When someone asks me how to improve their home value for the purpose of selling, refinancing or just because, I always offer the exact same tip: Start small. What I mean by that is don't go ripping out your kitchen and bathrooms and redoing them. Chances are you won't get your money back. Here is the list of things that are most important and what is most noticeable to someone entering your home whether it be a potential buyer, an appraiser or a friend coming to visit:
1. Trim trees and bushes. Let's be real, no one likes an overgrown bush. This will give the exterior a cleaner, fresher look, make the house look bigger, and give it a manicured appearance. Also, plant some colorful flowers out front. It is spring time so it's the best time of year to do so. Curb appeal is what attracts a buyer to the house from the get go. It's kind of like dating. First impressions count!
2. Clean and De-clutter. Ever see the show "Hoarders"? if not, look it up. Clean your house people! When I walk into a house and it's dirty and cluttered and looks unkempt, I immediately think that if the people that live here don't care what a mess it is, then they probably don't care about the rest of the house either. They probably don't care that the sink leaks a little and that little leak will eventually lead to mold. They probably don't care that there is a small brown spot on the ceiling and that spot means the roof is leaking, and so on and so on. When I say clean, I mean really clean. Don't just dust and vacuum. Make an effort to clean everything. I'm talking blinds, baseboards, fan blades, EVERYTHING! I do not want to see an inch of dust sitting on every blade of every fan in every room.
3. Wash your windows inside and out. This will make everything look cleaner and brighter. The cleaner the windows, the brighter a room will look.
4. Replace your light bulbs. Again with the brightening thing. Rooms that have a bulb or two out are going to look dim. Not the romantic kind of dim either, just dull and ugly.
5. Paint. Paint goes a long way when you are trying to spruce up a house. To me, it is one of the cheapest yet effective things you can do. You may be able to get away with just doing touch up in certain areas. If not, pick neutral colors. Yes I know, that really cool color you saw at such and such's house, the deep red looks great on their walls and you absolutely love it. Stop, think and reevaluate. Just because you like it, is not a guarantee that everyone else shares your love for that shade of red. The most appealing color palette to most buyers are calm and neutral. Shades that are easy to match with furnishings, beige, off white, taupe etc. Yes it's boring, yes everyone else has it and yes, obviously there's a reason for that! Oh and don't forget the baseboards. I just painted them at my house and it made a HUGE difference in the overall appearance. It's one of those spots that you don't typically clean but you do notice the scuff marks, dings and dirt.
6. Fix the little things. All of those little nagging things that you have been meaning to get around to fixing but haven't had the time to. The broken doorbell, the cracked window on the back door, the drywall where little Timmy who's now in high school rode his tricycle into when he was three. These are usually inexpensive, small things that are going to make a difference when someone looks at the house and particularly when the inspection takes place. It will be the difference between a few things that come up on an inspection report and a whole page of things!
All of these items are inexpensive and easy to do. Just tackle each one at a time, go room by room so you don't get overwhelmed. Think about what you would like or not like to see in a house if you were out looking at properties.
As always, you can call or e-mail me at my office anytime with questions or tips!
Nicola Hughes, Broker/Owner
Hughes Homes Realty
407-557-8775
nicola@hugheshomesrealty.com
www.HughesHomesRealty.com
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