Your home is a valuable commodity. What you do to get it ready for marketing can be a huge factor in how much you get out of your house’s sale when it is time to move. What are some ways that you can increase its appeal to buyers, and perhaps in turn its resale value?

Consider Renovations

Renovating a home can cost thousands of dollars but choosing not to renovate when it is in disrepair or sorely outdated may cost even more in lost resale value. You can choose the level of renovation you feel comfortable with, from overhauling whole rooms to merely swapping out hardware and fixtures.

Smaller projects that can make a big difference include things like swapping your existing, plain pantry doors for more elegant glass pantry doors; replacing a standard light fixture in your dining room with a ceiling fan; removing old, grungy faucets in your bathrooms and kitchen to add clean, sleek and modern ones; and changing out mismatched and damaged door hardware, like doorknobs, for a consistent set.

Even very basic and inexpensive things like a fresh paint job inside and out and a well-kept yard can increase a property’s perceived value for buyers. When a home appears run down with peeling paint and overgrown weeds, it increases the workload a buyer knows he or she will have after purchase. In turn, this may decrease the value the home appears to have.

Moreover, cosmetic problems may cause buyers to wonder what other, more serious issues have been neglected as well (such as electrical and plumbing concerns, or water damage). It may attract bargain hunters and investors who see this property as a fixer-upper on which they can get a good deal by negotiating the price down for all the flaws. Because of these things, strategically investing in the right improvements throughout your house may give you a return on investment that outweighs the cost you put in.

Beautify Inside and Out

If renovations are too difficult, free or inexpensive cleaning can also make a big difference. There are many things you’ll want to handle if you hope to attract buyers at the highest end of your home’s value range:

• Patch, re-texture, and spot-paint walls where you once had objects hanging
• Tidy every room so that no clutter, dust, or debris is visible
• Vacuum or sweep and wash all flooring
• Wash baseboards, outlet and light switch panels, doors, and any other surfaces prone to collecting dust, grime and grease
• Clean all your appliances inside and out, whether they are staying after the sale or not
• Dust, vacuum or wash your blinds, curtains, and associated hardware

This list could go on for a long time, but you get the idea. Scrutinizing every surface like you were the buyer will help you identify those areas you may have learned to overlook in your hectic life. Don’t forget to look above you! Vent covers and fan blades caked with lint and dust are just as important to correct as any other surfaces.

Stage for Walkthroughs and Open Houses

One final point worth considering is staging your house when it’s time to put it on the market. Homebuyers like to see how a space can be used and visualize their own property within it. It won’t be appealing to see your personal photos, clutter or signs of daily life (such as dirty dishes).

If possible, remove all personal objects such as family photos, file cabinets and paperwork, electronics and so on. Don’t have a new home to take these objects to yet? Consider renting a storage room for the time being.

Do you have great quality furniture and decorations to arrange throughout your home in a beautiful way? That’s fantastic! Otherwise, look into ways to rent a few things for each room.

Putting some time and expense into beautifying, cleaning, and decluttering your home and yard is crucial to enticing the right buyer at the highest price point your home can get. It may feel like a huge undertaking just to get your home ready to show, but it will pay off in the end. You may even find it sells a lot faster as a result.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.