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7 ways to increase the value of your home

Published on December 1st, 2020
  Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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Your home is the biggest investment you have, and when it comes to saying goodbye by selling it on the market, you want to sell it with a bang and not a whimper.

There are approximately 8 million Australians who renovate their homes each year. The last thing you want when showing off your home is coming up with excuses as to why your kitchen looks like something out of the 70s, or the cracked floor tiles you tried hiding with a dodgy looking mat.

Let’s not get started with the casually ushering out of your guest from a certain room because of the embarrassing scene left behind. It’s time you gave your home an improvement with these 7 tips that will increase the value of your home.

First impressions count

Take a walk outside and turn and look at the view of your house from the other side of the street. Does it represent a shining emblem a potential new home for someone else, or a dilapidated, ugly house that you yourself are trying to run away from. We live in a D.I.Y crazed nation. According to the Australian Home Industry Association, the Australian home renovation market was valued at $31,4 billion in 2016 alone. So, get your D.I.Y on!

Paint Away

Give your house a new coat of paint. More than 3.7 million Aussies gave their home a new lick of paint. This can be done for both inner and outer walls. Sticking to neutral colours that are bright will make your house inviting. If you plan to do a D.I.Y paint job it is best to read the instructions carefully, and to note whether the paint is compatible with the type of weather or temperature in your region. The last thing you need is bulging or flaking paint when the buyers eventually come around. The windows reveal the soul to your house, so repaint the frames or call in the professional to fix the frames.

Yard aesthetics

There is no excuse for anyone to have a sorry excuse for a yard. Whether you have a large yard or a small intimate yard, you can always liven it up. Add flowers and trees to give your yard that eco-friendly touch. Always keep in mind that less is more, you don’t want to end up with a jungle in your back yard after all. Planting indigenous trees will help keep costs and maintenance down. Trees can also help in cutting down the cost on your heating and cooling systems. Researching which trees to plant to sustain warmth near parts of the house that do not get much sunlight can be useful, and vice versa.

The floor

Most potential buyers look at the floor first when they enter the house. Perhaps this is to mind their step. A clean floor is always welcomed as it already speaks up for the sanitation of your home. Upgrade your floor by replacing missing or broken tiles, instead of strategically placing your foot over the part of the floor you don’t want your potential buyers to see. If possible, you could enlist the services of a professional to install wood panelling on the floor which also gives your home a warm, clean finish.

Deep clean

Take a few weekends to deep clean your home. This especially goes for the kitchen and the bathroom. It is budget friendly as it only requires a few household items that can be bought off the shelf. Eliminate smells with bicarbonate soda mixed with other detergents, or Harpic bleach crystals to kill mould. It is always important to read the back of the labels to see whether the product is compatible with the surface in which you wish to apply it to. If the mould has caked up it’s best to call in the professionals.

Let it shine

Lighting in your home can improve the way you see a room, and the furniture placed in it. According to the Master Builders of Queensland, LED lighting are dominating the market in terms of home demands potential buyers have, as they add a clean modern finish. LED lights also have the perk of being controlled by dimming them creating the desired ambience in a room. Buying energy efficient lights can also be a great selling point.

Call a professional

Not everyone is a born MacGyver; being able to wheel out a shoe string to strategically attach a whole new lighting scheme in 5 seconds. Some D.I.Y work is best left to the professionals unless if you have studied for it, then go right ahead. If it is hidden behind a wall or is connected to a network of systems it’s best to leave it alone. In the end you might cause more damage which will decrease the value of your home.

How to get started is simple. Just start. However, beware that these improvements might make you fall in love with your home all over again, forcing you to stay.

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This guide provides general information and does not consider your individual needs, finances or objectives. We do not make any recommendation or suggestion about which product is best for you based on your specific situation and we do not compare all companies in the market, or all products offered by all companies. It’s always important to consider whether professional financial, legal or taxation advice is appropriate for you before choosing or purchasing a financial product.

The content on our website is produced by experts in the field of finance and reviewed as part of our editorial guidelines. We endeavour to keep all information across our site updated with accurate information.

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The interest rate, comparison rate, fees and monthly repayments will depend on factors specific to your profile, such as your financial situation, as well as others, such as the loan’s size and your chosen repayment term. Costs such as broker fees, redraw fees or early repayment fees, and cost savings such as fee waivers, aren’t included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts may result in a different comparison rate.

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