When you’ve invested in a property, whether it’s your private home or a buy-to-let, you’ll want to get the maximum return possible when you make the decision to sell it.
If you’ve had a valuation on a West Midlands house that didn’t meet your expectations, Hicks Hadley can help. As seasoned estate agents with over 30 years’ experience, we know how to increase the market value of your property.
Here’s how:
Convert the loft, garage or basement
Approximate property value added: 20%
Loft, garage and cellar conversions can add extra value to a home by increasing the property’s living space. You could consider:
- Converting the loft into an additional master bedroom which will add value and increase the number of potential buyers. If you have enough space, installing an en suite in this space will only increase interest in the property.
- Transforming the basement from a drab, storage-centric space into a games room for children, a wine cellar or even a gym. This would require waterproofing the space and including easy fire-escapes, properly insulating the area and laying down comfortable flooring.
- Extending the kitchen into the garage to create a sweeping open plan kitchen/dining room. This modern renovation is listed as one of the top home improvements for adding value to a home.
Tidy up the garden
Approximate property value added: 20%
- Tidy, low maintenance gardens are far more attractive to prospective buyers than a loud, cluttered landscape that requires lots of maintenance.
- Here are our top tips for creating a value-rich garden:
- Create small, controllable patches of wildflowers/flower beds that are easy to maintain
- Consider evergreen species for shrubbery and trees as these won’t shed leaves on the lawn. Your prospective buyer will only need to trim them in the summer months.
- Include a patio area for garden furniture that allows barbecues, family time in the garden and easy access to the bins
- Surveys have suggested that parents with young children prefer flat grass space that can act as a safe play area
- Consider the security of your garden and make sure walls, fences and gates provide privacy as well as being lockable from the inside
- Think about how you can illuminate the garden through built in lighting
- If you are able, create a porch as this will give potential buyers the option of using the garden in all weathers
The average house price for the West Midlands in 2022 is roughly £240,000.
Remodel the kitchen and bathroom
Approximate property value added: 5-10%
Although remodelling full rooms is one of the more expensive ways of adding value to a property, it can also have the highest reward.
Bathrooms in particular are notorious for growing mould and needing regular replacement. Buyers will be more likely to splash on a property if they know they won’t have to go through the hassle or added expense of updating it themselves.
The kitchen is usually the heart of a home, and one of the first things buyers look for when property hunting is an attractive, spacious kitchen with plenty of storage space. If the kitchen in your property is looking a little outdated, sprucing it up can hugely boost its market value.
Add kerb appeal
Approximate property value added: 10%
First impressions matter in the property market, and while buyers are more likely to make their purchasing decision off a homely interior, they also love to see an attractive exterior. That’s why increasing your property’s kerb appeal can add a whopping 10% onto the value of your West Midlands property.
Here are a few tips on how to improve the kerb appeal of your house:
- Renovate the front door - fill in any cracks, give it a fresh new coat of weatherproof paint and polish metal work like letterboxes and handles
- Give the windows some new life - update or replace the windows with draft-free, characterful frames
- Fix the roof - fix roof slats and tiles to neaten up appearances as well as prevent leaks
- Tidy the front garden - as with the back garden, a well-maintained front garden will add significant charm to the house
- Make your property accessible - making your property accessible for wheelchair users, mobility scooters and children will widen its market and add value and interest
Apply for planning permission
Approximate property value added: 5%
It might not seem like much, but applying for planning permission can add market value to a West Midlands home.
The trick is to really sell it. By announcing in the property listing that there is potential for extensions, with the obstacle of planning permission removed, you’ll be able to increase the asking price on the unrealised capacity of the house.
On top of that, applying for planning permission is a relatively cheap and straight-forward process.
Our highly experienced team of expert valuers know all the tips and tricks when it comes to increasing property value; we even offer a free valuation of your property so that you’re fully prepared for the sale.
For a professional and friendly five-star service, choose Hicks Hadley.
0121 5856667 | sales@hickshadley.com
Hicks Hadley, 11 Hagley Road, Halesowen, West Midlands, B63 4PU
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