Right now is a great time to sell your home; the weather is beautiful, schools are out, and interest rates are low, so people are looking to buy! If you are thinking about putting your home on the market, here are a few ways to get ready to sell without breaking the bank.
#1 – Curb Appeal
Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to make sure your house looks good from the curb or driveway. You want a potential buyer to fall in love as soon as they see the home. Check on your landscaping in the front. While your yard doesn’t need to resemble the gardens at the Biltmore Estate, your yard should be neat and inviting. Make sure you trim the shrubs, cut the grass, and weed the garden.
Next, think long and hard about your front porch. The front porch is most likely where your buyer and their agent will chat about your home, what will they see while standing there? Are there boards that need replacing? Does your porch need pressure-washing or painting? Take the time to declutter your porch and keep it that way. A few quality decorative items can help a buyer visualize their own life in your home, but they don’t need to see a collection of toys, tools, or knick-knacks.
Finally, look at your front door and windows through the eyes of a potential buyer. Does your door need a fresh coat of paint? Are your windows and doors properly sealed? Take the time to clean your windows, on the inside and outside, or let your kids handle that chore. If your windows look foggy, or if the window frames or doors show any rot, repair them.
Spending a little time and money on the outside of your home is a relatively easy fix that can go a long way to impress your potential buyers.
#2 Entertainment Spaces
When people look at houses, they like to focus on the areas where they will host their friends and family, such as the living room, kitchen, dining room, and deck. Help your buyer picture their life in your home with simple updates, like new flooring or a fresh coat of paint, and save your budget.
New flooring is a quick way to update an entire home, and thanks to all the material options on the market, you might be surprised how little of your budget this will take. Choose a flooring that is durable and easy to keep clean so the flooring will be a bonus feature to highlight for potential buyers.
Related: Let the professionals at Handyman on Purpose handle installing your new floors.
Once you have new flooring installed, you may notice a dinginess to the walls you’ve never seen before. A new layer of paint can refresh a room and get rid of any scuff marks decorating the walls. Choose a neutral color for the main walls of your space and consider adding an accent wall. If you do, remember that this is not the time to get creative and choose your favorite unique wall color, you want to be sure the room appeals to potential buyers.
Investing in your home with fresh paint and new floors can take years off the appearance of your home and help buyers see their future in your home.
#3 General Updates
Sellers often overlook the impact of good lighting. Potential buyers will turn on all of the lights as they move through your home, so make sure all of your lightbulbs are working and bright. If you have light fixtures that are out of date, swap them out for something new! These changes are simple and inexpensive but will add value to your home in the eyes of buyers.
Put the kids to work or hire a professional and do a deep clean of your house. You want to make sure every nook, cranny, corner, and fan blade are spotless. Take the time to dust the furniture and wipe down countertops regularly, so you aren’t scrambling too much before a showing.
Use this opportunity to declutter your house. Whatever unnecessary items you may have in your home, purge what you can and go ahead and pack up as much as possible for your move. Let the potential buyers see what the house looks like when it is clear of clutter.
If you are ready to sell your home, you don’t have to spend a ton of money, and choosing the right improvements can maximize your budget. Take a look around your home and find a few areas to improve. If the projects are a little more than you can manage on your own, or if you would instead let a professional tackle the projects, call Handyman on Purpose to help get your home ready to put on the market!
A special thanks to April Stephens, Jenifer McKnight, and Deanna Heath, local Johnston County realtors, for their input for this article.