanting to spruce up their living spaces, many homeowners are constantly considering ways to improve their abode. While major overhauls may be the dream, they are just not in the budget for some. Smaller, simpler improvements can still increase the value and appeal of a home.

“One of the biggest and most cost effective ways to increase the appeal of your home is by cleaning up the exterior,” said Roy Marble of Marble Realty.

“Eye appeal is a big thing, especially if you are looking to sell and someone is seeing it for the first time,” he said.

Cleaning up the exterior can be as simple and cheap as keeping your lawn mowed or your trash taken care of. Quick, easy fixes like replacing a broken door latch or window are also essential.

Another, less obvious task is also important: “Identify your boundaries — that seems to be a big one,” Marble said.

Keeping a tidy exterior to your home and property goes a long way for a small cost.

“Elbow grease is free, and first impressions are key,” said Marble. “It doesn’t matter if it’s upscale or an economy home. Make it look decent. You don’t want a screen door hanging off the hinges.”

Painting a home can also be a fairly inexpensive way to improve the value and appeal. The job could range from several hundred dollars if a homeowner does the job themselves to quite a bit more if it’s done professionally.

“Fresh, neutral-colored paint is good,” Marble said. “Painting the interior of your home has been proven to pay for itself.”

Hiring a plumber to repair leaky fixtures, at a cost of between $200 and $300 per fixture, can be another fairly inexpensive way to improve a home.

Improving specific rooms of the house can also go a long way towards increasing the overall appeal.

“Generally, work in the bathroom and kitchen and making those look nice really improves a home,” said Lee Sturtevant at Country Home Center in Morrisville. “A kitchen and bathroom can make a house.”

Improvements such as new toilets, baths, showers, laminate flooring and ceramic wall tiles can all help spruce up a home. Tiling the walls of a bathroom or kitchen seems to be very popular right now, according to Sturtevant. Hiring a professional to tile an average bathroom normally ranges in price between $2,000 and $3,000, while a kitchen is more — but doing it yourself can save a lot.