If you are like every other homeowner then you’d love some simple suggestions to increase the value of your home. How great would it be to get 5% or even 10% more when you sell your house! Whether you have a home to sell in Locust Grove, Richardsville, or Lake of the Woods none of these suggestions are based on your location. Because location is out of our control, let’s take a look at some of the things that are in our control and what we can do.
Curb appeal
Curb appeal by far is one of the quickest and easiest things that you can change and update to make your home look great. In Orange County there are several places you can visit to get mulch, flowers, shrubs, and even get suggestions about what can increase your curb appeal, among those are True Value, Deep Roots, and Meadows Farms.
The great thing about curb appeal is it has an interesting ancillary effect. When a potential buyer arrives for a showing and you have beautiful seasonally appropriate Landscaping, it has a positive effect on how they feel about your home. Provided the inside matches be outside quality this should translate into a higher offer! How great is that!
Update the Kitchen
it should be no surprise that your kitchen should be on this list. So much happens there, family gatherings, late night snacks, cooking for the holidays, and the daily meals. If there’s one thing I’ve heard time and time again when working with buyers they appreciate an updated kitchen. That’s why it’s so important and on this list.
Not every kitchen update has to be expensive and complicated. There’s a growing trend of painting your cabinets versus replacing. When done correctly this can completely transform the look and feel of your kitchen for a fraction of the cost of replacing the original cabinets. Accompany that with a fresh countertop and replacing any of the appliances that might be nearing the end of their life and you have a recipe for success.
Clean, clean, clean
This step is extremely important and should not be overlooked. Doing a deep clean when getting a home ready to sell can be time-consuming but you will be rewarded. Whether right or wrong, potential buyers will connect the cleanliness of your house to how you maintained the mechanicals such as air conditioning, plumbing electrical, and even the roof. We want your home to sell for the most it can and that’s cleaning is on the list.
Often, it’s better to hire a professional cleaning company. Larger more established companies typically have three to five employees that come out and clean from the top to bottom of the home. They have the right tools and know what chemicals to use for maximum cleaning and efficiency. They will know to clean things you might not have thought of, for example the top and sides of the fan blades. It might cost a little more than doing it yourself but it can also take some of the potential stress up getting the house ready for market off your shoulders.
Staging throughout
In most situations, staging can be done with the furniture you already have. Staging is the the art of maximizing a rooms visual space while at the same time allowing flow through and to the next room unimpeded. Sometimes a simple thing such as pushing a couch to the wall opens up a room and makes it feel much larger than it is.
Another aspect of staging decluttering. Decluttering costs you only your time, therefore it’s free! If you’ve committed to moving, then use this opportunity to box up the items you will not need while your home is on the market. Take down any pictures except the ones that accentuate the furniture or have a theme. For example, many of the homes in Lake of the Woods are waterfront. As a result if you have nautical related pictures it would be okay for those to stay.
Hire a local agent
You might find it odd that this is on the list but it’s here for good reason. As professional real estate agents, we spend a lot of time previewing, showing, and listing homes. In any given week we may view 50 to 100 different homes and, as a result, there are always homes that stand out. They also tend to be the homes that sell for more and sell more quickly then the others.
Another benefit of consulting your agent is that they get to spend time with buyers and get to hear how they feel about how sellers decorate and stage their homes. Having access to someone who has heard those unedited comments is invaluable. Bringing an agent on board before you tackle these “value increasing” recommendations can save you time, frustration, and money.
