Small Changes Can Make A Difference
If you have decided to move to a new house or are already in the process, selling your old house removes an enormous amount of stress. If you live in a desirable location, your house might sell itself. If not, here are a few tips that can boost its appeal to buyers.
Kitchen TLC
Think about your own search for a new home, and how much you focused on the kitchen. It’s one of the top selling points of a home, aside from location. If you aren’t in a position to upgrade flooring, cabinets or counters, you can still give your kitchen a fresh coat of neutral paint and update the cabinet hardware. Also focus on clearing the clutter and maybe buying one shiny, new appliance if they are all a little dated. Most buyers are likely to pass on kitchen where everything needs to be ripped out and replaced.
Lighten Up
Good natural light is another feature that many home buyers appreciate. To maximize brightness, remove heavy window coverings and make sure the windows are clean. If the outside view is an issue, consider swapping out light blocking window shades, if that’s what you currently have, with something that only filters the light. If prospective buyers will be seeing your home after dark, add a few lamps and install higher wattage bulbs to brighten up your rooms. Repainting dark colored walls with lighter, neutral shades is also a good, budget-friendly investment that appeals to buyers.
Closets and Storage
Staging living spaces is important, but most home buyers are very focused on closet and other storage space. If someone peeks in a closet and sees that it’s overflowing, they’ll probably think the closet is too small before they think that you have too much stuff. Empty out and organize your storage spaces as much as possible to make them seem bigger.
Don’t Get Personal
If you haven’t moved into your new home yet, you probably still have your current house decorated to make it feel like home. To sell your house more quickly, though, it helps to remove personal photos, mementos and other decorative items. Declutter and pack as you go in each room, and stage and decorate your house as if it were a model home. The idea is to have buyers immediately see their own family living there.
Moving can be overwhelming. But spending some time and money on your old house to sell it more quickly is worth the effort.