improve value of home! tips?

Question

my family is thinking about moving and we would like to get as much money as possible from our home
please give me as much advice on what i can do to fix up our house.
thanks

Answer 1

1. hire a professional home inspector to look at especially the structural elements of the house: roof, water pipes, heating and cooling system, water pressure, hot water tank, functionality of everything, especially windows, slopes in the flooring, foundation cracks (a crack in your basement floor or wall does not necessarily mean you have a cracked foundation), and flooding issues.

2. interview 3 licensed real estate brokers from your neighborhood. be sure not to ask the managing broker to send one to you that is the "top" salesperson, but one that is known for good reputation, one that will protect your interests and not those of the buyer, and one that has a proven track record for really and truly caring for her clients (you).

3. ensure that when the agents come to your house that they have already prepared the "comparables," which are lists of houses with the same number of bedrooms, baths and other similarities to your house that sold and CLOSED within the past TWO YEARS. why would i say two and not one year? because the market changed from a seller's market two years ago to a buyer's market, which means that the top dollar paid for a house like yours will be less than two years ago.

4. do everything that you can to make your house have "curb appeal" before it hits the market, such as gardening and landscape work.

5. fix everything that you can before it goes on the market.

6. do a complete paint job, including ceilings, using neutral colors.

7. if you want, you can even rent furniture to make the house look more immediately wantable. your real estate agent will know where to rent it. pick up some magazines like house & garden to see what people want today.

8. why don't you ask your real estate agent to take you into a few of the houses on the market (always no further than a 4-block radius from your house), on similar blocks to yours (if you live on a major street, look at houses on a major street) that are currently on the market to know what the buyers will be seeing? do it before you list your property.

9. unless you want calls in the middle of the night, i most strongly suggest that you hire a licensed real estate agent, preferably in the national association of realtors (r). if you don't, you should know what your house will SELL FOR and not price it too much higher--in fact, that's the most important thing i can tell you no matter if you hire a broker or not. the worst thing that a seller can do is to ask too high of a price when putting the house on the market. why? because it scares off the qualified buyers that could buy it if it were priced to sell. they buy something else. then you have a "tired" listing that no one wants to see. don't kid yourselves: this is a buyer's market, so don't do something stupid like that.

10. do what your broker suggests to improve the appearance of your house for showings and NEVER be there when the house is being shown. if you must, do not say anything to the buyers unless they ask a direct question of you. then say as little as possible, but always say the truth.

good luck!

Answer 2

If you can replace or paint the cabinets, this would help show off the new tile. Look for any 'dated' decorating; ie, removing old dated wallpaper & repainting walls in a neutral color will make your home look newer. Take down old heavy draperies and replace with new blinds which can be found at home improvement stores. If you can sew, make some simple window treatments by draping lightweight new curtains over a rod. Don't be afraid to experiment. Make sure the carpets are stain free & the hardwood has a good shine; repair any scratches if possible. Many homes have dated hardware as well. If you are handy, replace any hinges or doorknobs that have seen better days. Look for sales at local garden centers & put in some prettty flower beds. Take care of grass & keep yard neat & healthy. Any addition with heated space, or even a small deck or do it yourself patio will greatly help. Check with local home improvement centers for free in store courses on "do it yourself projects"

Answer 3

If the house needs paint in or out then paint.

Clean floor to ceiling. Pay someone to clean floor to ceiling. Clean and mop even the garage. Have the carpet professionally cleaned.

Get rid of everything you are not moving, then get rid of even more. Buyers will often walk thru in groups of four or five (family groups). Make the path very wide for them.

Make sure the landscape is very clean and tidy. Make sure you have flowers.

Make sure the drawers and cabinets and all doors and locks work extremely smoothly.

Have bright bulbs in all light fixtures and that the home is kept nice and cool.

Have someone smell for odors in the home for you (you won't notice your own home odor).

Have the home ready to show at a moments notice.

Don't overprice your home even by a little- you want it to sell in the first month so you will not have to lower it later.

Have all this done before you ever let the first buyer see the house.

Answer 4

My Sister owns a Local Real Estate Agency and I have heard her say the Main selling Points are Location, 2 or more Bathrooms, Walk In Closets and A Kitchen Upgrade, such as new Appliances and Granite Counter Tops. Hope this will give you some good ideas...good Luck

Answer 5

HGTV's website has some great articles about big projects and small improvements you can do to improve value on your home. A few articles give information about how much return you can expect for your investment.

The key for staging is to declutter, depersonalize, and clean.

Answer 6

Clean and declutter your house. Depersonalize the house to remove all your knick knacks and family pictures so that the buyer can see themselves in the home. Fresh paint, tidy up the landscaping. Watch HGTV they have lots of 'Sell this House' type shows.

Answer 7

1. curb appeal-mow yard,add flowers, paint shutters, new shingles. anything that invites people in from the street. ask your neighbors what they like or dislike about your home from street view and make improvements based on this.
2. pay special attention to kitchen and baths. remodel if you need to. more often than not the kitchen and baths will make someone love your house or hate it.
3. watch HGTV . youll find helpful advice on decorating, often without spending more money.

Answer 8

Fresh coat of paint inside and out in neutral colors.

Declutter your home to make it appear like it has more storage and is bigger.

Let natural light in.

Steam clean carpets if you have them or replace carpet all together.

Landscape. Create great curb appeal and a sharp well kept yard. If you can't draw attention outside, you can't get them inside.

Flaunt the assets of your house. For instance in my house, I have lighted built in display cases. I would make sure they were lit and play up my whirlpool tub by placing candles etc around to make a serene area.

Answer 9

Add room, new bathroom or Kitchen. Extend where you can and declutter and tidy before anyone views the house.

Answer 10

honestly, re-decorating wont help. when the house is valued it is taken by bricks and water- not how modern it is.

only thing id say is whatever the going price it is valued at, dont agree on anything cheaper.