{"id":4662,"date":"2025-04-03T04:39:32","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T11:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=4662"},"modified":"2025-11-30T22:05:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T06:05:32","slug":"cheap-ways-to-increase-home-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/cheap-ways-to-increase-home-values\/","title":{"rendered":"44 Cheap Ways to Increase Home Values (Even If You Aren\u2019t All That Handy!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

If given five minutes to think about it, you could probably identify between three and five home improvement projects you would be happy to tackle in your home. But what happens when you\u2019re on a super tight budget and your priority is to increase your home\u2019s future sales value? We\u2019ve collected 44 cheap ways to increase your home\u2019s value with minimal talent and tools with the help of real estate agent Bryan Hill<\/a>, who works with 78% more single-family homes than the average San Diego<\/a> agent.<\/p>\n

We will start with the premise that you have $2,000 to spend on your project. This should cover tools, materials, cleanup, and any expenses the project will generate. The result is a spendthrift\u2019s dream of home improvement possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Upgrading Your Home? First, See How Much It's Worth<\/h3>\n

It’s helpful to have an idea of how much your home is worth before embarking on a project. Enter your address and answer a few questions about your home, and we’ll provide a preliminary estimate in under two minutes.<\/p>\n \n

\n Get Estimate<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n

Cheap ways to increase home values: Start with the exterior<\/h2>\n

1. Care for your front landscape<\/h3>\n

Mowing your lawn weekly, combined with seasonal shrub and tree pruning, will go a long way to make your home look cared for. Cost of weekly lawn mowing: $65\u2013$100<\/a>. Cost of seasonal tree and shrub removal: $25\u2013$150 per plant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Mulch at the start and end of the season<\/h3>\n

Mulch is a protective layer of material<\/a> placed on top of the soil and around a plant or tree. Mulch serves a variety of purposes to help your landscape, like helping retain moisture and reduce your water bill, releasing nutrients into the soil to help your plants stay healthy, stop weeds from growing, and protecting plants from high and low temperatures. Cost of 2 cubic feet of mulch: less than $5<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Plant native perennials<\/h3>\n

To help keep costs low, choose native perennials<\/a> that will come back year after year.<\/p>\n

Native plants require less maintenance, water, and fertilizer than non-native plants. When you choose flowering perennials, stagger the blooming periods so you can have flowers and visual interest through spring, summer, and fall seasons.<\/p>\n

If you choose non-flowering perennials, consider how the foliage can bring interest to your landscape through the changing seasons. Expect to pay $10-25 per plant and trees starting at $100.<\/p>\n

4. Paint your front door, or one wall on your front elevation<\/h3>\n

Jake Merelli, co-owner of Property Pros, Inc.<\/a>, likes to talk about the quick improvement that paint color can bring to any area of your home. According to Reader\u2019s Digest, painting your front door jet black or charcoal<\/a> can make your home sell for more money.<\/p>\n

5. Power-wash your fence<\/h3>\n

Forget about the cost of prepping and painting a fence. Power washing alone can be an affordable but huge difference-maker for your fencing. A gallon of premium exterior paint will cost around $40.<\/p>\n

6. Stain and seal your fence<\/h3>\n

Over time, fence finishes can fade away, especially on west- and south-facing fencing. Staining and sealing your fence is a weekend project that you can complete with minimal tools and preparation. Five gallons of premium cedar stain<\/a> will cost around $200.<\/p>\n

7. Replace broken rails and posts<\/h3>\n

Instead of tackling a full fence replacement, identify the individual rails and posts that need to be replaced. Individual cedar pickets<\/a> will cost around $5 each.<\/p>\n

8. Install solar lights<\/h3>\n

Upgrade your entire front yard by installing solar-powered lights.<\/p>\n

You can purchase a dozen for less than $40<\/a> and instantly elevate your walkway with absolutely no electrical work involved. Check your product to ensure that it will withstand minimum and maximum temperatures in your area.<\/p>\n

9. Plant a tree<\/h3>\n

Most plant nurseries are happy to provide exact guidance on the perfect kind of tree for the space. Bring a picture of your yard, and visit during a weekday so the arborist has time to answer your questions. To further increase the affordability of this improvement, ask about coupons or offers that apply to your selected trees.<\/p>\n

Nursery employees are happy to either deliver trees or help you load the tree, and they typically guarantee their trees and shrubs for 12 months. You can ask for exact directions on how to plant, stake, and water your tree to ensure you\u2019re successful. Don\u2019t forget to call 811 before you dig, and also remember to ask your HOA for any guidelines<\/a> on size, placement, or variety of trees allowed. Trees start at $100, depending on size and variety.<\/p>\n

10. Power-wash your home<\/h3>\n

A small power washer<\/a> can be used to clean your driveway, pathways, garage door, and walls to brighten the entire curb appeal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve collected 44 easy and cheap ways to increase home values that also require minimal talent and tools so that you\u2019ll make bank without breaking the bank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":185,"featured_media":56588,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[320,333,330],"tags":[781,780,735],"class_list":["post-4662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-add-value","category-increase-value","category-house-value","tag-cheap-ways-to-increase-home-value","tag-how-to-increase-home-value","tag-what-makes-property-value-increase"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n44 Cheap Ways to Increase Home Values<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We\u2019ve collected 44 cheap ways to increase home values that also require minimal talent and tools so that you\u2019ll make bank without 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