Home Improvements to Help Sell

Home sellers should not make expensive improvements.

In general, homeowners should only make cosmetic home improvements and fix major structural issues before selling their home. They will sell a home faster if they drop the price of the property instead of making improvements that add thousands of dollars to the listing price because home buyers have different tastes and styles. Home sellers may want to have friends walk through the property and pretend they are prospective buyers to see if they notice any glaring problems with the property.

Warning

According to Hanley Wood, home sellers will receive a negative return on their investment for any major home renovations, such as remodeling or adding a bathroom, purchasing new appliances, replacing windows, remodeling a kitchen or installing new windows. Remodeling projects typically offer less of a loss than new construction projects.

Maintenance

All components of the home should be functional before the homeowner sells the property, including electrical, plumbing, damaged windows and structural issues, or buyers may walk away from a property. Home sellers should replace damaged appliances with inexpensive models. Homeowners should replace wooden entry doors to receive a positive return on their investment. According to Hanley Wood, a homeowner can switch an entry door with a steel replacement to recoup 102 percent of their cost in most areas of the U.S. as of April 2011.

Walls

As an inexpensive do-it-yourself project, homeowners should paint the interior of their house a single neutral color, such as white or a light pastel if they have a varied or out-of style paint scheme. They may want to remove ugly wallpaper by renting a steamer and scraping the paper off with a putty knife. Home sellers should fill any small holes in walls and fix any loose drywall nails or screws.

Landscaping

To receive a return on their home improvements, home sellers should not spend a lot of money on landscaping, but they can take steps to improve the curb appeal of their property. such as mowing the lawn regularly, sowing a couple bags of grass seed a few months before selling, unclogging gutters and purchasing a dump truck load of mulch to create flower and shrub beds around their house. If home sellers have a washed-out gravel driveway, they may want to purchase and spread a truckload of fresh gravel.

Cleanliness

According to Sell This Home, home sellers should remove extra furniture, trinkets and memorabilia to prevent the house interior from seeming smaller. Homeowners should rent a steam cleaner if they have carpeting in their home to remove dirt and embedded stains and should have their hardwood floors buffed and polished. Before showing a property, they should disinfect and clean the entire home to create a favorable impression with potential buyers.

References

• Sell This House: Home Improvement Tips - Appealing to Buyers
• Hanley Wood: Cost vs Value Home Improvements, Pacific Midrange; 2011