Five home improvements you can do on a small budget.

✅ Spend a bit of time with a pro

Get your realtor or an interior designer in your home for a quick visit, and ask their cost of consultation (less than $100/hr normally). They can give you plenty of ideas to work with for home improvements, such as paints colors, furniture placements, & decor and more. They go a long way in improving your home's look and feel.

✅ Paint, Paint, Paint!

Painting is one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make. A new paint job can transform a room, giving a fresh, clean and updated feel - and that adds value. Keeping the colours neutral will appeal to the widest range of people, making it even more desirable. A gallon of paint is, on average, around $25, so grab a few and get at it!

✅ Get Inspired!

Hiring a designer might not be an option for everyone due to money or availability. In this case, you'll need to look around for remodeling and decorating inspiration. Home design & improvement magazines, books, TV shows, and websites, like Pinterest, can be very valuable in sparking ideas. Kickstart a to-do list with some ideas from these resources, make a plan and tackle it as a do-it-yourself project.

✅ Reduce Energy Costs

Energy efficiency in the home is a hot topic. People often incorrectly consider energy costs as being fixed, but there is plenty you can do cut costs. In fact, many local utility companies provide free energy audits of their customers' homes. The feedback they give you will show you how to maximize the energy efficiency of your home, which in turn will save you money. With the savings you gain, consider reinvesting them back into the home for updates.

https://www.uniongas.com/residential/save-money-energy/weatherization

✅ Inspect it

While home inspections are most often performed for the purpose of home buying, they can be a really smart way to get the full picture of the state your home. Time causes wear and tear on your home, and know if you have issues like roof deterioration, outdated electrical systems, rodent/bug problems, you need them to be taken care of. But you can't take care of an issue if you're unaware of the issue. Home inspectors look at everything, from the superficial to the functional to the structural. They may discover hidden problems that could negatively impact your home's value. Small problems (such as a hidden water leak) can become big, expensive problems quickly; the longer you put off repairs, the more expensive those repairs will be.