You’ve got the home, you’re on the property ladder, and now you want to climb up the next rung.

We know the usual DIY value-add home improvements; re-tile, re-carpet, re-do your kitchen. We have seen it all before, but these things are big jobs that cost time and money.

What about the things you can do on a day off, with as minimal financial damage as possible? Take a look at our 10 small improvements that will increase the value of your property.

1. Get to know your neighbours

This is an easy one and a low cost. People love a community feel and if you can improve your neighbourly relationships, rapport and respect with those that live around you, the buyer is going to feel immediately more at ease.

Invite them around for a BBQ, take some fresh baking around, make an effort to say hi before you leave for work in the morning, learn their names. Help to reinforce a community vibe within your area. Community means looking out for one another, a helping hand when you need it and safety. A strong community creates a good reputation for the area.

Already, you’ve added immeasurable value to your property and you haven’t even gone inside yet!

2. Sound the alarm

A simple yet effective way to make your home feel more secure from the get-go is to add in a burglar alarm. You can pick up an alarm system for a few hundred dollars and you’re making your house more valuable by adding another layer of security.

3. Get Outside

The curb-appeal of your house is just as important as the inside. Update your letter box and give your fence a freshen up. Make people proud to take a photo in front of your current home with the traditional realtor’s “Sold” sign in front of it. A lick of paint over the fence, a new letterbox, and fixing the squeaky gate will make your home seem a lot more inviting before you’ve even entered the property.

Grab your grubbers and head into the garden. Mow your overgrown laws, trim back trees and hedges, re-sow the lawn if you have to, and pot some fresh flowers. This is a next-to-free way to make your house look incredible. From speaking to multiple recent home buyers we have gleaned that should you have the space for it, an outdoor table goes a long way, giving the illusion of an extra living area.

4. Blast Off

Get your hands on a water-blaster, add a little elbow grease and a lot of water, and you will be so deeply satisfied at the new look of your fence, porch, and outdoor tiles that you might have second thoughts about selling. That’s value!

5. Get Fruity

Nothing says “you can live here too” like some healthy fruit trees. There is something inviting and comforting about fruit trees. It could be the nostalgia from visiting your grandparents and raiding their trees as a child. It could be the sweet fragrance that comes with their fruiting months, or it could be the promise of a family putting their own roots down.

Fruit trees are an attractive, affordable, and value-adding feature.

6. Welcome Home

Make your entrance appealing. This is a hot tip from an ex-realtor. This will be the first impression someone has as they walk into your home and you want it to be inviting. Add a big mirror to give your property a spacious feel, and have somewhere to store shoes and coats

If you are selling, add some fresh flowers and keep the floor swept or vacuumed. Walk in yourself and try to think from an outside perspective “Do I feel welcome here? Do I feel like I’m home?”

7. Remembrance

Give your house something a little quirky that people will remember. Paint your door red, turn your letterbox into a robot, add some pretty fairy lights to your porch, add a statement feature wall... make it easy for someone to recall and reference your property after looking at their 15th house for the month.

8. De-Clutter

This one is simple. You need to give a future buyer the chance to dream up their own potential home. Give them a clean, tidy canvas to work with. Clear your garage so the tinkerer can picture projects. Throw out or pack away clothes, so your buyer can picture filling the cupboards with their own wardrobe. Stack your books, hide your make-up, clear surfaces. Make your property look minimalist without looking bare

9. Keep it Cosy

Make sure your place is warm and inviting, by installing a heat-pump and adding new curtains. A warm, dry, home, feels like a healthy home. No one wants to be sick all year around, and an option to keep the house dry and free of mould, as well as have a cosy sanctuary to come home to every day is extremely appealing, therefore adding value to your property.

Nip into Spotlight and find yourself some curtains to make your bedrooms and lounge seem secluded and put together.

10. Mr and Mrs Fix It

All of the little things you’ve become accustomed to overtime and learned to live with, may be the difference between your house being defined as a “nice house” or a “Do-er upper.” Plaster holes, repair broken hinges, mend faulty light fittings, and replace broken tiles. Let YouTube be your guide, buy and borrow tools, and get to work. Alternatively, get that tradie mate of yours around to give you a hand.

These are just a few ways you can add value to your property. For some extra advice, tips, and support, talk to us! We would be more than happy to help you invest into your future.