The quick fixes that can add thousands of dollars to your home’s value​

This article is sponsored by Meagan Read Property

You don’t have to do major renovations or undertake costly overpriced updates to add value to your property when it comes time to sell.

With these simple tricks and quick cosmetic updates you can add thousands of dollars to the valuation or ultimate sale price of your property.

The easiest three things you can do to improve the value of your property is declutter, clean and make your home smell nice - it really is that simple.

Nothing looks worse than a clutter pile up.

Get rid of those 20 pairs of shoes at the front door, tidy up magazines, put clothes away in wardrobes and cupboards, and kitchen benches should be clear.

Get all the school notes off the fridge and sort and tidy all of those little nooks where things just accumulate.

Take a fresh look around and be brutal in removing all unnecessary decorative ornaments.

Just because you like them doesn’t mean they will be to everybody's taste and many can detract from the real selling features of your home.

Don’t wait until just before the move to sell excess items and objects. Organise a garage or car boot sale before you put the house on the market. 

Now you can see the dust, dirt and grime you can get rid of it.

Cleanliness, or lack of it, is one of the biggest factors with buyers so get scrubbing and washing.

Wash the windows and get all cobweb and dust webs down from the ceilings and walls. Dust and make surfaces gleam.

Wash curtains and any soft furnishings and shampoo the carpets.

The kitchen is a place where a lot of mess happens so make sure the oven is scrubbed and all the cabinetry is thoroughly expunged of all drip marks and food.

Clean out gunky garbage disposals and get rid of any smelly mould growths and dust havens.

Pet areas need to be clean too as dirty pet beds and bowls and toys everywhere is never impressive.

While the cleaning process in itself should eliminate most bad smells you can also add ambience with the right smells.

There are so many inexpensive ways to make your home smell delicious.

Good quality scented candles, air sprays, incenses, or plug-ins can make a home smell divine and are excellent weapons against bad smells.

Cook something delicious. The smell of fresh-baked bread or a cake smells homely and wonderful as does a pot of freshly brewed coffee.

With the emphasis so often on the inside of the home, many people forget that it can be the  garden that makes or breaks a property.

But the garden is where you can make the most difference most cheaply.

Target tangled trees, weeds and untrimmed bushes which can obscure views, darken interiors, promote mold, and block a good look at the house.

Make sure your garden is free of weeds, mulch the beds and trim the bushes, and make sure the edges are tidy.

Bathrooms become dated quickly but can be improved without a lot of cash or effort.

In terms of cosmetic changes you can make easily, try replacing the shower screen to a new style, put in new matching towels and accessories and make sure all mould is removed.

Other simple measures like buying a new toilet seat or pedestal sink are fairly easy for most homeowners to install.

Replace a discolored bathroom floor with vinyl tiles which can go right over the old floor.

Regrouting and replacing chipped tiles can also freshen up a dingy looking shower or bathtub.

Requiring some effort, but costing comparatively little is doing a paint touch up. A new coat of paint can transform any space and will make everything look miraculously new again.

Paint is one of the most powerful ways to transform a room or property and even just adding one coat of fresh paint to a ceiling with brighten the space.

Choose a modern, classic colour scheme. Current modern trends in paint colour include light clay, mocha, cream and natural stone and earth tones.

To complete this stunning effect paint all trims such as architraves, skirting boards and picture rails in a lighter contrast colour.

It’s amazing how little it takes and costs to create a bit of ambience and bring a space together.

Consider hiring the latest furniture and accessories. Or you could buy a few signature pieces of up-to-the-minute homewares that will just refresh a space and bring areas together.

Low price items that can pack a punch of character include mats, prints, lamps, small coffee tables, cushions and throws.

Small renovations like installing downlights or dimmer switches to change and improve the light add a lot and are relatively inexpensive.

This article is sponsored by Meagan Read Property