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How Can I Sell my Home For More
Money?
Here are the Top 5 inexpensive things you can do to increase the
value of your home before you sell:
- Clean it. Homebuyers,
it turns out, hate dirt more than just about anything else. Give your home a
thorough cleaning from top to bottom. Wash the walls, floors and windows. Rugs
should be thoroughly cleaned unless you plan to replace them. Curtains should
be washed by hand or taken to the dry cleaners. If you're not up to the task,
spend $100 for a professional cleaning company to do the job well.
- Organize it. If your
home looks too small for you, prospective homebuyers are going to think it's
too small for them. So, take everything off of your kitchen and bathroom
countertops, half of the books off your bookshelves, and the past season's
clothes out of your closet and pack them away. Not only will your home seem
larger, but you'll have made a good start on packing for your future move.
- Repaint it. Real
estate agents say you'll get the biggest bang for your buck by repainting the
interior of your home in bright white paint. White walls help homebuyers
imagine how their own stuff is going to look. If you have wallpaper that's in
good shape, choose a neutral shade of white or off-white to complement it. If
your wallpaper is peeling or is dated, strip it off and start over with paint.
- Mow it and plant it.
Most homebuyers today will spend about 10 seconds looking at a digital photo of
your home on the Internet. If they like what they see, they'll do a "drive-by"
showing. You have approximately 6 seconds to impress them as they drive from
lot line to lot line. Make the most of what you have by giving your landscape a
power-lift. Trim hedges and trees, plant colorful flowers, mow the grass and
edge your beds. If you're not up to it, hire a professional landscaper to get
the exterior of your home into shape. Then, power wash, touch-up, or repaint
the exterior of your home for an irresistible package.
- Fix it. If it isn't
working properly, you could pay dearly when it comes time to negotiate the
price of your home. Today's homebuyer just wants to move in and get on with his
or her life. Oil the squeaky doors, screw in the knobs, replace the rotting
wood lintels, and repair the holes in the porch screen door. The better shape
your home is in, the more a homebuyer will pay for it.
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