INCREASING YOUR HOME’S VALUE THE MOST FOR THE LEAST
The following are tips to help increase your home’s value and get your
home sold in the fastest time possible based on our experience working with
home owners who have sold their home and feedback from home buyers
that buy homes. The last two tips will be most appropriate if you are thinking
you might sell your home within the next 1-2 years.
TIP ONE: Painting and Carpeting
A fresh coat of paint will make a room look new and clean and new carpets
will make it shine that much more. Be sure to pick a paint color that is neutral
as that will appeal to the most people. We have seen many buyers walk into a
home with rooms painted the seller’s favorite color and just walk out
because they hated it! Buyers also will always look down at the floor when
they walk into a room. So be sure that the carpets are clean, and if they are
worn, consider getting them replaced. Worn or dirty carpets and badly
painted or dirty walls will make a buyer think that there are other issues with
your home even if there is not.
TIP TWO: Energy Costs
These days, most buyers will ask us “What is the average monthly utility bill
cost?” of homes they are looking at to buy. Most utilities offer free energy
audits. Take advantage of this as it can help you save money now and it can
help you down the road when you are ready to sell your home! We have seen
buyers favor homes that have lower monthly utility costs over other homes
all else being equal!
TIP THREE: The Kitchen
In most homes, buyers will spend the most time in the kitchen. Make sure
your kitchen is ready for this. If you have appliances that are dirty or old, get
them cleaned spotless or consider replacing them. You do not need to
spend a lot of money replacing your stove or refrigerator with top end
appliances, but you do not want buyers walking into a kitchen, see a dirty
stove or refrigerator and then walking out because of it. And do not forget
the drawers and cabinets as buyers will open these! If you need a referral to
a good cleaning service, let us know and we can send you a couple of names.
TIP FOUR: The Bathrooms
Your bathrooms will also get the drill sergeant review from buyers, in
particular any master bathrooms. Similar to the kitchen, make sure that any
old fixtures are replaced and that the floors, bathtub & shower and walls are
CLEAN. You can replace bathroom fixtures easily these days without
spending a lot of money. And a fresh coat of paint can go a long way here
too. We have seen buyers walk out of houses after walking into dirty old
bathrooms.
TIP FIVE: Curb Appeal
First impressions count. Similar to a fresh coat of paint for a room, a yard that
has the grass cut nicely goes a long way. Walk outside and look at your front
yard and the front of the home. Does the front of the house need paint or
residing? Are there any broken windows or shutters that need repair? Does
the yard need cleaning? You do not need to hire a landscape architect, but
you want to make sure that your yard looks clean and nice. Be sure to pick
up any items in the yard, position trash bins so that they are not visible from
the street and any other general cleaning / maintenance that might be
needed.
TIP SIX: Declutter
If you are thinking about selling within the next year, start this now. We have
seen buyers walk through homes that have too much stuff everywhere and
comment to us that it just looks messy. When a buyer thinks a home is
messy, they figure that there are other problems with the home as well even
if there is not! This is something that even we deal with sometimes as we just
get so ‘used to things’ laying around that we do not even see them
anymore. They almost become invisible!
TIP SEVEN: Hire a Home Inspector
If you are thinking that you might sell your home in the next year, consider
this, most buyers will hire a home inspector that will inspect your home for
any and all issues. Wiring, foundation, installation, etc. In the case of a Home
Inspection, you do not want to be surprised! When you accept an offer on
your home, you want to close the deal with as little hassle as possible. More
and more home owners will hire a home inspector and provide a home
inspection report to buyers as this can make buyers more ready to make an
offer on your home, especially if they are considering other homes that do
not have a home inspection. The other benefit for you though is that you can
use the home inspection as a ‘What do I need to do’ guide if you find
something major. Please keep in mind that home inspection reports will be
detailed and may startle you initially similar to reviewing your results from a
physical if the doctor is not present! If you make the wise investment for a
home inspection, have us come over after you get it to review it with you
and we can give you advice on what is common in our market and what is not.
Every market is different, so just because you see something that looks scary
on the inspection report, does not necessarily mean you need to fix it. But
either way, you can be assured that buyers will get an inspection done and
you do not want to be surprised by this when you are trying to get the home
sold.
Conclusion
Let us know if you have any questions on this. Again, this is based on our
real world experience both selling homes for homeowners and helping
buyers buy homes. We are in the area constantly with clients, so if you
need us to come over for a few minutes to give any real world advice
from a buyers perspective just let us know. Using our experience and
knowledge now, BEFORE you are ready to sell, will go a long way in getting
you more money, faster and easier when you ARE READY to sell.
Donald Horne, Owner / Broker
Team Success Listing LLC
teamsuccesslisting@gmail.com
810-338-0628