10 Big-Impact, Low-Cost Remodeling Projects

Do you have some—but not unlimited—cash for upgrades? Here are a few budget-minded suggestions enhancements to make their home stand out.

1. Tidy up kitchen cabinets.

Potential buyers do open kitchen cabinets and look inside. Home owners can add rollout organizing trays so when buyers peek in, they feel like there’s lots of room for their stuff.

2. Add or replace tile.

By retiling very inexpensively, you make a room look way cleaner that it was. Every city has stores that offer $1 to $2 tile, so home owners have to pay only for the low-cost tile and labor to replace a dated backsplash or add a new one. You can also use inexpensive tile to upgrade bathrooms."

3. Add a breakfast bar.

When a wall separates a kitchen from a family room, could be a good idea to cut out an opening to create a breakfast bar.

4. Install granite tile instead of a slab.

Everybody is hot for granite kitchen countertops, but that can be a $5,000 upgrade. Instead, home owners can put in 12-inch granite tiles for about $300 in materials and get very high impact for little money.

5. Freshen up a bathroom without retiling.

With a dated bathroom, it's recommended putting in a new medicine cabinet for $100 to $150, light fixtures for about $100, a faucet for $50 to $75, and a vanity for $200 to $300. Instead of replacing the tile, the existing grout can be lightly scraped and regrouted, which leaves a haze that can be buffed out and will make the tile look brand new. Also install glass shower doors. A French door adds a lot of panache and elegance, and people will notice the door, not the tile. With all that, you’ve done a bathroom remodel for $1,000 to $2,000.

6. Freshen up the basement.

If home owners have cement block or poured concrete walls in the basement, uou can have a contractor fill in cracks with hydraulic cement and then paint with waterproofing paint. Then you can apply a top coat to add color. You can also paint the basement floor with a good floor paint, which spiffs it up. The basement may not be finished, but will improve it's look.

7. Add a room.

Look for large spaces that can be enclosed to create a new bedroom for just the price of creating a wall. Adding another bedroom or den will increase the marketability of your home and you can actually ask more for your property.

8. Spruce up cabinet fronts.

Update tired-looking kitchen cabinets. Reconditioning is the least expensive move for under $1,000. If the wood is starting to look shabby from use or contaminants in the air, take out the nicks and scratches, recondition it with oil, and put new hardware on. It doesn't cost to much to replace the cabinet doors and drawer fronts You may also ask your local contractor about the cost of having all the cabinets refaced. With refacing, you can change the color of the cabinets by replacing the door and having a new skin put on the boxes. You may have oak cabinets today, and cherry the next day."

9. Replace light fixtures.

Replace the fixtures in foyers, bathrooms and kitchens. Replacing overhead light fixtures provides a lot of pop for a little money.  

10. Tech-up the garage.

Updating the garage door opener with a remote touchpad entry system may be appealing to sassy buyers. That costs about $150 and makes it look like a high-end system.

Information extracted from Realtor.org