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9 Tips to Make Your Home Worth More Before
Putting Up a For Sale Sign
Home owners and quality listing agents alike want to get the most from the sale of a home, right? And we all know that a house that has been really well cared for over the years “shows” better and will also sell for more than one that has been neglected and needs work.
But what if your home has been “well lived in” (agent talk for beaten up) and in need of a slight facelift to get the top dollar? You’ve got to do some work. But the right work will pay dividends. So, here are the top fixes to do inside your home to increase value for the sale.
Note – These should be done before you put the For Sale sign into the ground and are designed to not break the bank but instead, bring in the biggest bang for the buck. Many of these are free.
1. De-Clutter …THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO!
- Make the home look like you don’t live there!
- Get rid of anything that is broken, old or that you just don’t like
- Get 3 big trash containers – one for items to keep, one for donation/garage sale, and one for trash. Go room to room, being merciless with what to get rid of. Toss 4x more than you keep. If this project seems overwhelming, do it for just 15 minute every day. You’ll be amazed what you can accomplish in a few weeks.
- Remove all of the refrigerator art, ads, and magnets
- Pack up family photos and collectibles
- Remove furniture that is unnecessary to your daily living.
The amazing result will be the opening up of living spaces and every room looking larger. You can store the boxed items you will be keeping in your garage.
2. If you smoke, stop smoking in the house
- Repaint – it is very hard to get rid of cigarette and cigar smoke smell and buyers who don’t smoke will be turned off and immediately turn around and walk out without even seeing the whole house
- Open windows during the day.
- Install plug-in room deodorizers throughout your house
- Spray a deodorizer on cloth furniture and drapes. You’d be surprised how much they add to the smoke smell in the house
3. Clean carpets and floors
- Rent a carpet cleaner or hire a professional company and shampoo your carpets and area rugs, especially if your rugs are in good shape and are neutral colors.
- If your carpet is showing serious wear, cover it with inexpensive, strategically placed area rugs after cleaning.
- Clean wood, vinyl, and tile floors really well, especially the corners
4. Remove outdated wallpaper and paint the walls a neutral color
This can be time-consuming but will give your home a fresh, updated look right away.
5. Fix or replace anything that’s not working properly- squeaky, leaky, burned out, broken…
- Lights
- Windows
- Doors
- Toilets
- Faucets, Showerheads
- Burners on the stove
- Floor transitions
- Knobs, fixtures
- Grout
6. Clean your home from top to bottom
A clean home that smells and looks clean makes it so much more attractive to potential buyers
7. Update, replace, or reface to give your home a clean, fresh look
Little things matter. If you’ve noticed them, the buyers will, too so be sure to:
- Replace switch plate covers if they are old and discolored
- Replace the drawer pulls if they are rusted, faded, or peeling,
- Replace faucets if they are rusted or worn
- Install new toilet seats
- Put up new shower curtains
- Refresh bath towels, bedding, dish towels, and curtains and drapes, if necessary
8. Repaint walls, doors, baseboards, and trims in neutral colors.
This is well worth it but might be the most expensive of the nine tips. But it will look so much better that the result could make you not want to sell.
9. Tidy closets, clean window sills
Always, clean and tidy sells more homes. The goal is to have all five of our senses pleased before listing the house, putting a sign in the yard, and having people known and unknown coming through the home. Not only will you feel very proud of your home, your hard work will pay off in the long run with a higher selling price!