If you are listing your home through the traditional real estate process rather than selling it quickly for cash, there is work to do in advance to get your home ready to sell quickly at top dollar. Preparing your house for sale is like setting the stage for a show. Every detail on the set matters so you can make the best impression on the audience. The more you touch up your home with fresh paint and landscaping, the better your odds of selling it quickly at the desired price.
This article will explore the practical tips to maximize your ROI, from interior and exterior upgrades to make your home more attractive to potential buyers. Let’s set the stage with tips for how to increase your home’s value before getting the appraisal and listing on the market.
- Declutter: simple is better when it comes to staging your home to be sold. Remove personalized photos and items that create a cluttered environment in the home. You want potential buyers to be able to visualize themselves and their furnishings in the house.
- Fresh Coat of Paint: make the interior and exterior of your home look brand new again with a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint. Stick with colors that appeal to the masses, like shades of white, beige, or gray.
- Bathroom Updates: updating your bathroom by regrouting tile, painting, and replacing fixtures and lighting is relatively easy and inexpensive.
- Kitchen Renovation: the kitchen is one of the most influential rooms in the house in terms of selling homes. The kitchen can make or break your house appeal. With minor upgrades like a fresh coat of paint on the cabinets, new countertops, or updated appliances, your kitchen can become an inviting space again.
- Curb Appeal: give your house exterior a facelift by adding some fresh paint on the front door, planting seasoning flowers, and washing the windows.
- Flooring: your flooring sets the tone for your entire home. If your floors are worn or outdated, consider refinishing hardwood and replacing old carpet.
By implementing some of these strategies, you can potentially increase your home’s value and attract more buyers.
How to Increase Home Value Before Selling with Curb Appeal Upgrades
Curb appeal is the attractiveness of a house from the exterior when viewed from the street. While the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover; people inevitably judge the house by what it looks like pulling up to it. Here are some key factors that influence curb appeal:
- Home Exterior Maintenance: Are the shingles falling off the roof? Is the paint chipping off the outside of the house? Is the front door faded and looking worn? It is imperative to update all these elements before listing your house for sale.
- Enhanced Landscaping: Trim the hedges and shrubs, add colorful seasonal flowers, and add exterior lighting to give the house extra charm and dimension. Make sure the walkways and driveway are cleaned and do not have obvious cracks.
- Fencing and Gates: Fencing and gates are important because they frame the house and provide security. Make sure your fences aren’t falling down and that your gates work. If they look run-down, an extra coat of paint will do wonders.
- Clean Windows: Clean all your windows inside and out for a clean and clear view of the neighborhood.
Don’t have the time to make changes to your home? Spare yourself some headaches on high-priced repairs and upgrades. I Buy SD will give you an instant cash offer on your home and can close escrow as quickly as one week!
Improve Home Value with Kitchen Upgrades—The Heart of the Home
Improving your kitchen can significantly increase your home’s value and attract potential buyers. The kitchen is the heart of the home and must be both functional and aesthetic. Here are several effective kitchen upgrades to consider:
- Paint: A fresh coat of paint in a modern color can rejuvenate the space.
- Décor: Adding new hardware to the kitchen cabinets can make a huge difference to the look of the kitchen.
- Cabinets: Outdated kitchen cabinets can get a fresh look by repainting and resurfacing. If it’s within the budget, some cabinets are best to be replaced.
- Countertops: homeowners love a nice-looking countertop – especially if it is also low maintenance. Consider replacing tile countertops with high-functioning materials like quartz, quartzite, or granite.
- Appliances: Upgrade your very outdated appliances to energy-efficient, stainless steel appliances for better functionality and a nice aesthetic.
- Open Concept: If your kitchen is closed off by walls or doors, consider knocking down non-load-bearing walls to create a kitchen that opens to the rest of the house.
How to Increase House Value with Bathroom Modernization
Modernizing your bathroom can significantly increase your home’s value and appeal to potential buyers.
- Tile Work: If your tile grout is dark and dirty, it is best to have it cleaned or re-grouted to give it a fresh, updated look.
- Shower or Bathtub: Replace an old, stained bathtub with a modern one or upgrade the shower enclosure and showerhead.
- Hardware and Fixtures: replace old faucets, mirrors, and cabinet hardware to update the look of your bathroom without having to do a complete renovation.
- Lighting: adding layered lighting with recessed lights and sconces.
- Energy-Efficient Features: Installing low-flow flush toilets and water-efficient fixtures can attract environmentally conscious buyers while potentially lowering water bills.
Boost Home Value with a Fresh Coat of Paint
If you are wondering how to increase your home’s value before selling it in a relatively easy and inexpensive way, add a fresh coat of paint to the interior of your home. This is a cost-effective way to transform a home’s interior and appeal to more buyers.
Paint Colors
Choosing the appropriate paint color for the inside of your home is very important to appeal to a wide range of buyers. Choosing bright colors can be a turn-off for people touring your home. Here are some examples of neutral tones like light grays or warm beiges to create a blank canvas for furniture and decor.
- Neutral colors like beige, cream, taupe, and gray
- Warm Whites
- Subtle earth tones like sage green or light terracotta
Avoid bold and bright colors like red or yellow that might not appeal to the tastes of a broader audience.
If you are short on time to make big house improvements like painting walls and the exterior of your home, opt for a cash buyer to avoid all upgrades. With I Buy SD, you can sell your home as-is for cash in as little as seven days!
Increase House Value with Energy-Efficient Upgrades
With utility costs through the roof in many states across the country, homeowners are looking for a more energy-efficient home to save money. Here are a few examples of what you can do to make your home more efficient before selling.
- Install LED lighting throughout the house and add a programmable thermostat for energy efficiency.
- Upgrade windows to double-pane for better insulation and lower energy costs.
- Adding some solar panels to your home or property is very attractive to the home buyer who wants to save on electricity.
How to Improve the Value of Your Home with Staging and Decluttering
Staging your home before putting it on the market is one of the most worthwhile steps you can take to make it appealing to buyers. Decluttering your space from personal effects will allow buyers to visualize themselves in your home.
Staging Tips
- Put away family photos and opt for simple décor.
- Have a professional bring in trendy but simplistic furniture or rearrange your existing furniture to create open spaces and maximize flow.
- Put cozy touches throughout your home, like bouquets, candles, and throw pillows.
Staging your home is a huge undertaking, but it’s necessary when selling your home the traditional way. If you want to skip all of the work it takes to bring in home stagers and remove your existing furniture and decor, go with a cash buyer instead. With I Buy SD, there is never a need to remove any pictures from your wall or replace your furnishings. We will sell your home as-is!
Simple Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value Before Selling
Making big changes to your home to increase its value is ideal, but even simple, inexpensive changes can make a big difference in how a home is perceived. You can easily enhance curb appeal with a small investment in paint for the front door and flowers for the garden. Want to upgrade your bathroom? Use a fresh coat of paint and some new modern hardware. To make your home more appealing, put all of the clutter away and get down to the bare bones of the house to make it look bigger and more appealing.
Ready to boost your home’s value before selling? Start with these tips and watch the offers roll in!