Selling a home can be a stressful project. You need to stage the home, show it, welcome guests for viewing at random intervals, and most importantly, you need to make sure that your home is in tip-top shape in order to fetch a solid sale price.
One of the ways to make the process go smoother is making improvements to your home that will make it more inviting to potential buyers and put you in the fast lane of selling your home.
Another beneficial factor of home improvements is that they can also help boost your property’s value, so it will be a double-winning factor for you. Read on for 10 essential tips to improve your home so that it will pique the interest of potential buyers.
Identifying the needs of a buyer:
Before you decide on what improvements to make, you need to have an idea of the buyer’s needs and what they look for when purchasing a house. When a person is buying a home, they are usually looking for a place to spend their future.
They will need safety, efficiency, and aesthetics. While some may consider making changes after buying the home, most are looking for a home that is ready to move into, so the condition of the home they buy needs to be sufficient and hopefully tick all their boxes.
1. Focus on landscaping
This goes in hand with curb appeal. This will be the first part of the home that the potential buyers will see when they visit the home. There are many ways you can include a beautiful strategic creation with trees, plants, and pathways that will make the viewers coming to your home feel welcome. Improving the backyard can also have some draw factor to it.
There are elements from Tuscan, French, Spanish, and Japanese landscaping that you can draw ideas from. You can also find ways to improve the maintenance of your landscaping by grouping plants that have similar requirements together. This way it reduces the amount of water that will need to be used for the upkeep of the lawn and plants.
2. Improve lighting
This goes beyond just changing lightbulbs, you can work on adding upgraded and modern fixtures or rustic ones that will give your home more personality. It needs to be able to illuminate the highlights of your home, it might not seem like much, but good lighting intensity and placement can enhance the appeal of any space. Ensure that these fixtures take light bulbs that promote energy saving.
Don’t forget outdoor lighting during the upgrades. Even though the viewers will not be coming to see the premises at night, well-lit yards show that you take into consideration that you care about visibility at night, which is a safety factor. These can also enhance the appeal of your landscaping which you performed for curb appeal reasons.
3. Refresh your home with paint
Give your home a new coat of paint before you put it on the market. It will help your home look fresh, new, and appealing to the people coming to view your home.
It will cover up any dirt and scratches on the wall, and it will also give buyers a sense of assurance when they see the house. Faded walls may have people wrongly assume that there may be other issues with the house, and that is one of the impressions you want to dispel before they even enter the home.
4. Disaster-proofing to prevent future damage
If the area where you live has a history of flooding or severe thunderstorms, you can make changes to the home that will prevent damage from occurring when these natural incidents happen. For example, in the City of Austin Texas, there is a 64% risk of flooding due to the history of the area. So you can help the future owner mitigate the potential damage by taking on tasks like elevating the foundation and installing floodwalls.
5. Energy efficiency
A home that costs less to run, will be ideal for people looking to buy a new home. You can eco-friendly changes such as putting in solar panels, insulating your home, adding motion sensor lights, installing tankless water heaters, and implementing other energy-saving features. This can also provide a boost to your property value.
6. Update the bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the drawcards of a home on sale. Give your bathrooms a little touch-up by changing up your tiling, replacing the faucets, and fixing any plumbing issues that you may have. Try to focus on features that will appear as dated and give them a new lease on life.
7. Renovate the kitchen
Don’t put yourself out by renovating the entire kitchen, but you do want to put effort into the changes you make, as a functional kitchen and its appliances are a big selling point. As you would with the bathroom, focus on rejuvenating aspects of the kitchen that need attention or appear old-fashioned. You can paint your cupboards, change the backsplash, attend to the plumbing, and you can add some shelving to your walls to spruce up the appeal.
8. Improve flooring
If you have carpeting, you may want to remove that or change it entirely. If you have hardwood or tiled floors, perform maintenance on them and the baseboard. Consider adding insulation to your flooring which aids with both energy saving and temperature regulation.
9. Attending to minor flaws
These include fixing cracks in walls, mending broken fixtures around the house, and tightening loose cupboard doors and windows. These flaws may be considered minor issues to the current homeowner, but they can end up being a deal breaker for buyers.
10. Window and door replacements
If the windows and doors of your home have seen better days, you can have them replaced or repaired. Consider painting them, giving them a good coat of varnish, or replacing the handles This is important for the appearance, safety, and temperature regulation of the home. All of these are important factors for selling a home and will be positive points in the eye of the buyer.
Selling a home can be difficult at best, but there are ways to make the process easier - by making improvements to your home. By doing so, you are greatly improving your chances of making the time on sale flow quicker. In addition, some of these renovations may even help raise the value of your property.
