5 Cost-Effective Ways to Increase Your Home's Property Value

Getting a house ready to sell can be daunting. Property values are constantly changing and buyers can be fickle. It's a stressful undertaking, but if you are willing to put in a little work you can greatly increase your home's value and make sure that it sells quickly. 

Here are some of the most cost-effective home improvements that you can make in the days, weeks, or months leading up to your home's market debut.

1. Paint

Paint is by far the most inexpensive home improvement. High-quality paint only costs about $25 per can and you can easily do the work yourself. Neutral colors will appeal most to buyers while light colors will make a room look larger and more open. 

Accent walls painted a brighter color can also be an excellent choice, but make sure that you limit their use to one room.

2. Flooring

When you're looking to buy a home, seeing that you will have to replace floors right away is a pretty big turn off. If your house is sporting stained carpet or ripped vinyl floors, take the time to get them replaced before it goes on the market. 

If you can, opt for hardwood floors. These will retain anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of their value during a resale. If your budget doesn't allow for hardwood floors, you can always replace your flooring with carpet or engineered wood. Be aware that these other options won't hold their value as well during the sale.

3. Curb Appeal

If your house looks good on the outside, it encourages people to come in. Keeping the outside of your home in top shape is essential if you want to sell. 

It can also be one of the easiest ways to get a few more dollars out of your home. If you don't have a lot to spend on landscaping, make sure that your yard is mowed, your hedges are trimmed, and any flower beds or gardens are well-kept. 

If your budget allows it, consider adding a porch with a small sitting area to give the house a cozy feel. Replace the front door with a steel model. Add some shade trees. In addition to being beautiful, well-placed trees can lower cooling costs and provide a home for squirrels and birds. 

4. Minor Remodels

If you are going to go through with a remodel, make sure that you start with a kitchen or bathroom. 

These are the two areas of a house that consistently offer a high return. Bathroom remodels can be expensive, but following Hillary Farr’s Rules of Renovation will ensure that you get the maximum return on your investment. 

Repaint the bathroom and remove any outdated wallpaper. Dress up mirrors by adding inexpensive frames. Choose stone countertops and wood cabinets or upgrade vanities and pedestal sinks. 

If you are looking to splurge on one item in your bathroom, let it be the shower. Currently, walk-in showers and floor to ceiling steam showers are the most sought after bathroom amenities. 

Many people are even willing to forgo a bathtub if it means that they have access to a spacious shower.

Kitchens renovations tend to cost more, but many of the same basic rules apply. Opt for wood cabinets and stone countertops. 

Paint the kitchen with bright, neutral colors. Replace low-quality kitchen sinks with farmhouse sinks. Upgrade appliances or at least ensure that the ones present are fully operational. 

Avoid adding recessed lighting whenever possible. Instead, opt for classic and stylish lighting fixtures or light tubes. 

5. Fiberglass Insulation

Although adding insulation doesn't seem exciting, it does offer one of the best returns on investment. Adding high-quality insulation to the attic increases the market value of your home and lowers your heating and cooling costs all year long. 

This is one home improvement that you should definitely consider whether you plan to sell your home now or in a couple of years.

Use these simple upgrades to increase your home's market value before you put it up for sale. Buyers will be impressed with a home that looks cared for and their offers will reflect it. 

Try out some of the improvements on this list and see just how big of a difference they can make in your home.

6 Eye-Catching Apartment Add-Ons that Won't Cost You Your Deposit

So you’re moving back into an apartment. The only problem is that it's a little outdated and those white walls and basic carpets aren't as stylish as you had hoped. Don't worry, there are still plenty of ways you can make your apartment your own, and you won't have to worry about making your landlord mad or losing your security deposit.

There are several ways you can turn your plain and boring apartment into a decorative and modern abode without making any permanent changes. These ideas are simple, inexpensive and best of all: temporary.

Area and Throw Rugs

You might not think that rugs can make a big difference in an apartment, but the right patterns and colors can change the entire mood of a room or an entire apartment. Consider the shape and side of each room in the apartment and choose a rug shape, pattern and color that will highlight the accent furniture and wall decor in the room.

Tired of hardwood or laminate flooring? Cut large rugs to the precise measurements of a room and use heavy furniture to help hold it in place. A dramatic or colorful rug or carpet will draw attention to the center of the room and pull the entire look together.

Curtains and Window Treatments

Never underestimate the power of a great set of curtains. If you have large windows in your room or apartment, your curtain choices are that much more important. A person's eyes are naturally drawn to the windows in a room because of the light they bring in.

Choose curtains that are bold enough to be eye catching but subtle enough to not take your attention away from the rest of the decor and furniture. Consider bright or bold, solid colors that compliment your furniture, rugs and window moldings. Floor-to-ceiling models add depth to the room, and even offer the illusion that the celing is taller than it is. Blinds and shutters are another option that will help improve the look of an apartment.

