Getting ready to sell your house? Studies show that big renovations are rarely necessary and oftentimes lose the seller money. Most of the big changes home buyers want to make, they will make themselves after purchase. Your job as a seller is to present a blank slate, allowing buyers to picture themselves and their own style. That said, keeping things clean, shiny and streamlined can make your home look and feel more expensive, leading to potentially higher offers. Here are some simple projects to increase your home value without spending too much money.
Fix Up Your Home’s First Impression
The first thing a potential buyer sees is the view of your home from the curb. Make sure your lawn is well-manicured and care for any flowers and shrubs on your property. Clean up any overgrown areas and clear out dead plants. You want to give buyers a full view of your yard, all the way to the edges.
You’ll also want to scrub down or power wash the walkways and steps. Clean off any debris from your porch light or other small spaces where leaves and webs can collect. Finally, consider repainting your front door to make your house look fresh and well-maintained.
Deep Clean and Declutter
Experts recommend getting rid of (or putting out of sight) two-thirds of your belongings before showing your home. An ideal home for showing allows potential buyers to really envision themselves in the space. That can be a lot harder if your house is dirty or cluttered.
You don’t have to get rid of your stuff forever. Many sellers rent out a storage space for non-essential items while in the staging process. Take some time to go through your items and decide which you need day-to-day, which you want to hold onto to bring to your next home, and which can be tossed or donated.
Once your home is sufficiently decluttered, get going on the deep clean. Simple dirt and grime can make your home appear more rundown and like more of a fixer-upper than it really is. Get deep into those moldings, shine up appliances, scrub the walls and ceilings and clean the windows. If giving your home a complete clean is too time consuming, hire a professional. It will pay for itself when your home sells.
Give Your Interior a Fresh Coat of Paint
Now that your home is clean and clutter-free, a fresh paint job is a cheap and easy way to increase your home’s value. Along with covering things like scuff marks, fresh paint just makes your home feel fresh.
You can paint yourself if you’re comfortable, but most people will want to hire the pros. (When it comes to choosing what color paint? White is always classic but surveys show that painting your walls beige may be the best choice to attract buyers.
Brighten Things Up
Good lighting is one of the top things buyers say they look for in a home. Remove any heavy drapes to let in more natural light. Replace lightbulbs with higher wattage options and swap out the lighting fixtures themselves if necessary. Lights throughout the house should complement each other if not match exactly. Opt for simple, modern light fixtures – The perfect lights should illuminate the space without drawing attention to the fixtures themselves. For rooms without built-in overhead lighting, make use of a floor lamp, ideally plugged into the room’s main switch.
Update Cabinet Knobs and Other Fixtures
Fresh fixtures can make a huge difference in the way your home presents. This is especially true if, say, your kitchen cabinets have mis-matched knobs or handles.
The new fixtures you choose depend upon the style of your home. Take a look at similar houses to get a feel for what is common for your style home. As with lighting, you want the fixtures to look nice while not standing out too much. Chrome and bronze are generally considered timeless. The most important thing is that your knobs, handles or pulls are consistent. Other types of fixtures, like faucets, should match as well. This creates a feeling of thoughtfulness and looks more high-end.
When it comes to preparing to stage your house, your goal should be to create an empty canvas that potential home buyers can paint themselves into. A clean, de-cluttered space allows them to do that. Bright open spaces and shiny fixtures allow your home to shine. While there is a place for big renovations – and they can sometimes be worth it – you shouldn’t underestimate the power of smaller, affordable changes to dramatically up your home’s value.
Selling your home closes one chapter in your life and opens up new possibilities. When you’re ready to move on to your new dream home, the team here at Fairway are here to help you find the perfect mortgage for that next stage.
Dreaming of a new home? Take your dreams off the whiteboard and turn them into blueprints with a home mortgage loan from Fairway’s First Team! Let us do all of the drawing and paint you a picture of a beautiful home with competitive interest rates. Call today at (503) 765-1150! pic.twitter.com/R8pKdK9Q66
— FairwaysFirstTeam (@FairwayImco) February 20, 2022