(BETHESDA REAL ESTATE) If you make the right improvements often it will help your home stand out from the crowd and become that #1,2 or 3 home on the buyer's list. If they can get the feeling of space, newness, light, privacy or security the emotional desires are met and the buyer has an instant feeling of "home." Very simple and inexpensive improvements can provide an improved emotional response in a potential buyer.
The improvements we are talking about are not the major renovations but the minor changes that can add great value and help the house show better. There is something that can be done at every budget level to improve the condition of the home.
- Paint: A very inexpensive solution with tremendous payoff is fresh paint. The modern palette is easy on the eyes and very soothing to live with.
- Closet Organizers: Helping buyers to see more space in the closets always soothes one of their biggest fears. No home ever seems to have enough closets! So organize them and only keep enough of your belongings in there to show off the new space.
- Floors: Make those hardwood floors gleam! Nothing says new and open like beautiful floors.
- Carpets: Ratty old carpets are a kiss of death. No carpet allowance is going to take the sight of that dirty, worn carpet out of the buyer's mind. It's better to have them replaced or torn up if hardwoods are underneath. If they are fairly new but dirty a good professional steam cleaning will do wonders to bring back life.
- Repairs: Fix the cracks in the wall or dings in the trim. You are going to be painting over them after!
- Bathrooms: New vanities, lights and paint can really freshen up a dated bathroom. Even "retro" tiles can be downplayed when the other elements in the room are fresh. If the budget allows, reglazing the tiles white is a superb way to get a new look for a fraction of the cost of new tile.
- Kitchen: The heart of the home can make or break the sale. 409 and cleanser might be your biggest friends! Having the kitchen spick and span clean goes a long way towards appealing to a buyer. Cabinets can be painted to give a fresh feel. If the budget allows, new appliances are always high on the buyer's list and can help the rest of the kitchen feel brighter and more welcoming.
- Lighting: For much less money than you think you can change out the fixtures in your home. And for goodness sakes, put the right wattage of lightbulb in everything! If recessed lights are in the home, use the correct bulb and not a standard lightbulb. If we have to squint to see all the beautiful changes you just made it will all be for naught...
The goal in these improvements is to make the home show better in a fairly neutral fashion. Now is not the time to redecorate to your own tastes! Before any of these changes are made, it's important to have talked with your agent so that you understand what will and what will likely not make much of a difference in your sale. Remember it's now a product for sale. Your tastes will be fine in your next home, but for this one we'll want to appeal to a very broad base of buyers.
Next: Problem #4: Limiting Exposure and Access
For more information about real estate sales in Bethesda, MD 20816 please email me at josette.skilling@longandfoster.com or visit my website at http://www.josetteskilling.com/
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
4733 Bethesda Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-385-9213 (cell)
240-497-1700 (office)
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