How to add value to your home. Top 5 tips.

There are so many ways to add value to a property. It can be confusing which projects to tackle first.

I’ve decided to ask Sarah Beeny, renowned property developer, television presenter of ‘Property Ladder’ and owner of online estate agent Tepilo, for her top tips on how to add value to your home.

Here are Sarah Beeny’s top 5 tips. I have also added my take on ‘how to add value to your home’, using my home as an example:

How to add value to your home Tip 1 : Add space.

“Adding an extra bedroom can add thousands – typically between 15-20% – to the value of your home, and a loft conversion is the simplest way to do it. Add an en-suite up there too and you’ll create a spacious master bedroom that will almost certainly add more value than it costs to do the conversion.” I like Sarah’s idea of a loft conversion. When we moved into our house, we wanted to create an additional informal space for the family to hang out in. We wanted a chill out television room that was big enough for the kids to run around in, when they played.

We had a large basement storage area but with a very low ceiling height. Instead of a loft conversion, we decided to dig down with a basement extension.

You can see the bespoke wooden stairs (photo) we had made that now leads into our new family/TV room. Here’s a view from the basement looking up. I’m sure this extension has added value to our home, but perhaps a loft conversion would have been less expensive. Sarah, if you are reading this, could you tell me how much a basement conversion adds to the value of your home?

How to add value to your home Tip 2 : Paintbrushes at the ready.

“Giving your home a fresh lick of paint doesn’t just freshen it up and make it a nicer place to live, it also adds value by enhancing those all-important first impressions. You can really transform the look of a house by painting it, and using a mix of neutral tones and on-trend colours will make it a brighter, more polished-looking home that appeals to buyers.”

I went for a neutral backdrop in my home, to best show off my colourful furniture and decorative accessories. I picked a soft white hue with a grey tint from Farrow and Ball called Strong White. Alternatively, you could do something bold like this. If you are not comfortable with colourful painted walls, you can always colour block with painted canvases or furniture as above. How to add value to your home Tip 3: Modernise your kitchen

“A great looking kitchen really appeals to buyers and therefore adds value. If you don’t have the budget to invest in a brand-new kitchen, you can replace the worktops, doors and flooring to completely transform it, or an even cheaper alternative is to paint the existing doors using specialist paint. A modern, well-functioning kitchen can add around 5% to the value of your home so it’s worth sprucing it up.”

Here is my kitchen ( image above), you can see more photos here. I’ve decided on a  timeless contemporary look. My kitchen is nearly 7 years old now. There have of course been many new kitchen trends in those 7 years. Believe me, I wanted marble, gold taps, quirky cabinet handles and patterned tiles, but at the end of the day, I personally believe that a simple, clean palette is what really sells.

How to add value to your home Tip 4. Give your bathroom some love

“If your bathroom’s in a mess, replacing it with a new suite and modern tiling will add value – typically around 3%. And if it’s not in too bad a condition, simply replacing taps and repairing and cleaning any unsightly tile work can transform your bathroom in a couple of hours. Add a few brightly coloured accessories and you’ll create a bathroom that people love.”

I haven’t shown you my bathroom here, as I’m in the process of redesigning it. This a beautiful dark marble sink I spotted whilst on tour of Porcelanosa’s factory and showrooms in Valencia. Here are some stylish toiletries I spotted whilst staying at the Wythe hotel in Brooklyn, New York.

How to add value to your home Tip 5: Make outside beautiful

“First impressions count when selling your home, so smartening up your outside area is a must in order to get the maximum price for your home. Make sure all plants and the lawn are well tended, and tidy up the exterior of your property so it looks its best – no one wants to buy a house with peeling exterior paintwork and weed-strewn paths. Adding a decking area where people can eat al-fresco will also add value, and plant filled window boxes and brightly coloured plant pots will make it look beautiful.”

The outdoor area is my goal for Summer. This is the outdoor space at the Parker Palm Springs hotel.

I’ve already ordered some stylish seating and beautiful plants to go in my decked garden. I can’t wait to show you when it is all finished. Hope you’ve enjoyed this post on how to add value to your home, and that it has given you lots of ideas to act on.

A big thanks to property expert Sarah Beeny for contributing her tips to this post. Do check out Sarah’s site Tepilo.com, there are lots of lovely homes on the market to pick from.

(All photography is by Geraldine Tan, editor of Little Big Bell. This is a sponsored collaboration with Tepilo.com.  My views and opinions are my own).