Bedding, Throw Pillows, and Accents

Bedding and throw pillows can brighten and set the color scheme or theme for any room. Patterned pillows and bedding are a great way to bring several colors together in a room. Choose throw pillows in fun shapes that match your decor and don't be afraid to toss a couple of throw blankets on the back of your couch or chairs. Not only will they be convenient for yourself or guests who might get chilly while visiting, but they will also add a nice splash of color to whichever room they are in.

You can add a flash of color and your own personal style to any room through accents. Look for unique shower curtains at JCP to spice up your bathroom, and unique decorative trinkets to complete the look.

Finishings

Adding new finishings to kitchen cabinets, furniture or sinks is a great way to update permanent furniture and fixtures. In most cases, the landlord won't mind or even notice the changes and you can always keep the old ones and switch them back when and if you move out of the apartment. Finishings are inexpensive and easy to install, they are also available in thousands of different styles, colors and materials.

Accent Furniture

After moving into a new apartment, paying a deposit and other moving expenses, few people have the money to shop for all new furniture. A few pieces of accent furniture can be inexpensive, change the look and feel of a room and even make you appreciate your other furniture. Small tables, stands, lamps, stools and even chests add personality to a room and can be moved around and repositioned as needed.

Wall and Shelf Decor

Choosing what to hang on your walls and place on your shelves can be difficult. Too little decor and your apartment will look boring and drab. Too much and your risk creating a tacky or gawdy apartment. Choose your decor wisely and start with a wall hanging added to the center of focus point of the room. Choose a few other small wall hanging or shelf decorations that will compliment the focus point and pull the entire apartment together to create a harmony of patterns and colors.

Living in an apartment that is plain or boring can prevent you from ever feeling like you are truly at home. Just because you can't make permanent changes to the apartment doesn't mean you can't make it your own with some unique, fun and temporary updates and changes. Have fun and enjoy making your apartment into a home you will love and feel comfortable in.

Author Bio: Calvin Sellers is a freelance writer from Tampa, FL. Follow him on Twitter @CalvinTheScribe.

Home Improvement Tips to Save Money This Summer

Summer means great outdoor weather, fishing trips, lying on the beach, camping with the family, BBQ with the neighbors, and many more fun activities. On the other hand, it also means having to deal with soaring electricity bills because of the oppressive heat. Homeowners can push back by initiating fairly simple renovations geared towards reducing power consumption. They can finance these projects with a small fund and recoup the cost through long-term savings. Some excellent examples are listed below: 

Seal the Gaps

Air can leak through tiny cracks on the walls as well as through gaps around doors and windows. These force the cooling system to work extra hard to maintain the desired temperature. A practical way to deal with this is to use caulk to seal the cracks. Weather stripping can also be employed when necessary. These are low cost, high impact solutions to the energy problem. The first thing to do is to locate each of the air leaks. Utility companies may offer this service for free or charge a nominal fee. List them down and sealed them off starting with the biggest gaps for maximum effect.

Insulate the Shell

Heat can quickly build up inside the house if the walls and ceilings are not properly insulated. Remedy the situation and slash up to 30% off of the problematic air-conditioning bills. The type of insulation that should be used depends on the existing house materials and the particular application. There's fiberglass, vermiculite, urethane foam, rigid foam, cellulose, and mineral-fiber, among others. Hire a reputable contractor for this project to ensure a thorough sweep. Good insulation keeps homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter so this project will be beneficial all year long.

Mind the Windows

During daytime, draw the curtains to let the sunlight in. Having the rooms bathed in natural light means that the artificial ones can be kept off until night falls. The windows could even be flung open to allow the breeze to flow inside the house. Opening two opposite windows creates cross-ventilation, a technique to cool the house naturally by promoting air circulation. Of course, if the air-conditioning unit needs to be used then the windows have to be closed shut. Consider replacing them with modern argon-filled double glazed windows, which have better insulating properties.

Color It Light

Physics has taught us that dark colors absorb light, which explains why dark things heat up faster than light ones. This is also why we wear light-colored clothing during summer. It only makes sense to do the same for our homes. Dark roofs contribute to the heat inside the house. If the roof is painted with a more reflective coating, then the interiors could remain relatively cool despite the harsh summer sun. The air-conditioner will not have to draw as much power as before to do its job, reducing the energy bills to a more manageable level.

Maintain Efficiency

Cooling systems must undergo periodic maintenance to make sure that they continue to operate at peak efficiency. Oftentimes, problems with the air-conditioner can be traced to clogged filters. Clean these regularly for better cooling. Check the ducts for any leaks and seal them off right away. Insulate parts that run through unconditioned spaces so that they don't affect the air temperature.

These simple home improvement tips are easy to finance and are certain to result in substantial savings. Consider implementing some or all of them to bring down the cost of your energy bills so that summer can go back to being the fun season that it was always meant to be.

Author Bio William Stevens is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to technology. In this article, he describes a few home improvement techniques to save money and aims to encourage further study with an Ohio University Online Master in Electrical Engineering.