First of all, the beauty of home ownership is that the home is yours and you can do whatever you want to with it. When I purchased my current residence in Havertown, the place was a disaster. When I first walked in the front door to this center hall colonial, I looked down to find a 4 ft by 6ft hole in the floor with a piece of plywood laying over top. I soon found out that the current owner had actually cut a hole through the floor so that their relative, and soon to be tenant, could fit his couch into the basement. Beyond this small flaw, the center hall was painted blood red, dark army green and pink. While I could see the incredible potential the home had, I wouldn't recommend going to these extremes with your own home. With this in mind, here are a few suggestions that can make your home both very attractive to you and the general public.
Start Cheap
If you've just bought a home or are thinking of selling, the last thing most people want to do is spend a lot of money. You want to maximize your dollars potential and easiest way to do this is by cleaning and painting.
Cleaning
Yes, as simple as it sounds, people don't realize the power of a clean house. Wipe down the floors, baseboards, stairs...you name it. Don't forget the light switch covers and radiator covers. If your home has old rugs, pull up a corner and see what the floors look like underneath. You might be surprised to find some great looking hardwood with inlays of walnut, especially if the home was built in the early 1900s. Pulling up carpets and shining the floors is in style and can really change the appearance of a room.
Painting
If you've just moved into a house a fresh coat of paint does wonders. Make sure to use a good primer first, (Kils works really well) especially since it will seal out any funky smells that may be lingering in the home.
If your preparing to sell your home, painting will also have a dramatic effect. No matter what your style, neutral earthy colors are in. Shades of tan, yellow, sage green, all look great and keep the rooms bright and looking big. Go with a flat finish on the walls and glossy white finish on the trim work. When your done you'll probably want to stay another couple years.
Also, don't be afraid to switch it up from room to room. Most paint stores have three color combinations that look great. It will give your home a designer feel with very little effort.
Kitchens & Baths
If there are two areas that can really improve the value of you home, its your kitchens and baths. They are typically the most expensive rooms to renovate, but if done right, they will pay off. While high quality cabinetry is often very expensive, anaylze your situation before you purchase. If this a starter home and your only planning on being there for a couple of years, don't go nuts. I priced out my kitchen at a specialty cabinet store and they came up with a price of $16,000.00 just for the cabinets!! Then I went
over to Lowes, I found identical cabinets that priced out to $4,800! Its not cheap, but if your diligent, you can really save a lot without loosing the look you want. Another secret, if your thinking short term, is to check out Ikea. While I'm not a big fan of the stores products, their cabinetry is excellent and very inexpensive. They have a bunch of contempary styles, but if you go with a more traditional look, you won't be disapointed. I recently renovated this kitchen to the right with Ikeas white cabinetry.That's all for now but if you're looking for more tips check out http://www.talktotyler.com/
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