If you are selling your home (or even just thinking about it), there are a few steps experts suggest you should consider before putting your home on the market.
If you’ve ever watched the HGTV show “Unsellable Houses,” you know that first impressions make a BIG difference when selling a house—sometimes to the tune of 100 thousand dollars or more. But you don’t need a famous design team and a television budget to take your home from blasé to beautiful. If you are selling your home (or even just thinking about it), there are a few steps experts suggest you should consider before putting your home on the market. If you need help financing these (or any other) projects, we offer personal, home, and home equity loan options that can help you reach your goals.
Here are the five basic steps experts suggest you take:
1. Deep Clean
If it’s been a while since you have deep cleaned your home, you may be surprised what a difference a deep cleaning can make. Shampoo the carpets and upholstery. Wash or dry clean your draperies. Pressure wash the exterior of your home, your driveway, and your deck. Consider hiring a maid service to give your entire house a top-to-bottom scrub. A clean and tidy home will provide a clean slate of possibilities to potential buyers.
2. Declutter
It’s also a good idea to remove excess clutter so buyers can focus on the home and not your stuff. One of the most common reasons people look for a new home is because they have outgrown their old home, so you want to make sure your home looks like a space they can grow into. Get rid of all the stacks of mail, junk drawer items, and miscellaneous things that crowd the surfaces and corners of your home—and don’t forget your closets and cabinets. Buyers are likely to open them, and you don’t want an avalanche of junk to fall out when they do.
3. Fix the Basics
You’ve lived with that creaky door long enough to tolerate it, but homebuyers may be turned off by it. Tackle easy-to-fix issues like leaky faucets, running toilets, burnt-out lightbulbs, and sticky locks. Finicky issues like these may seem small but could give the impression that your home is not well cared for.
4. Be Thoughtful About What You Choose to Fix/Upgrade
You want your home to look inviting, but replacing or refinishing elements of your home with low-end or on-trend things just to make them new could have a negative effect. “The right projects can pay off,” said Amanda Pendleton, a home trends expert for Zillow.com. “Sellers need to think strategically about their return on investment before diving into repairs and renovations. Landscaping, interior painting, and carpet cleaning are the most commonly completed seller projects for good reason. They boost online curb appeal and send a powerful signal to a buyer that a home is well-maintained.”
5. Change the color palette.
To take your home from fixer to fantastic, address any fading wallpaper, outdated color, or chipping paint throughout your home. While you are at it, it’s also a good idea to depersonalize the color palette of your house. You may love your lemon-yellow bathroom, but chances are a prospective buyer will not. Switch to a neutral palette (think white, beige, light gray, and cream) to give your home a classic, timeless appeal.
Making updates before selling your home can have a profound impact on its sellability. If you don’t have the cash on hand that you need to complete your projects consider taking out a home equity line of credit, home loan, or personal loan. Just reach out to us with your goals and needs and we’ll be happy to talk with you about your options for both current and future home remodeling projects.