If you are thinking of selling your home, here are a few tips that can help increase your market value (see bottom of post for link to more tips).
Prune, Limb & Landscape: Make sure you take care of the outside of your home. Bushes that are not trimmed away from the house can decrease curb appeal, promote mold, and darken the interior. If you are going to sell your house, your goal should be to have the buyers who pull into the driveway say, "Oh! How Beautiful!" not, "ick." Pull weeds from the walkway and clean limbs from the rooftop and gutters. Rake any left-over autumn leaves and trim your bushes. Any trees with dead branches should also be pruned or removed. Flowerpots with flowering plants can be placed on the front walk to add some additional beauty to the property.
Lighting. You will want buyers to feel warmth in your home, and you also want them to be able to see all of your home's charm. Ensuring the lighting is appropriate and prevalent is key. Light starts with the windows. Make sure they are clean and the blinds are opened. If any panes are broken, fix them. For seals in double paned windows that are not working, replace them. If you want a space to feel larger, use high wattage bulbs,. And if you want them to feel warmer, use soft lighting. Finally, make sure all bulbs work properly. Replace any broken ones.
Maintenance: Upgrades can add value to your home, but even more important is ongoing maintenance. For example, you should insulate the attic and repair plumbing leaks. Also, replace rusty rain gutters and inspect the furnace and the septic system. Don't forget to replace or repair leaky windows and fix broken floor tiles. If a buyer comes to the front door and notices a bulb is out, or the door knob is loose, they will naturally wonder what else is wrong with the house. Staying on top of maintenance issues really is as simple as taking care of it the moment you see a problem.
Make an entrance: Don’t underestimate the power of a front door. I've brought buyers to houses with bees nests in the corner of the front entrance, broken steps, loose railings, doors that won't open, chipped paint on the door, and old/broken door frames. Making a great impression as soon as a buyer comes up the walkway, is the way to get them to want to see the entire house. Make sure the door opens/closes correctly and the front stoop is clean and repaired. Also ensure the railings are all attached and there are no boards that need repairing.
Focus on flooring: I cannot stress how important flooring is to buyers. Many want hardwood or tiles and no carpets. Those who do enjoy carpets want them clean, unstained, and unfrayed. So make sure damaged floor boards are replaced, hardwood is refinished if necessary, wall-to-wall carpeting is deep cleaned or replaced. Again, you want the "ahhh" factor in play.
Painting: A good rule when selling a home is to ensure the colors of your room are neutral, so buyers can envision their own decorating styles in each room. Existing paint can be touched up if there are a few marks here or there. However, it's not that costly or difficult to paint an entire room, and a new coat of paint can drastically improve the showing quality of a room. So often the best thing to do is just go ahead and repaint and don't forget about the ceilings and trim. They should be properly painted as well.
These are just a few ideas. For more, read Grand Lux Realty's post of eleven tips that can boost the value of your home (see link for original post).
Photo from bing.com/images.
Originally published at thehousekat.com.
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