{"id":114665,"date":"2019-08-20T12:00:44","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T18:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/?p=114665"},"modified":"2021-03-16T14:55:31","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T20:55:31","slug":"home-improvement-ideas-low-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/home-improvement-ideas-low-cost","title":{"rendered":"8 Home Improvement Ideas Under $500"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In this post, I&#8217;m going to be going over improvements that you can do to your properties for less than a $500. Let\u2019s jump right in.<\/p>\n<h2>Low-Cost Property Upgrades<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bb2MUhPfxJs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h3>Paint<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Paint really pops, especially when you have a resident or a prospective resident walking through. They smell that fresh paint, and it really gives your unit that pop.<\/p>\n<p>In the video above, the unit shown is just under 700 square feet. Its two-tone paint scheme with a gray base and white trim was just $375.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>\n<h3>Hardware<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Replacing hardware like doorknobs and cabinetry handles can make a big impact.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related:<\/em><\/strong><em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/beyond-bathrooms-kitchens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Beyond Bathrooms &amp; Kitchens: 7 Upgrades to Boost Property Values &amp; Rents<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>\n<h3>Fans<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Fans are another small thing that can go a long way, especially if the existing fan is really outdated.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>\n<h3>Flooring<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Is there carpet in a room that you can rip out and put vinyl plank or laminate throughout? You can get that at a very affordable price.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-87692 size-main-slider\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/painting-702x336.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"702\" height=\"336\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/painting-702x336.jpg 702w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/painting-300x144.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/painting-768x368.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/painting.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li>\n<h3>Blinds<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Blinds are very cheap. Even if blinds are in place and in working condition, replacing them can give a unit a little pop.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li>\n<h3>Appliances<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You may be able to get a discount on some stainless steel appliances at a used appliance store. Other times, it\u2019ll be a little above that $500 range, maybe somewhere between $500 and $700.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related:<\/em><\/strong><em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/4-flip-upgrades\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">4 HGTV-Level Upgrades to Make Your Flip Stand Out<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li>\n<h3>Countertops\/cabinetry<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Resurfacing countertops and cabinetry can make a big difference. Rates on this range. In the unit in the video, we were able to get $160 per resurface. We do that through economies of scale. Since this property is 80 units, we\u2019re able to get a more affordable price.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li>\n<h3>Backsplash<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This is one thing <a href=\"\/renewsblog\/2013\/01\/27\/tenant-screening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">prospective tenants<\/a> really notice. And it was completed for just $125\u2014materials and install!<\/p>\n<h2>The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>So those are some improvements you can make for under $500. Even if you\u2019re on a shoestring budget, these upgrades can really take your unit above and beyond.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/store\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-114267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/5.2.jpg\" alt=\"ad-bookstore\" width=\"706\" height=\"125\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/5.2.jpg 706w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/5.2-300x53.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/5.2-702x125.jpg 702w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 100vw, 706px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Are there any cheap upgrades you&#8217;d add to this list?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Share in a comment below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Property upgrades don\u2019t have to cost a lot to make a big impact. In this post, I\u2019m going to be going over improvements that you can do to your properties for less than $500. These should be feasible for almost any investor\u2014even those on a shoestring budget.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12140,"featured_media":113602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5525],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flipping-houses"],"acf":[],"comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}