Sprucing Up Your Home For Sale

Some sellers wonder if it's worth the effort to fix their homes up for sale, particularly in a hot market where almost every listing that comes on the market sells.

Most real estate agents will tell you that the listings that sell the fastest and for the most money are the ones that are in the best condition. Even in a hot market, buyers pay a premium for homes they can move right into.

In most cases, however, it's not recommended that you do a major renovation of a home simply for the purpose of making it more salable. The reason for this is that, in most cases, you can't immediately recoup a major renovation investment. Your money should be spent on giving your home an economical cosmetic facelift.

For example, let's say you have an older kitchen. Rather than gut the kitchen and spend $40,000 to $50,000 on a completely new kitchen, it makes more sense economically to paint, replace the floor covering and change the countertops. This, and a general cleanup, is usually all it takes to give a tired-looking kitchen a fresh new look.

First impressions are very important in the home sale process, so you should pay attention to how your home looks from the street. If you are on a limited budget, concentrate your efforts on sprucing up the front and entry of your home first. Your home should look inviting and well maintained, so clean up the yard, plant new sod if the lawn is dead, fix leaning fence posts and paint the front door.

Most homes are packed with too much furniture and too many personal possessions after years of ownership. Get rid of anything you no longer want or need before you put your home on the market. Your home will appear bigger and tidier, which will make it more appealing to buyers. And it doesn't make sense to pay to move things you no longer want.

Sellers who have outgrown their homes are wise to rent storage space for possessions they want to keep that don't fit comfortably in the home. Avoid the temptation to simply stuff things in closets or the garage. This will defeat your purpose. Your aim is to present your home as a desirable place to live. If every inch of storage space is stuffed with your possessions, your home will appear to be too small and without adequate storage space.

Buyers appreciate a clean, tidy interior, so remove clutter from the countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. A home office is an attractive feature, but not if the desk is covered with papers. Clean up your home office so that buyers get the impression that it's a comfortable place in which to work. Every room in your home should look like it serves its intended purpose well.

Make the most of all the available living space in and around your home. Many people cannot visualize how a space will look, so you're wise to leave nothing to the imagination. For example, if you have a deck, set up outdoor furniture to show buyers that you have an area suitable for outdoor entertaining. A room in the basement might be made into an exercise or hobby room with minimal effort.

Have your home, including the windows, professionally cleaned. Be sure to keep your home clean and tidy during the marketing period. Bright interiors are appealing, so leave the lights on during showings, even though it may seem like a waste of money.