1. Spruce up your Flowerbeds.
The first thing a potential buyer is going to see when they look at your home is the outside. Plant flowers in the front yard to increase your home’s curb appeal. Power wash your sidewalk and porch leading up to your front door. It’s also a good idea to put a fresh coat of paint on your front door.
2. Paint, Paint, Paint!
A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for your home value. Paint the inside walls of your home a neutral color to brighten the room and make it appear larger. Cans of paint generally cost around $25, so grab a few and start sprucing up those rooms.
3. Get a Handle on the Situation
So you might not be able to afford brand new appliances in every part of the house, but you probably can afford some new handles. Purchase new handles for your cabinets in your kitchen and bathroom to give the rooms an updated look.
4. Re-Caulk the Kitchen (and Bathrooms)
Caulk (that silicon stripping that protects your kitchen and bathroom appliances from water) can get yellow and brittle after a few years, especially around sinks and bathtubs. Make your kitchen and bathroom look like new by re-caulking. A tube of caulk costs around $5 and can update a home’s look (and value!)
5. Match your Appliances
Is your mix and match kitchen giving you a headache? You don’t have to buy brand new appliances that match – most appliances have front panels that can be removed and replaced. Give your appliances a facelift by buying matching front panels from the manufacture. Your kitchen will look updated and modern. These updated panels can be purchased for $30 to $100 depending on where you buy them.
6. Clean up!
If a buyer enters a home that’s dirty, all they can think is “This will take a lot of work to clean up!” So what can you do? Clean it for them. Clean your floors, windows, walls and ceiling. Give your home a good scrubbing. This will let in light, make your home feel less cluttered and increase a buyer’s interest in purchasing the home.
7. Light up your Home
Lighting fixtures can date a home. You can spend hundreds on purchasing new updated lamps and fixtures, but you don’t have to spend so much to get the same results! Purchase discounted lampshades to perk up an older lamp, and change switch plates on your light switches to give your home an updated look. Make sure your switch plates and outlets match throughout the home.
8. Bling up your Bathroom
Purchase a new faucet for your sink and shower in your bathroom, and you’ll increase your home value. Make sure the faucets for the sink and shower match – most of the time new faucets will cost around $30 to $60. It’s not a bad idea to update your kitchen sink faucet, too!
9. Update your Carpeting
Another part of the home that ages a house is the carpeting. Rugs or carpet with old patterns that have gone out of style can decrease your perceived home value. If you have enough money to redo old and worn-out carpeting, go for it! However, if you’re looking to add value without crushing your budget, you can purchase rugs at a discount store, like HomeGoods to create a new look for your house.
10. Get a Home Warranty
Getting a home warranty while you’re selling your home can increase its value, and give you some much-needed protection. The SCIC found in a recent study that when a homeowner included a home warranty in the sell of a home the home sold faster and for more money. Plus, most home warranty companies offer coverage during the home’s listing period. Landmark Home Warranty’s Listing Coverage is free and covers up to $1,500 on failed systems and appliances – as long as they failed from normal wear and tear. A home warranty can give you peace of mind, knowing you won’t have to pay thousands of dollars on a new dishwasher or oven right during a precarious financial time in your life. For more information on home warranties, go to www.LandmarkHW.com.