Simple Steps to Increase Your Home’s Value

July 13, 2009

Seven Quick and Easy Steps to Increase the Value of Your Home

With home values hitting their lowest points in years, it’s important that you do everything you can to get the tip-top dollar for your home. But the best way to do that is to prepare long before the “for sale” sign goes up. Whether you’re listing the home by yourself, or utilizing a professional real estate agency; there are some simple steps you can follow to negotiate the best price possible.

Step 1:

Get someone to walk though and around your property. Allow this person to be candid with you about what they see. Make a list as you go along of anything that stands out as a potential turn off to prospective buyers.

Step 2:

Clear the clutter! If you’re like most people and you’ve actually lived in your home, chances are you’ve collected a lot of “stuff.” Some things may be important while others, let’s face it, you lost years ago and didn’t even know it still existed! Well, when you want to sell you’re home, it’s best to go though it all and remove anything that is not absolutely necessary. Think of donating items to charity, or even sell them at a yard sell to earn a little extra cash. Having less “stuff” in your house means more space for buyers to walk around. Having more space means more money!

Step 3:

Tone it down. When it comes to selling your home, think soft and neutral colors. Just because you love your purple living room, doesn’t mean others will. The key is to attract as many potential home buyers as possible and having a neutral palette gives the viewer an opportunity to see their belongings against a retina-friendly backdrop.

Step 4:

Update whatever you can afford! The key areas to focus on are the kitchen and bathrooms. This is where you can get the biggest return for your money. Can’t afford to redesign the whole kitchen? Look to update light fixtures, faucets, and door knobs. If you can spare a little more, update the appliances and/or counter tops. There are so many home improvement shows and websites out there that can provide cheap alternatives to some of the more costly fixes that will still bring added value to your home.

Step 5:

Unless you’re selling a fixer upper; if it’s broken, FIX IT. Inside and out, any missing window or door trim, nicks or dents in the walls, siding repairs, plumbing problems and anything else should be fixed before you put your home on the market. Also, make sure you cover any damage from previous repairs. If you had a leak upstairs that caused a stain on the ceiling downstairs, you may have fixed it years ago, but be sure to paint over the stain so you don’t leave your buyers guessing. NOTE: Never cover a problem area without fixing the cause. This can come back to haunt you years down the road.

Step 6:

Curb Appeal. With so many houses on the market these days, you need to make an extra effort to pull in the drive-by buyers. You can do this simply by pressure washing the siding and walkways, trimming down overgrown trees and shrubs, mowing and edging the lawn and planting colorful flowers. If you’re selling your home in the winter when snow covers the property, shovel regularly and do your best to keep the definition of your landscape.

Step 7:

De-personalize. It goes without saying that when an agent brings a buyer to your home, you obviously want to make sure that it’s clean and clutter free as mentioned above, but another important step for a quick sale is to de-personalize your space. Clear sinks, counters and table tops of any small appliances like blenders and coffee pots and be sure to put personal belongings like photos and keepsakes in a desk drawer. The key is to give the prospective buyer a clean slate to look at. It’s a lot harder to picture their family living there if they see pictures of yours throughout the home.

If you follow through with these simple and quick home improvements, not only will your home sell faster, but you’ll be able to get that top-dollar amount!