Imagine your property requires a new roof and you get an estimate and the roof will cost $25,000 to upgrade. You could ignore the need for this and hope that the property sells, but because you want to maximize profits you decide to put in the new roof yourself. This will not raise the value of the property by $50,000 but it will raise it appropriately and make the property more appealing to buyers because they now do not have to worry about getting a new roof installed.
How To Fix Up Your Home Before Listing It
Prior to putting your home up for sale, there are a number of things that you can do that will make your property more valuable. These options may not apply to your property but usually are some of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to not only raise value but make the property more appealing to buyers.
- Landscaping: One of the most overlooked but important aspects of selling a home is the landscaping. People want to feel like this property is a good investment and for many, that feeling comes from the first look. Is the lawn in good shape? How about the trees, do they look healthy and are they growing big and strong? The healthier the landscape looks, the faster homes tend to sell. You can invest a day or two into improving your yard, cleaning things up, planting new plants, and adding mulch. A little money and some good old-fashioned hard work will take care of this and have your yard looking great.
- No leaks: Buyers will walk away at the very sight of a leak in your roof. They do not care what the reason is or if it happens once a year. A leak can kill any interest in a house and that’s why you need to make sure that if you have any leaks, they are fixed and cleaned up immediately. This is worth investing the time and money into and if you have to hire a professional roofer to find and repair it, do it.
- Open is good: You want the layout of the house to be open and easy to navigate through. Get your clutter out of there and if possible, get all your furniture out. Unless you are planning to sell furniture with the property, take out every single item that is not for sale. People need to see a clean and empty house if they want to buy it and that’s the easiest way to motivate buyers because they already know that you are committed to moving on from the property.
- Light is great: Lots of light is also good for a home so make sure that you invest in upgrading the lights throughout the house as well as outside. You want to make sure that people feel comfortable when they walk around and if there’s a showing later in the day, a darker house may not feel as comforting. Give people a sense of comfort with plenty of light.
- Up to code: A good realtor is going to check and make sure that any upgrades made to that property are done up to code. That is their responsibility and something they do to protect their clients. If you are not the original owner of the property, make sure that any work before you or while you were there was all completed up to code. Even great renovations will not pass if you are not meeting local regulations and getting approval from the inspector.
- Air conditioning unit: If you have the funds and your current unit is over 10 years old, investing in a new one may be the way to go. In many cases, adding a new air conditioning unit is considered a great way to increase value because people do not want to have to worry about making these upgrades themselves. Not only that, but newer options like this show that you have invested in the property recently and therefore even an older home is still not in need of major renovations.
- Roof and windows: If you want a buyer to look at your property as a long-term commitment you need to put a new roof and windows on it. Windows especially are important because they not only focus on security but can help to keep costs down. The newer windows will help keep warm or cold air in the house and also protect from strong storms. Upgrading a roof that’s over 20 years old is smart, especially if you want to increase the value of the property. However, you do want to make sure that you are not financing any of this work. Leaving a lien on a property means that you will not be able to sell it without making the payment to the contractor or lender. While it may seem like a good short-term option for your needed renovations, it can turn buyers away from the property.
- Appliances: Upgrading the appliances is another affordable and reasonable way to improve the value of the home without making significant changes throughout the way of construction. Adding a new refrigerator and stove can make a kitchen look years younger and also help to sell the idea of living there to a potential buyer.
There are literally dozens of ways that you can make cost-effective improvements to the property that will make it more valuable. The question is how much time is needed and how much of an actual improvement can be made. People recommend painting the property. That’s an example of an option that’s great and affordable, but it may not be needed if your property has been painted within 10 years. Look at what your property needs before making a commitment one way or another.
