Looking to sell your home? If so, here are a few upgrades to consider to help your home make the right impression on potential buyers.
Enhance the Curb Appeal
No matter how good the interior of your home looks, buyers have already made a judgement before they even walk through the door. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. It's important to make people feel warm, welcome, and safe when they approach your house. Here are a few suggestions to help with your home's curb appeal.
- Make sure you regularly mow the lawn
- Plant inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers
- Replace your front door
- Update your mailbox
- Wash the front windows, clean the gutters, power wash the siding and the porch
- Replace siding if necessary
Upgrade Your Kitchen
Some say you're not selling your house you're actually selling your kitchen. This is a popular saying because kitchens are one of the main factors considered in the home buying process. If your kitchen is completely outdated and you have the time and money, a full remodel may be something to consider, however if you're in a hurry to sell or don't have the funds for a full remodel, here are a few suggestions to try.- Paint the walls a neutral color to appeal to more people
- Paint kitchen cabinets and/or add new hardware
- Buy ONE fancy stainless steel appliance. When people see one high-end appliance, they assume the rest are expensive too.
- Reface your kitchen cabinets. To reface your cabinets, first add a self-adhesive veneer on the sides of the cabinets and around the cabinet's face frame, then add the replacement cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Note: You want the veneer and doors to match.
- Hang a pendant light or two. Right now big, statement pendants are popular, adding two of these will not only add to your kitchen's style, but it adds extra light, which is ALWAYS a good thing.
- Add a backsplash. The average backsplash is between 10 sq ft and 40 sq ft making this an easy-to-tackle area that won't break the bank
- Replace the countertop. This is not as expensive as you'd think, you can get a new laminate countertop for a few hundred dollars or you can 'upgrade' to granite which is also more affordable than most people think.
Update Your Entryway
The entryway is the first thing buyers see when they enter your home, so you should make it as warm and inviting as possible.- Paint- this is a task that you can probably handle yourself, but if you have high ceilings in this area, you may want to hire a pro.
- Add decorative trim around the entry door (if there isn't any)
- Place a bench or table on a wall nearby and place freshly-cut flowers in a vase or warm cookies on it
Update Your Bathroom
Next to the kitchen, the bathroom is the second most important room in the home for prospective buyers. Most buyers prefer 3 bathrooms (a Master bath, a Family bathroom, and a half bath/powder room). If you only have one bathroom in your home, you may want to consider adding a second bathroom instead of renovating that one. Before doing this (or any upgrade for that matter) you should consult with a real estate pro in your area. - Update your vanity/vanities- paint, replace, or reface them
- Update your vanity and/or cabinet hardware
- Upgrade from a single sink vanity to a double
- Replace vanity countertop
- Replace fixtures- shower/bathtub faucet, sink faucet, door knobs, TP holder, towel holder, towel bars, etc.
- Replace the toilet seat and handle instead of the entire toilet
- Remove old shower/bathtub surround or replace outdated tile with new tile
- Paint walls
- Replace light fixtures
- Add a hand-held shower unit
Some Other Suggestions to Consider:
Talk to a Real Estate Agent
Talk to an agent that is familiar with your neighborhood. You may want to view a few comparable homes in your area. You'll want to find out things like: how many bathrooms do most homes in your area have? What features do people buying homes in your area look for the most? What price are other homes in your area selling for? You don't want to spend too much renovating your home if you won't get a good return on investment, so make sure to do your homework!
Add a 'Wow Factor'
If it's within your budget, add something with a 'wow factor', such as heated floors in your bathroom, this will make your home standout in a prospective buyer's mind. When house hunting, most people tour numerous homes, if you can add something to yours that makes it more memorable, it will pay off.
Set the Right Asking Price
This kind of goes along with speaking with a Real Estate pro in your area, they will be able to help you set the right asking price. You should not price your home well above other homes in your neighborhood. If you're asking too much for your home, it can sit on the market for a while causing buyers to wonder why it hasn't been purchased yet, most likely scaring them away.
De-Clutter and Clean
When people are house hunting you want them to see your home, not your stuff. If your furniture is too big for a room, put it in storage, hide kids toys or store those as well, remove knick knacks and decorations except for a few key pieces.
Light Up Your House
Take down heavy drapes, change out lampshades, clean windows, increase light bulb wattage, cut bushes that are blocking windows, etc. You may even want to add lighting in some areas, such as pendant lights in the kitchen, recessed lighting in the living room and bedrooms, a decorative light in the bathroom, etc. Do what you can to make your house bright and cheery.
In closing, not all of these items need to be on your list in order to sell your house, but using some of these suggestions are sure to help you sell your home faster and for more money.
