I live in a desirable in-town neighborhood of Atlanta, a mere two blocks from running paths, parks, restaurants, and stores. The three-mile distance from my home to the middle of downtown belies the suburban-feeling, tree-lined streets and houses with front lawns. But even here, where the real estate market has been red-hot for more than a decade, “For Sale” signs are lingering from season to season. Only those who have to move are choosing to do so.
Here, and in nearly every corner of the country, however, people still want to increase the value of their homes. The economy may deter you from major renovations, but there are simple and inexpensive upgrades that will make your house more appealing to future buyers, and—most importantly—more pleasant for you to inhabit. Here are the most accessible home improvement maneuvers that someone even as un-handy as me can easily tackle.
Re-Glaze Older Bathrooms
When we moved into our first home, the bathrooms looked pitiful. We considered the staggering cost of renovating both bathrooms, and quickly decided to just live with the rust. But we did a little digging around and discovered we could get two bathtubs and sinks re-glazed for less than $1,000—and end up with a shiny, new sheen in the bathrooms. There are re-glazing companies in all corners of the country, so a quick Internet search should acquaint you with one in your neighborhood.
Freshen Up Walls with New Color
This is a personal one. We moved into our current house under the gun—I was almost eight months pregnant, and the wall colors were the least of my worries. I waddled into our new home and decided to be content with its current state. But two years later, the dark and dreary army green paint covering the kitchen walls, and the reddish-purplish paint on the dining rooms walls was starting to rub off on my psyche. We had family coming in town—it didn’t hurt that two are artists from New York City—and chose cool blue colors, with white accents, for those dark walls. The entire family painted for a day, and our home was revolutionized from a dark, dank cave to a fresh, cheerful abode. If you don’t have artists in town to help pick out the paint colors, most paint company Web sites (like Behr) have sample rooms that you can test your colors on. The cost of a few cans of primer and paint, some brushes and rollers, plastic covering for the floor and blue tape for the edges should be no more than a couple hundred dollars.
Accent with Wallpaper—Yes, Wallpaper
It sounds so 1980s, but picking out wallpaper for one wall of a room can provide a funky, tasteful—and up-to-date—look for your house. While in town, our family artists picked out wallpaper with yellow flowers and red birds (it might sound hideous, but as they said, it’s “very 1920s art deco cool”) for the far wall of our kitchen. Consider putting a swatch of natural grasscloth wallcovering in your library, or this Avignon toile for your half bath. (Word to the wise: don’t use a wallpaper border. You really will be dated.)
Add Charm with Molding
Decorative molding offers your home a more finished, put-together look. While older homes are more likely to have baseboard and ceiling moldings, newer homes often lack the decorative touch. A 160-foot bundle of pine molding can be purchased on the Lowe’s Web site for just $57.60. Once you have the proper amount and type of molding (it varies in size and shape), you can install it easily at home. Check out this site for instructions on doing it yourself.
Shed Some Light on Light Fixtures
Okay, I’m guilty of this. The upstairs of our house is somewhat attic-y, so I’ve ignored the yellowing plastic globe light fixtures that are filling with bugs and hurting my pride. For just $108.72, I could order a new fixture from Home Depot’s Web site that would take my lighting from trashy to flashy. It takes a toolbox and a mere ten minutes to install new light fixtures, and they can instantaneously brighten your mood. Lighting Universe, LightingDirect.com, and Lighting Headquarters are other good places to shop for new fixtures.
Switch Up Switches with Wallplates
I’m guilty of this one too. I need to spend thirty minutes and $40 buying new wallplates (light switch and outlet covers) for the living space in our house. Ours are tacky plastic, with layers of dirt, and in some cases, paint on them. You can shop for new ones online (try Wallplate Warehouse) or swing by your local hardware store to pick them up. Each one should cost anywhere from a couple bucks to seven or eight dollars, depending on how fancy it is. Take out your screwdriver, and voila—your home is looking more and more polished each minute.
Re-Exhibit Art
It’s hard to move into a new home and immediately discern where your art—paintings, photographs, knickknacks—will look best. Our recent painting session was the impetus to make us reconsider where our artwork was hanging. We ended up moving nearly everything we had to different rooms. We even explored our attic and resurrected long-forgotten items. Everything looks much more put-together now. I would recommend reconsidering where and how your art is displayed every couple of years or so, especially when you change something like the wall colors. Cost? Zero.
Spruce Things up with Window Boxes
There’s nothing that says cute and put-together better than window boxes full of flowers on the front of your home. When we were shopping for our first house in Atlanta, I became obsessed with a tiny yellow house, made from siding and containing no closets (I’m not exaggerating) simply because it had window boxes full of beautiful flowers. Luckily my husband prevailed and we bought a brick bungalow with closets instead. Window boxes generally cost $100 or so each, and two or three are plenty, depending on how big your house is. The Window Box Store is a good place to shop online, as is Windowbox.com. Picking out the flowers and planting them can be a fun project for the whole family.
Now that you have some ideas, all you need to do is find the free Saturday to implement them. These decorative touches will ensure that if you do have to put your house on the market, it will have a much higher aesthetic appeal. And if you don’t put your house on the market, you’ll reap the benefits of your not-so-hard work.