5 First Time Homeowner Projects to try!
Many first time buyers are nervous about home projects. Having never had to maintain a residence before the idea of house projects can feel overwhelming and the very idea of having to work on a house can make buyers run for the hills and seek out turnkey over anything that MIGHT need some work. However SO much equity can be gained with a little elbow grease! That’s the cool thing about home ownership. You can literally improve and increase the value of your investment with your own two hands!!
PAINT!
When my husband and I bought our most recent house it was painted Broncos colors. As in the football team. YES, bright orange and blue. Because of that, and other cosmetic defects the house sat on the market for over 3 months and went through multiple price drops. The color was a turn off both in photos and in person. It made the house feel dark and gloomy as well as overstimulating. We snapped it up for $40K under market and got the seller to pay our closing costs. Then we spent the first couple weekends painting the interior. It cost us around $200 for all the paint and supplies and now we love our surroundings. Additionally when I resisted the property later that spring in spring we received two offers f
2. Plaster repair.
Cracked plaster walls and ceilings make a home look really shabby. We see a lot of it here in Portland where big weather swings cause walls to expand and contract. Combine that with old plaster and cracks are common. First time buyers especially those who haven’t lived in an older home before often get freaked out by the cracks and worry that it means underlying structural problems. And while cracks radiating diagonally from windows and doorframes can indicate settling problems or potential structure issues just as often there’s cracked plaster that’s purely cosmetic. You can pick up the tools and supplies for plaster repairs for under $50 in most cases. A little YouTube and some trial and error basic plaster repair can be a quick and extremely rewarding project that will leave your house looking new combined with that paint job we talked about earlier.
3. Changing out ugly hardware.
It’s amazing what new hardware can do to your kitchen and bathroom. It’s also SUPER easy to remove old hardware and install new ones. If you can use a screw driver or power drill you can change hardware! I like to shop for Hardware at Home Goods, Anthropologie and Etsy for Unique knobs and pulls. If you own a historic home and want to put hardware on your doors/ drawers that harkens back to your homes roots Old Portland Hardware and Architectural has a really wide selection of hardware options from milk glass doorknobs to vintage drawer pulls, to stained glass windows.. they really have a little of everything!
4. Building Raised beds!
Raised beds are a great project for spring! One of the most exciting things about owning your house is the ability to make your outdoor space inviting and productive! There’s nothing quite as satisfying as cooking pasta and walking out to your own garden to pick tomatoes and or herbs to add to your pot! Raised beds are SO easy to build, you can get loads of designs/ plans online. Or buy prefab beds like these which simply need to be assembled and filled with good soil! Maybe make this the year you start that veggie garden!!!? If you’re looking for a YouTube Channel local to Portland Oregon where you can learn about local nursery’s, native plants and non native plants that grow well in our area you should check out “PDX Garden Home."
5. Installing shelves/ wall hooks.
Display and easy access storage are always nice in a home. They’re a great way to personalize homes and add value at a low cost! Especially with indoor plant enthusiasts! It’s very easy to add hooks and shelves using a power drill and a little elbow grease! More and more homeowners and buyers are looking for unique touches. Home goods, Etsy, and Anthropologie have unique, attractive hooks and shelve braces that draw positive attention to these spaces and are extremely popular with buyers. Additionally it’s a good idea to think about placement of these items, walkways and high traffic area’s aren’t a great place for hooks or shelves, but bright corners by windows, and walls above couches/ desks area an excellent place to create attractive and practical displays.
BY: Sorcha Porter, OR/ WA Licensed broker. Cohost of “The Laddercast.” On Spotify and Apple Podcasts.