This is the final installment in this series providing ideas to help you improve the value of your property and make it more desirable to prospective buyers.
Energy Efficient Upgrades
With energy prices through the roof and economic problems all across the board investing in energy efficient products just makes sense. If you are in a hurry to sell your property and are looking for a quick return this is not the improvement for you. But, if you are looking at your property as an investment and want to make the most of your upgrade dollars, installing energy efficient upgrades such as solar panels will certainly pay off in the long run. Many buyers are becoming increasing more “green friendly” and having energy efficient upgrades will make your property much more desirable and valuable.
Landscaping
Buyers will judge your property by what they see when they pull into your driveway. If the outside of your property is rundown and decrepit looking, a buyer will be less likely to want to purchase your property. Even if they do like the inside of your property, they will be more apt to purchase another property that looks nicer on the outside. The old adage “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” does not apply in real estate and first impressions are very important. Curb appeal is very important but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Small simple steps can make a major difference in the appearance of your property. Buying flowers and planting a small flower bed can add color and beauty to your property and yard. You can also purchase small plants and make sure that your lawn is trimmed and walkways are swept and clean. Another way to increase curb appeal is to paint your front door or install decorative outdoor lighting. If you keep your expenses limited to less than $1000 you should be able to recoup the entire amount. You only have one chance to make a first impression, so do what you can to make the outside of your property really stand out in the prospective buyers mind.
If you follow some of these steps to improve the value of your property you should be able to make your house really stand out to buyers. The recoup value of all of the projects mentioned falls between 50%-100% which makes for a good investment in getting more people interested in your property.
Sean Rasmussen
Property Options Australia
Property Options Blog © 2006 – 2008
Tags: Australia, improve property, increase property value, Investing, ment, Options, Property, property improvement, property investing, value
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Sean,
These are very simple ways to improve the value of your property. People are much more environmentally aware nowadays so any time you add energy efficient appliances to your home; you’ll be onto a winner.
Also, landscaping is a great way to increase property value. The best thing is that is doesn’t have to cost a lot. Just a lot of manual labour on your part.
Very often you can improve the look and value of your property with just a few changes in the right places.
As we all buy a lot with our eyes I know from myself that the look has a big impact, so good paint work and nice landscaping make a huge difference. But you always have to make a realistic assumption by how much you can increase the value and make sure you don’t invest way more than it really adds in value to your property.