Ways To Make Your Home Sell For More

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In a market where buyers have many homes to choose from, sellers need to make their home more inviting and saleable as possible. Staging, for example, is wonderful way to help showcase your home and present it in the best possible fashioned.

  • It is important to make your rooms look light and bright.  Take advantage by painting and decorating rooms with light, neutral colors thereby making your home appeal to buyers with a different lifestyle than you may have.
  • Kitchen counters and tables should be free of clutter; take advantage of the opportunity to show off the amount of counter space.
  • Closets should also be neat and as uncluttered as possible to show there is plenty of room for buyers who are concerned about storage space.
  • Make patios and balconies look inviting.  Replace old, unattractive patio furniture with new and don’t forget to add bright cushions.  Plants also make patios and balconies look fresh and inviting.  If the plants look like they are suffering from a lack of light you should replace them with beautiful, green, and flowering plants.
  • Upgrading or remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms will also go a long way to increase value and make your home more saleable.  Look at some of the remodeling magazines to get ideas on how to make kitchens and bathroom look more attractive to today’s buyers.
  • Remove old, heavy, dark draperies.  Most buyers prefer blinds or shutters, and in some cases, no window coverings at all.  Wash the windows and take advantage of the best views your home has to offer.
  • Remove “cottage cheese” (asbestos) ceilings and redo with smooth plaster.  Cottage cheese ceilings were a “1960’s” thing making homes look dated and buyers really don’t want them these days. (Should consult with professional companies who do this).
  • Eliminate cooking and pet odors, and shampoo dirty carpets.
  • Remove clutter from all areas as much as possible, including countertops, bathroom tub and shower areas, closets, and coffee tables.  Remember, “Less is more.”
  • Remove massive pieces of furniture or scale down the amount of pieces to make your rooms look larger.
  • You will spend a bit more by changing your counter tops to granite, but your return on investment may be well worth it.
  • Repair or replace old kitchen appliances, light fixtures, and cabinet hardware.
  • Replace switch plates, trash receptacle covers, if necessary.
  • Remove unnecessary cords, wires, and cables.
  • Caulk and grout as needed in bathrooms and kitchens.
  • Make your bedroom “sexy,” with an attractive bedspread, pillow shams, and accessory pillows.
  • And, finally, depersonalize your home from old, faded family photos, and recipes and other clutter posted on the refrigerator.

In conclusion, a home that is bright and uncluttered will attract more prospective buyers.   A visually attractive home that smells fresh and is clean will be very inviting.  For open houses, some sellers even bake cookies for the agents and their buyers because of the wonderful aroma that spreads through the house, or spray vanilla in the rooms so the house smells wonderful.  If you would like further information on how to make your home more attractive to buyers, feel free to contact me anytime.  I offer a complimentary walk through and analysis of what you can do to improve your home, how to stay within your budget, and the possible return on investment you might receive by making the upgrades.