6 Projects to Increase Your Home's Resale Value

Upgrade your lights

Good lighting can bring out the best in your home. Updating old fixtures and adding dimmer switches are fairly simple upgrades. You could also consider replacing your fixtures with smart lights controlled by an app, which can help you save on your energy bill and sell your home faster. Our research finds homes mentioning smart lights in their listing description sold seven days faster than expected.

If you want a professional installer to do the job, our research discovered that the national average cost is $380.

Replace your faucets

Whether your look is modern or traditional, a new faucet can enhance the style of your bathroom or kitchen. Make it a touchless faucet for added appeal, as COVID-era buyers increasingly look for smart features that will keep their homes germ-free.

With attention to detail and a tolerance for tight spaces, you can handle this job yourself, but if you’d rather leave the under-sink contortions to a pro, we found, on average nationally, you can expect to pay $205 to replace bathroom fixtures.

What’s more, upgrading other bathroom amenities, such as installing a rain shower head, can go a long way in 2022 as homeowners look for creative ways to turn their abode into a retreat. 2020 research showed listings featuring the keyword “spa-inspired” contributed to a 1.8% price premium.

Landscape smartly

A desire for more outdoor space is the top reason people say they would consider moving as a result of social distancing recommendations, according to a recently conducted Harris Poll survey. There’s no better time than the spring to spruce up your yard and create the functional, beautiful outdoor space buyers want.

If you don’t like getting your hands dirty (literally), expect to pay $2,600 on average nationally for a professional landscaping business to clean up your yard, which typically covers mowing, pruning, weeding, planting new flowers or shrubs, and adding new soil, mulch or bark dust. Recent research found homes mentioning landscaping in their listing description can sell for 2.7 percent more than expected, so depending on the value of your home, it could be a worthwhile investment.

If you want to take your outdoor upgrades a step further, research showed that in 2020 listings mentioning an “outdoor kitchen” sold for approximately 4.5 percent more than similar homes without the feature. Try these additional ideas for improving your patio space for year-round enjoyment.

Add a fire pit

Now that you have a nicely landscaped yard, go one step further and install a fire pit to create a family-friendly backyard hangout. Listings mentioning a fire pit may sell for 2.8 percent more than similar homes. Interestingly, that sale premium is higher than homes mentioning an outdoor fireplace or a chimenea.

Paint your front door (and more)

A freshly painted front door can boost your curb appeal, and if you’re thinking about selling, you may be surprised by the winning color when it comes to ROI: Homes with black front doors have sold for more than similar homes, according to recent research.

If it’s in your budget, consider painting the whole exterior (probably not black, though!) to create a great first impression. In a survey of national wide realtor agents, 77% recommended sellers paint their home. The national average cost of exterior painting in 2020 was $2,535.

Add pet-friendly features

Putting up a fence may seem like a no-brainer to those with four-legged family members, but with pet adoption rates on the rise, a backyard addition like this one can be beneficial to anyone looking to sell. A 2020 analysis found for-sale listings mentioning a fenced-in backyard in their listing description sold 6.8 days faster than expected.

If you do have a pet, consider transforming a corner of your garage, mud room, or even laundry room into a dog washing station — homes that included a pet shower or dog wash in their listing description sold for 5.1% more than similar homes in 2020.