Sellers looking to boost their home’s appeal to buyers can breathe a sigh of relief — there are plenty of ways to upgrade a home without knocking down walls or hiring a whole construction crew.
Zillow and Thumbtack shared the most popular ways homeowners are renovating their homes without demolition this year and found that window boxes reign supreme: This simple project adds a pop of color, boosting curb appeal without drastically changing the home’s appearance. All told, adding window boxes to front-facing windows and paying for professional installation will cost around $1,000, and homes that feature the flora-focused upgrade get 48% more saves and 52% more shares per day on Zillow.
The second-best no-demo renovation in 2024 is open shelving. While it can be a huge undertaking to install built-ins, homeowners can achieve a similar look by hanging shelves and displaying meaningful objects, art pieces, books and more. The typical open shelving project and installation costs around $300 to $400, depending on the cost of materials, but homes with this feature get 37% more saves and 45% more shares.
Painted brick is another simple upgrade that can elevate a home’s look. Whether painting a small area of brick around a fireplace or covering the entire exterior, homes with painted brick get 31% more saves and 39% more shares, with a cost of about $2 to $3 per square foot.
Vintage touches can also boost a home’s charm and one-of-a-kind feel, and while these pieces may require some searching at estate sales or flea markets, they’re likely to be much less expensive than modern features. For example, vintage crown molding costs $2 to $50 per linear foot. Homes with similar vintage features get 28% more saves and 31% more shares.
Another simple upgrade is an outdoor TV — homes with this feature get 28% more saves and 26% more shares. While the project can cost significantly more if there’s electrical work that needs to be done, homeowners with exterior electrical outlets can expect to pay around $175 to $300.
Additional projects that can add visual interest without a huge renovation include picket fencing, pergolas, fire pits, outdoor sound systems and smart lighting, all of which can increase Zillow saves and shares by about 20% per day.
“Certain low-lift projects can deliver a high payoff because they elevate a home in the mind of a buyer,” Zillow Home Trends Expert Amanda Pendleton said in the report. “These features bring a wow factor to a home or they serve as a signal that a home is up-to-date, well-maintained or move-in ready. When it’s time to sell, these features may ultimately help a home sell faster or for more money, because there will likely be more competition for that home among buyers.”