Home improvement doesn’t have to mean large projects. There are plenty of quick and inexpensive DIY options that provide additional value to your home with minimal cost and effort. Some of these are frequent suggestions already, but you may not be aware of how efficient they are at improving the value of your home.

Some very common suggestions are repainting, improving curb appeal, and upgrading lighting. Repainting yourself sounds like a lot of work, but it’s still one of the highest value-to-cost investments possible, and may not actually take as long as you expect depending on the size of your home. There are many ways to improve curb appeal, but one of the simplest ones, adding plants or maintaining existing ones, doesn’t cost much at all in terms of either time or money. Upgrading lighting is generally a longer term investment, but this is not because it takes time to achieve, since it actually takes very little time. However, the benefit comes in the form of savings from reduced energy costs over time.

Less common suggestions include replacing hardware and fixtures, adding mirrors, and decluttering. Fixtures can be expensive sometimes, but they’re a solid investment in terms of value when you go to sell. When you’re living in the home, you often don’t notice small things like old doorknobs and drawer handles, but buyers will take notice if these things have been upgraded recently. Mirrors are surprisingly effective at improving the atmosphere of a room. They reflect natural light, making the space appear brighter, and also create an illusion of more space. Decluttering may not seem like it would affect your home value at all, since those items aren’t really part of the home. But prospective buyers will still take note of it and have a negative reaction to a messy-looking home, even if there’s nothing wrong with the home once it’s cleaned up.

Photo by Karl Solano on Unsplash