Real Estate Insight

8 Quick Fixes to Increase Your Home’s Value When Selling

In a buyer’s market, sellers must up the ante to convince a dwindling number of buyers that their property offers what all buyers want most – top value for their dollar. Homes that show the best, sell first and for top dollar.

Here are eight quick fixes:

1. Buff up curb appeal. Don’t make the critical mistake of overlooking your home’s curb appeal. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled up to a home with my buyers and they weren’t interested in looking inside just based on what they saw as we pulled up to the home. It’s critical to get buyers to want to look on the inside. You could have the nicest home in the neighborhood on the inside, but if the buyer doesn’t come in, it doesn’t matter. Be objective. Check the condition of the landscaping, paint, roof, shutters, front door, knocker, windows, house number, and even how window treatments look from the outside. Add something special to help buyers remember your home from the rest.

2. Add value with color. Paint’s cheap, but forget the adage that it must be white or neutral. Just don’t get too bold with jarring pinks, oranges, and purples. Soft colors that say “welcome,” lead the eye from room to room, and flatter skin tones. Think soft yellows and pale greens. Tint ceilings a lighter shade.

3. Upgrade the kitchen and bathroom. These are the make-or-break rooms that spur a sale. Make your kitchen and baths squeaky clean and clutter-free, update the pulls, sinks, and faucets. In a kitchen, add one cool appliance, such as an espresso maker. In the bathroom, hang a flat-screen TV to mimic a hotel.

4. Install crown molding. At least six to nine inches in depth, proportional to the room’s size, and architecturally compatible. For ceilings nine feet high or higher, add dentil detailing, small tooth-shaped blocks used as a repeating ornament.

5. Screen hardwood floors. Buyers favor wood over carpet, but refinishing is costly and time-consuming. Screening cuts dust, time, and expense. What it entails: a light sanding, not a full stripping of color or polyurethane, then a coat of finish.

6. De-clutter! Humans are packrats by nature, but cluttered homes take more time to sell and for less money. The look you want to go for is “Does anyone live in this home?” Clean out and organize closets. Get sorting – organize your piles into “don’t need,” “haven’t worn,” and “keep.” If you must keep it, consider renting storage and getting it out of your house. Closets must be only half-full so buyers can visualize fitting their stuff in.

7. Update window treatments. Buyers want light and views, not dated, fancy-schmancy drapes that darken. To diffuse light and add privacy, consider energy-efficient shades and blinds.

8. Hire a home inspector. Be proactive, since busy home owners seek maintenance-free living. Fix problems before you list the home and then display receipts and wait for buyers to offer kudos to sellers for being so responsible.

You’d be surprised at how much a difference these 8 quick fixes make. Do a little prep work before you list your home for sale. You’ll be glad you did.

Elliot Lau