Ready to put your home on the market? Whether you’re planning to move now or in the coming years, getting your home ready to sell can be intimidating.
Some home renovations can be helpful while others may actually turn off potential buyers. The goal of your home renovations should be to make it more livable for yourself and look move-in ready to future buyers.
Home Renovations Tips Prior to Selling
There are plenty of home upgrades that will help you sell your home—and perhaps at a higher price—without a risky investment. The best approach is to follow some industry rules of thumb and to do some research before committing to a project.
Exterior Curb Appeal
You only have one chance to make a stellar first impression on prospective buyers, who may decide not to even tour your home if they are put off by the exterior appearance. Here are some updates that will instantly help your house look its best:
- Add a new exterior light fixture.
- Replace or repaint your front door (add a new lock that works well). If your front door has a bubble glass (typical for old houses), replace it with tempered glass to bring in more natural light.
- Repair any broken siding.
- Fix any cracks in the front stairs, walkways, patio, etc.
- Clean and repair gutters.
- Repair any broken roofing shingles, and any other roofing issues such as chimney, etc.
- Repaint outside windows.
- Trim your lawn, making sure your trees, bushes, flowers, etc. look well-cared for.
Prioritize Bathroom
Bathrooms are always high on potential buyers’ lists, making an investment here is one of the best options for increased resale value. Before putting your home up for sale, consider making small updates that will excite anyone looking at your house. Some of the best bathroom remodels for resale include small changes likes:
- Re-caulking the tub.
- Replacing the vanity.
- Changing the shower head.
- Replacing the faucet.
For a bigger change, purchase a new tub or refinish the existing one and install new floor and wall tiles.
Update Your Kitchen
There are a number of relatively low-cost but high impact updates you can do to get your kitchen to look its best.
- Replace old, outdated kitchen appliances. Go for modern energy-saving appliances, as buyers will appreciate the prospect of having a lower electricity bill. Also, maintain a consistent look among all of the new appliances you purchase, as this will give your kitchen a sense of style and cohesiveness.
- Reface kitchen cabinets. This is a much cheaper option that replacing cabinetry, but it does the trick and gives your kitchen a fresh new look.
- Replace old cabinet hardware. You would be surprised how far this small measure can go in improving the overall look of your kitchen.
- Change an old sink and faucet. Buyers love the sparkling look of a brand new sink
Declutter Your Home to Attract Buyers
While this update may not directly increase the value of your home, thorough decluttering is the easiest thing to do before putting a house on the market that will help speed up the sale.
Clearing out closets and other storage areas will help your home appear roomier and make it easier for others to picture themselves living in your home.
Make Your Home More Energy Efficient to Increase Value
One of the best home improvements to make before selling is to improve energy efficiency. This can be done in a number of ways. By adding insulation to your home or replacing old appliances for more efficient ones, you can reduce your own electric bill, increase your tax return and improve your resale value.
Graves Development Resources | Land Developer in Omaha, Nebraska
Graves Development Resources (GDR) has been designing and building the market’s finest neighborhoods since 2000, with over 5,000 home sites and important commercial development projects throughout Douglas and Sarpy Counties.
Our pages showcase current neighborhoods where new home buyers may select from hundreds of home sites. We are definitely “phone friendly” and welcome the opportunity to provide you all the information you need before making one of the most important decisions of your family’s future. Contact us for any questions.