Putting your home on the market goes far beyond just hiring an agent or listing your home for sale. You need to ensure that your home is attractive to potential buyers, and this will likely require some work. The idea of spending more money to sell a home sounds counter intuitive, but the return on a few investments in or around the home can greatly increase the resale value.
Bathroom Renovations
A few small changes in the bathroom can greatly improve its appearance. (Check out our recent post on updates here!) Switch out old bathroom vanities with new ready-to-assemble vanities in a modern and streamlined style. Sometimes just going for a new piece, even at a modest price, will really enhance the look of a room without much else. Everyone likes to feel like they’re walking into a clean bathroom with a shiny sink and fresh looking RTA cabinets! Clean up the bathtub, consider a new shower head attachment, and make sure the flooring it clean. Even if you can’t upgrade the flooring, if it’s clean it’ll go a long way for impressing potential buyers.
Kitchen Update
The kitchen is a very important room to just about every home buyer. Even if someone doesn’t love to cook, the kitchen is often a gathering point for house guests. Creating an inviting, warm setting for your kitchen is important to the overall aesthetics and value of a home. Kitchen cabinets can be painted to easily refresh the look, as well as switching out knobs or pulls for a change. Basic fixtures like lighting and faucets should be cleaned or replaced. The kitchen is often the part of a home that stops a buyer from moving forward, so don’t skimp on making the necessary updates here! You can buy and install RTA kitchen cabinets as an instant upgrade to your home value.
Changes to the Home’s Exterior
Updating the exterior of your home can be expensive with full-scale improvements, but there are a few techniques that will spruce up the look of your home without breaking the bank. Instead of trying to paint the whole house, just go for the doors and trim, as well as any shutters. Stick to neutral colors to appeal to all potential buyers. This update often yields a full 300% return on your investment, so it’s definitely worth the time – especially since it’s the first visual representation any new buyer will see!
Outside of painting, make sure to take a serious look at the siding and trim of your home to see if they need replacing. You can use vinyl for the replacement pieces to keep costs down. Replacing windows and doors can also yield nearly 85% of a return if you choose energy efficient replacements. Most buyers these days are looking for energy efficiency in all aspects of a future home to save on waste and energy costs.
Extras
A few straggler items to consider are certain tacky or outdated items in your home. That wacky light fixture or ill-suited bookshelf you may have become immune to over time would best be removed before trying to sell. Additionally, unsightly wallpaper or bold room colors should be removed or updated.