Upgrading Your Home Before Selling
If you are planning to sell your home, you may want to do some upgrading before you put it on the market. Have some friends come in and tour the house and tell you their impressions. What might need improvement in the eyes of a potential buyer? Here are some tips on upgrades to consider.
Studies show that money and time invested in sprucing up your home before placing it on the market can be very cost effective. Relatively inexpensive improvements can add to the appeal of your home in the eyes of buyers, and bring you a higher sale price. Make a list of potential improvements and their cost. Decide which ones are worthwhile and will not take a long time to do. Putting off listing your home for a few months while you get these things done may be a smart decision.
But don't go overboard and overspend your budget. Not all improvements translate into a higher sale price or a quicker closing. Get advice from your real estate on the most advantageous improvements.
The state of the kitchen and the bathrooms is often the focus of home buyers. They are less willing to compromise on these. New counters or cabinet facings in your kitchen will make it more attractive. Also change the decor with fresh paint in warm, enlivening colors. Put up new matching curtains or blinds. Improving the decor does not involve major expense, and can seriously improve the impression people have.
Likewise the clean and sparkling appearance of your bathrooms is essential. Put up a new shower curtain and buy new bathroom rugs, and perhaps a new medicine cabinet. These upgrades can make the whole room look fresh and new.
You will probably want to repaint the bathroom also, and add some decorative touches.
Don't forget to repaint the ceilings as well as walls that need sprucing up. Remove the clutter that builds up in everyday life. This is off-putting to people, and makes rooms look smaller. Find a place to stash all your clutter before you open the house for viewing. This can seem a hassle, but is absolutely necessary. You want the viewer to experience clean open areas that they can imagine putting their own things into. You may be well advised to take down some of your wall decorations, as these may not suit the taste of potential buyers and may influence their impressions. Make sure you get rid of any offensive odors, even leftover cooking odors. Any smell of dampness or mold will lose you potential buyers.
If any of your flooring is worn and unattractive, replace it. If you have hardwood flooring that has been covered over with a different type of flooring material, you might be wise to uncover the hardwood and refinish it, as hardwood flooring has great appeal to buyers.
These tips give you an idea of what to look for in the way of improvements that are not too costly and will help you sell your house. Look around and make a list of things you can do, and then get started!
