Tips to Increase Your Home Value

Some of these tips you have heard before, and there is a reason.....they work! 

1. Curb Appeal!  Make sure your home has it! Spring is here, so clean out the flower beds, pull old weeds, rake old leaves, Preen and Mulch!
2. Use Color!  Paint is cheap, but don't waste your money on sterile white or boring cream.  Of course we are not saying to use orange and red, but you can use color to warm the home.  Shades of tan and beige are always great neutrals.  There are also "designer neutrals" such as some shades of brown and red.  Soft colors that say "welcome" are the best.  Sherwin Williams Bagel is always a warm neutral color. 
3. Spice up the Kitchen and Bathrooms!  First makes sure they are squeaky clean.  Buyers don't want to see dirty kitchens or bathrooms.  Fill or replace worn or dirty grout.  Clean, clean, CLEAN!  You can easily update a bathroom by painting it, replacing hardware (pulls and knobs), updating a light fixture and updating a mirror.  Hanging fresh, clean towels top it all off.  In the kitchen, you can do the same, fresh paint and new hardware.  However, in the kitchen, add an area of warmth with a basket with greenery and a bottle of wine.  Under cabinet lighting also adds warmth. 
4. Crown Molding!  Believe it or not, crown molding adds value.  It can be easy to do and adds to the architexture of the room.  Make sure you use molding 6 to 9 inchest in depth, depending upon the height of the walls in the room.  Dentil detail adds to the effect.  To make cutting easier, use corner blocks to add to the detail too!
5. Wood Floors!  Most buyers love hardwood floors - they are "in style".  If you think your carpet needs replaced and you have hardwood floors underneath, invest some sweat equity into removing the carpet, padding, and tacks.  Then clean, clean clean the floor.  Make it sparkle.  If there are obvious areas that need refinished, then you may want to do a light sanding of the entire floor and recoat with stain and polyurethane.  However, most floors have had carpet over them since they were built and usually are in very good shape.  Add a rug to your furniture area to bring it all together!
6. Organize and Declutter Closets!  It's time to purge!  Get rid of what you don't need, want, or use.  Recycle by donating to Goodwill or have a huge garage sale and donate what is left to Goodwill.  Ideally, your closets should only be half-full and never have anything on the floors!  Buyers want to see that there is a lot of storage space in the home.  There will be when you get rid of your "extra stuff". 

These are a just a few of the many home staging tips we offer when we list homes.  For more tips, contact us or visit our website:  www.thomasteam.info