Whether you just bought a home or you have lived in your current moneypit for a while, the fastest and best way to increase your home's value is by planning and seeking budget-friendly ways to improve. Whether you're looking to establish and build long term value in your home or you're trying to increase the value of your home for an appraisal next week, the best way to raise value in your home is to plan. What planning does is help you get ahead of the appraiser or prospective homebuyer so that you've already answered their questions and checked the boxes you know they'll be looking for!
Plan to Clean
The best way to keep a high value on your biggest asset to clean your house regularly; inside and out. We're not talking about the regular vacuuming and dusting. Make a plan to have some of the major deep cleanings throughout the year, as well.
Keep Your House Clean
When someone is looking to purchase a home, they're much more likely to be interested in purchasing a house that looks clean when viewed. An appraiser is also friendlier to a cleaner home. Keeping your house clean (especially when prospective buyers are coming through) is a really simple way to ensure others you've taken good care of your home and they will be moving into a well-cared-for home.
Exterior Cleaning
The best way to get the perspective of someone evaluating your house is to walk across the street turn around and ask yourself, "Does my house look attractive and welcoming? Does it look like a home I would want to purchase?" Don't just consider the landscaping, but consider what the sides and rear of your house looks like to the outside world. Buyers and appraisers will walk around to inspect the exterior of your entire home. If the exterior of your home looks dirty or stained, it will reflect negatively in the mind of the buyer. One of the best things you can do to help raise the asking price of your home with ease to get an exterior cleaning. It is an extremely affordable and easy way to make sure you get the most money out of your home.
Roof Maintenance
One of the first questions and foremost concerns of potential home buyers is whether or not the roof is in good shape. Replacing a roof is one of the highest concerns on a prospective homebuyer's evaluations in purchasing a new home. Often before buyers ever schedule a tour of your home, they will drive by to see your home. If your roof looks dirty or shoddy to the untrained eye, then the value can immediately drop (in the eye of the beholder). There are two ways you can plan for investing and maintaining your roof for resale.
Keep Your Roof Clean
First and foremost, do not believe for a minute that you need to get a new roof to ensure your roof does not hold back prospective buyers. It is far more important for you to maintain your roof than to replace it! Roof cleaning is one of the little known simple and affordable home improvements that makes a huge impact on the market value of your home. Roof cleaning not only extends the life of your roof, it also leaves it looking shiny and brand new to anyone appraising your house (professional or not). Hiring a professional roof cleaning service is easy and is extremely affordable (especially when compared to the cost of a new roof!).
Replace Your Roof
"What is the age of the roof?" is on the shortlist of questions homebuyers ask when touring a home. Typically, any answer over 25 years is cause for an interested party to walk or ask for a reduced price. If you've maintained your roof by getting it professionally cleaned every 5 years, you may be able to explain to buyers that some roof shingle warranties can last up to 50 years and that a roof cleaning helps reach that warranty. If it comes to it and replacing the roof is part of your seller's agreement, try to negotiate sharing at least some of the cost with the buyer.
Cost of Replacing a Roof vs. Roof Cleaning
Average Cost of a New Roof: $6,000 - $15,000 (with an average return on investment of 5-7%)
Average Cost of a Roof Cleaning: $300 - $600 every 5 years
