It’s a competitive market out there, so the Sky News Money blog team asked Luke Burford, co-founder of comparebuilders.co.uk, for his top tips on increasing the value of your property.
You don’t always need to spend £20,000 to make a house worth more. Sometimes it’s the £50 jobs you’ve been ignoring for five years that make a buyer think: “This place has been properly looked after.”
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With that in mind, here are seven affordable upgrades costing around £1,000 you can make to add £10,000 to your home’s value.
Make your doors shut properly – £50-£150 in cost
It sounds trivial, but sticking, dragging or wonky doors instantly make a house feel like it needs work. Adjusting hinges, fixing catches and repairing damaged frames is cheap, but it can remove one of those little defects buyers notice without realising they’re noticing it.
Rip out the old silicone – £50-£150
Black, mouldy or peeling sealant around a bath, shower or sink can make an otherwise decent bathroom look years older. Remove it properly, clean the surface and reseal it, don’t just smear new silicone over the top. For a relatively tiny spend, it can make a bathroom look dramatically fresher.
Turn dead space into storage – £200-£500
That awkward cupboard under the stairs, useless alcove or empty space above a doorway could be worth more to a buyer than you think. A few shelves or simple built-in storage can turn wasted space into something useful, particularly in smaller homes where storage is at a premium.
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Fix the things you’ve stopped seeing – £100-£250
Loose skirting boards, cracked grout, chipped plaster, damaged architraves and wobbly handles become invisible when you’ve lived with them for years. A buyer sees them all. Spending a few hundred pounds on these small defects can make the entire property feel better maintained.
Upgrade the things people touch – £100-£300
You don’t need a new kitchen to make a kitchen feel newer. Replace tired cupboard handles, worn taps, dated light switches and loose door handles with smart, consistent alternatives. They’re small details, but buyers physically interact with them, and that makes them surprisingly powerful.
Tidy up the ugly pipework and cables – £100-£400
Exposed cables, messy pipes and badly finished boxing-in can make a room look unfinished. Where it’s safe and appropriate, getting these details tidied or properly boxed in can make a property look far more professional. Buyers may not mention the pipework, but they’ll notice the overall impression.
Don’t hide cracks – find out why they’re there – £100-£500
A crack isn’t automatically a structural problem, but simply filling it and painting over it isn’t always the answer. Get recurring or suspicious cracks checked first. If they’re confirmed as cosmetic, repair them properly. Removing visible defects – rather than disguising them – can give buyers confidence that the house has been looked after.
