Whether you’re looking to sell your home or simply want to improve it for your own living, most homes could benefit from a bit of home renovation. That’s not to say that large-scale remodels are required – not at all! Depending on your home situation and circumstances, you could of course get as massively involved in home renovation as you want. But even small, strategic tweaks or fast DIY projects can make huge differences in the value (real and perceived) of your space.

Update the Entrance to Your Home

Don’t underestimate the power of a front door. People make up their minds in the first seven seconds of entering a house. The front door is the primary and ultimate transition space of your home. It’s also a critical part of any visitor’s first impression. Spruce up this exterior entry by painting your front door, upgrading your house numbers, replacing your front porch light fixture, tossing down a new door mat, or simply conducting a thorough overall cleaning of the front of your home. Why? Because a welcoming entrance will increase your home’s bottom line.

Add in Lots of Light

Your entryway may or may not have an official window or source of natural light. If it does, be sure this natural light penetrates the entryway fully. If your entryway doesn’t have direct natural light, take lighting matters into your own skilled hands. Opt for an interesting and beautiful lighting fixture overhead, or soft-wattage wall sconces nearby. Whatever you do, make sure that the area can be well-lit at any time of day or night.

Give it a Fresh Coat of Interior Paint

One of the simplest, most cost-effective improvements of all is paint! Freshly painted rooms look clean and updated – and that spells value. Neutral colored paint tends to appeal to the widest range of people. Great news: painting a fast, inexpensive, and relatively easy way to “renovate” your home cosmetically. Although the actual cost of this home renovation is low, the subsequent look is more expensive and stylish.

It’s All in the Details

This one is a simple home renovation that you could probably start, do, and complete in an afternoon, and it will really streamline and update your kitchen’s whole look. In fact, if nothing else changes (like, if you don’t have time to redo your entire kitchen’s cabinetry), contemporary hardware such as knobs, pulls, and handles adds significant value to the kitchen’s look. Sometimes, in fact, this small detail makes even an outdated kitchen feel more charmingly retro than, well, old.

Give the Bathrooms some TLC

Probably one of the least glamorous or exciting of home renovation ideas is to tackle the basics. The stuff you know needs doing but that you’re just not that excited about. Fix that errant toilet fill valve, caulk around the tub, tighten up the lighting fixture. These kinds of fixes go a long way toward value. People think they must put in a lot of money to see a big difference, and they really don’t.