Whether you are buying your first home or just fixing up a home to sell it, increasing the value of your home will benefit you as well as someone who is looking to purchase one. As a first time home buyer myself and someone who is pretty familiar with the importance of increasing the value of your home, I have realized that it does not take much to make that happen. The first thing I will say is don't get overly fancy with projects. Sometimes it just takes small items to really increase value. One idea is new flooring in the kitchen. You might have a very old and dingy looking vinyl and you don't really realize how bad it really is until someone else looks at it. A tip is to find another inexpensive vinyl or even a laminate. flooring really changes the appearance of your home and really transforms a room. Again, this is an inexpensive project that makes the difference in value of your home.
Another way to increase the value of your home is PAINT, PAINT, PAINT. People don't realize that paint is such a crucial part of a home and really helps the appearance of the interior of your home. Even if you feel like the paint isn't bad and doesn't appear to look old, you would r=be surprised what a fresh coat of paint does to a home, and the value of it.
If you do decide to put work in on your home, please do not do things that "look" cool but do not have any functionality. This actually de-values the home and makes people disinterested in it. Yes, people do like things that are unique and make a house stand out but they also like that is functional and practical. Stick with understandable and practical jobs. You would be surprised how much value it does add to your home.