5 Ways to Add Value to Your Home and Sell Your Home Quicker

You can add a great deal of perceived value to your house before you sell your home. With a small monetary investment when you are getting your house ready to sell, you can make a huge difference in how it appears to real estate agents and prospective buyers. If you are handy with tools, you can even do some of the work yourself and save money.

Cost-effective upgrades

A few labor-intensive things can make a big difference in the curb appeal and looks of your house:

1. Curb appeal makes a big difference

Shrubbery needs to be trimmed neatly. Weed flower beds and put mulch in the open areas to forestall more weeds. Clean up trash, debris, and dead limbs and keep all of that out of your yard. Mow the lawn at a medium height. Although you may have to mow more often, using the medium height or even the high setting on your lawn mower allows your grass to stay greener, prettier and healthier.

2. A neat outer appearance makes a great first impression for your home

Put a fresh coat of paint on your front door. If you also have a storm door, make sure it is clean and in good repair. Scrub the porch, clean the porch light, and hang a wreath on the door.

3. Paint the interior with a white or off-white

Lighter color makes rooms look larger, and allows prospective buyer to envision their own color selections in your home. Use low-VOC or no-VOC paint to avoid the smell of chemicals.

4. Update the look of your bathrooms with new toilet seats and faucets

 In the kitchen, make sure your trash can closes tightly to keep odors from wafting into the house.

5. More expensive ways to increase your home’s value

Here are some ideas that you can do when getting your house ready to sell that cost a bit more:

In the kitchen:

• If you have an island in the kitchen, remove it, as it will make the kitchen appear more spacious.
• Install one of the new, fancy kitchen faucets.
• Replace your battered stainless steel sink with a new one.
• Upgrade the flooring with tile laid right over the linoleum.
• Upgrade your appliances.

Other rooms:

• The latest trend is to have an open area made up of the living room, dining area and kitchen. In order to achieve this, you may have to knock out a non-loadbearing wall.
• Install wood flooring to replace worn carpets.
• Create a deck out back with a fire pit.

How much you do before you sell your home depends entirely on your budget. You will also have to determine whether you have enough equity in your house to offset your upgrades, and still have a sizeable down payment on your next house. If you are good with tools, you may be able to do several of the more involved upgrades yourself. With these in mind, you’ll be able to sell your home in no time.