Top 5 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Home’s Resale Value

Well, here you are: it is time to sell your home. Like investing in stocks, the profit of your home’s investment is the positive difference between what you bought your house for and what you’re going to sell it for. And the way you can make this a profitable sale is by making changes that return much more than they cost. If you have not done much to enhance your house over the years, there is still time. Here are five things you can do for a reasonable investment of resources that could increase your profit dramatically.

5. Paint. It is amazing what a new splash of paint can do for a home. Whether it is on the inside or the outside, a few coats of a new or more neutral color can really make a home feel more inviting to potential buyers. Even just covering up those nicks and scratches can make a huge difference. Choose two or three rooms in the house for their prominence and spend a weekend giving them new life. This is especially true if you’ve lived in the house for a long time or you prefer bold, brash color. A prospective buyer wants to see a home that looks cared for (which a fresh coat of paint suggests), and wants to consider buying something that they see themselves in (which a neutral color helps suggest).

4. Redo the “frame”. One of the cheapest and easiest ways to give your house a dramatic turn around in looks and value is to retouch or redo items that “frame” the rooms in your home. It has been said that even the best paintings and photographs will be sold by their frame. The same can be said for your house. If the baseboards are scarred, the window frames are faded, or the door frames are sketchy, for minimal time and money you can get them looking great again and drastically affect the look of your home. This is more than mere aesthetics. When you do the doors and windows you can re-caulk the seams you can improve energy efficiency as well.

3. Replace windows or doors. It is important to remember how energy conscious our society has become. Not only is this good for the environment, it is financially beneficial. Once better windows and doors have been installed a home-owner will save a bundle on energy costs; which is an attractive thought to the environment-aware and budget-conscious buyers in the market. New windows — even just on one floor of the house — might seem like a big job, but the improvement in resale value could be immense.

2. Change flooring. It is said that time heals all wounds. This is not true of the flooring in your house. Time only adds wounds! The laminate gets gouged, the grouting between tiles gets dingy, and the carpet gets worn. It may help your bottom line to replace the flooring in the most traveled-in rooms of the house. If, for whatever reason, you can not replace the flooring, clean it. Thoroughly. If there are stains in the carpet anywhere, they have got to go. Get some household cleaners and rent a carpet and upholstery cleaner and start scrubbing!

1. Enhance Curb Appeal. A great way to improve the value of your home is to enhance its outer accessories. A little bit of landscaping can go along way. Adding gravel or wood-chips around the house or the trees, adding a railing to the stairs or porch, adding a new coat of paint to the fence, or adding lighting to the walkway or driveway, can all add value.

It’s a funny fact that as many people do these things in their homes to get it ready to sell, they tend to fall back in love with their homes all over again! As you prepare to put your house on the market, a general rule of thumb is this: If it will make you think “maybe I don’t want to move” then it is probably worth doing! It is most likely adding considerable value and attractiveness to your home. Consult Realty Counselors Inc as part of the process and they can help you get thousands more for your home with just a few recommendations.

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