With a single home appraisal costing around $400, you want to ensure you’re getting the best result money can buy. This is because your home appraisal value is one of the main ways real estate agents and buyers determine the selling price for your home.

Read on to learn what you can do to better your chances when selling your house.

Primp and Preen the Outside

First impressions count. If someone walks up to your home and the concrete on the driveway’s cracked or the gutters are falling, they’re immediately going to pitch lower than your asking price.

Updates you should make to the outside of your home include:

• Update your front door
• Paint the windows and siding
• Power wash your driveway and paths
• Landscape the yard–front and back
• Repair the roof

Thankfully, boosting curb appeal doesn’t cost that much. Save even more money by roping in friends or family members to help with the yard work.

Install Solar Panels on Your Roof

Solar panel installation is a win-win for American homeowners.

The price of solar installation has dropped considerably over the past few decades. In addition, there are several lucrative federal and state rebates on offer. And solar is clean energy, helping you to lower your carbon footprint.

Not only will the energy-collecting systems lower your utility bills while you’re living in your home, but they might also increase your home appraisal value by over 4 percent.

Smart Homes for Higher Prices

If you recently upgraded your smart home systems, you might be in luck. Expert research suggests that the latest home help integrations increase a house’s value. And that’s true of every generation, from Boomers to Millenials.

But there’s a catch.

The systems need to be the latest generation to attract a higher price for your home. If they’re aging out technology-wise or need to be upgraded, they’re unlikely to capture a buyer’s attention and could even be a turn-off.

Stage Your Home

This is one aspect of homeownership where it literally pays to take a leaf out of a real estate agent or interior designer’s book.

Give the walls a fresh lick of paint, polish your floors (especially if they’re coveted hardwood), and clean, clean, clean every surface. Remove anything too personal, but avoid making your home look too austere at the same time.

When it comes to staging, focus most on the master bedroom, kitchen, and bathrooms. If you don’t think you can stage appropriately by yourself, it’s worth investing in a professional staging service.

Home Appraisal Value for the Smart Homeowner

Remember, small investments now can add up to significant increases in your home appraisal value later. So don’t get lax on home maintenance and keep your technology systems and home decor updated. Then, when it comes time to sell your home, there won’t be much left to fix.

For more helpful real estate recommendations, browse the other articles on our blog.