Too often, inexperienced fix and flip investors or builders focus on differentiating a home or rental property. While standing out is a goal, a complete disregard for uniformity within a neighborhood or urban dwelling can actually hurt a property’s appeal.

In reality, the right amount of conformity, along with some selective renovations, is what makes a good investment property. Maintaining semblance with things like architectural design and color schemes will create a sense of unity with the property’s surroundings and ensure you aren’t minimizing your target demographics.

With that, let’s look at some of the top affordable interior and exterior home renovations that will skyrocket your property’s resale value and overall appeal:

Updated Color Schemes
As mentioned, straying too far from the norm can make your property stand out negatively and reduce your target pool. Neutral colors tend to remain the go-to colors for resale investors. However, a recent Zillow paint color analysis indicates that dark grays have become trendy for both interior and exterior designs among today’s homebuyers.

Darker grays, like charcoal gray, in the kitchen have sold for an estimated $2,512 more than similar homes. A cooler gray like Stormy brings a modern feel to your living room while increasing offers by as much as $1,755.

However, there is such a thing as too much gray. For bathrooms or hallways, implement lighter earthy tones, like terra-cotta brown–2023’s color of the year–to enhance resale values by more than $1,600.

Enhance the Landscape
Curb appeal is often the first selling point for homebuyers and renters, and nothing enhances the aesthetics of a home’s exterior more than great landscaping. Landscaping projects can add character to your property while increasing its resale value by up to 12%. Best of all, many landscaping tasks are DIY-friendly–helping you save money and increasing your property’s ROI potential.

Some of the top DIY landscaping projects include:

• Lawn mowing
• Mulching
• Weeding
• Shrub and tree trimming
• Pressure washing

To further boost your property’s exterior appeal to today’s homebuyers, focus on sustainability and safety. You can look to improve the privacy and greenery of the home by planting new trees or enhancing its security with landscape lighting.

Eco-Friendly Additions
Sometimes, it’s less about what to know before buying an investment property than who you know. Specifically, your target consumers. Although there are several demographic shifts among today’s latest homebuyers, sustainability remains critical to consumers. In fact, sixty-six percent of today’s eco-conscious consumers consider a home’s sustainability during the purchasing process.

Eco-friendly home improvements continue to attract and push consumers over the finish line. Some of the top green additions include:

• Solar panels
• Tankless water heaters
• Weeding
• Energy Star appliances
• Energy-efficient windows and doors

If you are renovating on a budget, some cost-effective eco renovations to catch consumers’ eyes include the addition of Smart thermostats, HEMS, LED Smart lighting, and Smart window shades.