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Maximize Your
Home's Value

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Is Your Home Retail Ready?

Making a good first impression is key, after the first couple days on the market the number of views drops dramatically. Your home will have a higher perceived value by appearing up to date, clean and orderly. Remodeling outdated areas will greatly improve the value and even some budget friendly repairs will go a long way. 

You may run into the issue of your house not selling on the open market and a large factor may be that your house is not retail ready. By not having your home thoroughly cleaned and up to date, you are limiting your potential buyers to people that are willing to undertake the rehab process themselves. In June of 2023, Fortune.com states "we found a whopping 67% of buyers don't want to pay for remodeling or repairs". In other words, by not having a somewhat recent remodel on your home you drastically decrease the number of people willing to pay you top dollar for your home. If you have the time and the means, continue reading below for the best improvements to get the most money for your home and sell quickly on the market.

If you encounter challenges in selling your home whether it's due to not achieving your desired price, needing to sell quickly or simply wanting to avoid the renovation hassle, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

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Blue Waters

Maintenance Projects

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When preparing to sell your home, you should expect to make some minor improvements. Implementing these small efforts can have a significant impact on the speed of your home sale and the final selling price. Additionally, it can simplify the negotiation process, as your buyer may not need to request repairs following their inspection.

Consider tackling these projects that might get flagged during inspection:

  • Replace broken mechanicals, like your HVAC system or appliances

  • Repair broken or leaky plumbing

  • Repair a leaky roof, replace damaged or missing shingles

  • Make sure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are in place and functioning properly, and GFCI outlets are installed next to water sources

  • Have an electrician make sure home is up to code

Catch the Eye of Prospective Buyers

These improvements will significantly boost the value of your home

Add Curb Appeal

Buyers will pay 7% more for a house with great curb appeal. Make a good first impression by checking some of these off, most can be handled in a weekend.

  • Power wash everything

  • Paint front door

  • Paint exterior

  • New garage door

  • Manufactured stone veneer

  • Install new address numbers

  • Landscaping

    • Add potted plants​

    • Plant flower beds and borders

    • Landscape lighting for night time aesthetics

    • Keep grass mowed and shrubs trimmed

Give Key Rooms a Face Lift

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  • Install a kitchen island

  • Swap out old kitchen and bathroom fixtures and appliances with either brushed nickel or bronze finishes throughout and stainless steel appliances

  • Replace cabinet fronts or freshen up with paint

  • Granite counter tops will greatly improve aesthetics of the home and get your house sold faster than homes without it​

  • Turn master shower into a walk-in

Make it Feel More Spacious

Most people feel the need for more space, here are some ways to accomplish this

  • Convert or build a home office, this will add more than $10,000 to the resale value

  • Finishing a basement into a livable space can add up to $50,000

  • Opening up the floorplan buying knocking down divider walls; 85% of buyers want an open layout between the family room and the kitchen​

Enhance Outdoor Living Space

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  • Add a deck or patio

  • Install a fire pit or outdoor fireplace

  • Install an outdoor kitchen​

Paint Interior

Giving your home a fresh paint job will give your home an updated look. Keep it easy on the eyes!

  • Paint in neutral tones (grey, beige, cream etc.) with white trim

  • Bright kitchens are best, try to stick with white themed paint schemes

  • Paint bathrooms light blue, Zillow found this returns a premium

Flooring

Replacing carpet with tile or a vinyl laminate is common. If you want to keep it inexpensive, deep clean the carpets and buff or refinish hardwood flooring. If you're in a cooler climate consider adding a heated flooring option for a little more than a 2% increase on your home. 

Smart Home Integration

Emerging generations of homebuyers are prioritizing smart home technology in their search for a new residence. Installing these options gives the owner the convenience and control from their tablet or smart phone. Here are some of the biggest smart home improvements.

  • Smart thermostats- This easy to install addition saves the homeowner 10-15% annually on their energy bill, and gives you the convenience of controlling your home temperature from anywhere on your phone

  • Smart lighting- Just switching out incandescent bulbs for LEDs will save you over $200 per year on you electric bill and the bulbs last 25 times longer. You can replace each bulb with a smart bulb or smarten it up at the switch. Installing Lutron's Caseta switches and Lutron's bridge, you can automate your home lighting, ceiling fans and even automated shades

  • Smart speaker systems- Consider using Google home or Sonos speakers, these deliver high-quality audio and allow you to control multiple rooms independently

  • Touchless door locks 

  • High speed Wi-Fi

  • Smart home security systems

  • Smart garage door openers

  • USB-C wall outlets- Strategically place these outlets where it will be convenient for people to charge their small personal devices that use USB cables, thus, eliminating the need for the power supply

When is the Best Time to Sell?

The time of year you choose to sell might influence the sale of your property. If you have some flexibility in your selling time frame, check out HomeLight's best time to sell according to your area calculator.

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