If you’ve had any involvement with the housing market at all, you’ll know that right now, the housing market is insane! If you’re you’re looking to buy, you’re even MORE aware of how competitive it is.
More importantly, if you’re looking to SELL in this market you’re probably feeling like maybe you don’t need to do more than put a “For Sale” sign on your front line and the offers will come POURING in. While this maybe true, the difference between going on the market “as is” and putting in some work will make a huge difference in the offers you receive, the length of time on the market and how easily your escrow period goes!
If you’re simply going to give your home a quick once-over, de-clutter and dust, you could be leaving money on the table! You will most likely not get as many offers as your neighbor who did all the things. Fewer offers means lower offers and also means the possibility of more negotiations with your buyer.
So how do we avoid that??? You can jump on the “flipping” craze and invest in your property before you sell. There is amazing potential in this. If you want some bigger ticket suggestions, visit this article from earlier this spring:
How to Increase Your Perceived Home Value Before Selling
But if you want the basics? The things we always recommend?? These are my go-to recommendations on almost every listing I preview.
1. Fresh Paint, Always
Nothing dates a house more than a variety of dated color trends and tired paint. Dingy walls beg for fresh paint!!! If you’re home is still sporting colors from the 90’s (or even early 2000’s) I can almost guarantee you’ll up your price by investing in paint! Buyers love consistency and a good flow – no surprises around the corner – so keep it super simple and pick a nice neutral or soft white to run throughout the house.
In some of our listings, I have used accent wall colors in limited situations. Not just because the designer in me wants to show some creativity but occasionally we use this to camouflage problem areas.
Paint can also be a way to modernize or add a specific style to your home where this might be lacking.
2. Updated Light Fixtures
Lighting is THE THING. Literally in any job whether staging or in your forevever home, there is nothing like good lighting to remake a space. If your home has multiple renovations done over varying times, you may have several different styles of lighting throughout the home. Maybe you’ve got a vintage home with vintage fixtures but when you renovated you’re kitchen you went all in with modernity! So now your home is fighting for it’s own personality and neither side is winning.
By having your light fixtures all play nicely together stylistically, your home will appear more updated throughout!
Lighting needs to come from multiple sources.
3. Remove Decade-Defining Traits
Another thing that gives off that multiple personality vibe in your home is random and mismatched items. The most common culprits???
- Light switches and outlets
- Doorknobs
- Faucets and other bathroom fixture – style AND finish
- Moldings and trims
Having so many different finishes that ultimately should all flow nicely together gives the home a great, cohesive feel that buyers will love. This consistency throughout the home shows off a well-thought out space and tells buyers that this home has been lovingly cared for and meticulously maintained. THIS is what buyers want!
Fix what’s broken! As soon as you realize you’re going to be selling, start a detailed list of anything needing repairs. Loose doorknobs, running toilets and drawers and cabinets that aren’t opening and closing properly are some of the most common things that show themselves right away. Random plumbing and electrical problems that you’ve just been living with should be looked at. Start your list right away then hire a handyman to address all of these prior to going on the market.
When we’re readying a property, we have our sellers do this list right away, then we do a walk-thru prior to Trades Day (link to blog on Trades Day) as well. When we live in our home, it’s SO easy to miss things you see every day!
4. Only Renovate to Add Livable Space or Utility
Square footage sells!
While renovating is not always called for, there is a certain value in adding space. ADU’s – Attached Dwelling Units are very popular. But renovating a kitchen or a master / primary bathroom is almost always a guaranteed positive return on the investment. If it makes sense for your market to do so, you could consider this as an option.
However, we have had much success by re-thinking spaces! For example, if your garage is positioned on the property in such a way that you never put your car in it, consider turning this into a secondary living space. Yes, you could add plumbing, fixtures, etc to make it a habitable living space but you could just as easily use paint and styling to create the IDEA of the potential! This is something we do on almost every home where the garage sits at the back of the property and pulling a car back there is problematic.
This garage was located behind a fence at the back of the property off a super skinny driveway. Logically we guessed that this would seldom be used by a car. We added a window and a door to the garden, but left the door intact. This saved money, allowing the buyers to use it as a garage if they wanted but giving them the instant option of visualizing this is usable square footage. This particular home sold for the highest per square footage price on record in this neighborhood!
Great rooms are a highly desirable trend but often times knocking down a wall is not feasible OR just more than you want to undertake getting ready for sale. If there is a way to do this in a more moderate fashion, consider this!
On many of the properties we’ve readied for sale, we have simply switched the intended purpose of the space!
This current dining room used to be an enclosed sun porch that was great for our sellers lifestyle but left buyers a little confused by it’s purpose. In this same home, the dining room was located far removed from the rest of the living space. By styling this space as a large dining space, we brought three rooms together visually! The living room and kitchen/family room were separated by a wall but by putting this new dining space between them, the spaces flowed seamlessly! Oh, and that oddly positioned dining room? We turned that into a bright and spacious home office!
How to implement this in your own home?
Look at your home with the critical eye of your buyer, see what might be missing and visualize how you can create that without moving walls!
5. First Impressions Matter
First impressions are everything, so don’t forget to address the front of the home! In almost all of our listings, we do a deep clean up of the yard. Tidy the plantings, make sure the lawn has a clean edge, add lots of fresh dark bark mulch to the dirt areas and include a few fresh plantings. Other easy updates?
- Colorful pots on the front porch
- Freshly painted front door is a great touch
- Clean and visible house letters
- Mailbox in good repair
- Exterior Lighting working and in good condition – consider a coat of Rust-oleum (my favorite!) spray paint for sun-faded but serviceable light fixtures
- Don’t forget to make sure the home is clean, clutter-free and smells great!
- Give the windows a thorough cleaning – inside AND out
- Insiders tip? Remove the screens! This really opens the view. Don’t discard these. Rather – wrap and store them in the garage or closet.
- Power wash the exterior – the eaves, the patios, even the sidewalk!
In Feng Shui, a red door symbolizes positive energy, in Chinese cultures, red is considered a lucky color and is a popular choice.
Bonus Tip: Get an Expert’s Opinion
While I know this sounds like a LOT, this is a service that we offer to our sellers! This is also something I did for my a home we owned until this spring. I readied our Oregon family home remotely. While this was a challenge, I employed all the same efforts I do for my clients with stellar results!!
If you’re ready for an expert’s opinion (no sugarcoating), we would be happy to help! Call, email or use our scheduling tool to schedule a call!
Xoxo,
Pamela
