Sell Your House with Low Cost Remodeling Projects
Posted by Super Admin on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 4:14pm.
It’s a question I get from my clients perhaps more than any other when I sell a house. What can we do to our home to increase its value that won’t cost very much? I know what you’re thinking…if there were such a list of suggestions everyone would do it. You would think that would be the case, but if you’ve been through as many Fairfax homes as I have you’d soon realize that sellers do not do the simple things that will increase the offers they will receive on their house. For the record I’m talking about truly inexpensive projects. The biggest bang for your buck on the higher cost projects continues to be kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, basements, windows and siding. No, I’m talking about simple things that show well and stage a property to maximize offers. I’ll name just a few essentials in this article to get you started. First, tidy up all kitchen cabinets and drawers. Now that doesn’t sound very exciting I’ll admit, but listen to me on this. Whether we want them to or not, prospective buyers definitely open drawers and cabinets. Home buyers perceive lots of space when they see organized dishes and glassware and when they notice a lack of clutter. Just as you must de-clutter kitchen counters, what is hidden behind the doors has just as much of an impact. Second, stage your closets; starting with the master closet. As the master suite is one of the top three most important areas in a home to a buyer, you must give the master closet the appearance of adequate space. So here’s what you do…hang about ten to twenty pieces of clothing on each side of the closet, whether it’s a walk-in closet or a facing. Put women’s clothing on one side and men’s on the other. The hangers and front of the clothing should face the closet entrance or in the same direction. A few pairs of shoes only should be on the floor and nothing else. It may be a bit inconvenient for the sellers that live there but it’s necessary to portray usefulness of space. Third, upgrade the lighting fixtures. This is a bit more labor intensive but is still considered low in degree of difficulty. Typically homes have ceiling mounted hall lights and bathroom lighting that is out-of-date. These are extremely low cost and have high impact as they are noticed by every buyer. Finally, install indirect, incandescent lighting under the kitchen cabinets. If you truly are concerned with the visual impact to buyers, don’t install fluorescent lighting….most people, if they’re honest, hate it. Get those inexpensive hockey puck lights and install them tonight. It will make a world of difference in the most important room buyers pay attention to.
Well that’s it for now. If your Fairfax homes agent is experienced they’ll have already told you to do these and other things. If not, consider getting other advice before putting your house on the market in Fairfax, Arlington, or anywhere else for that matter.
Leave a Comment
Print
Share