Here’s the question we are answering in this month’s blog: What’s the most impactful thing someone can do to increase the value of their home with the least amount of money?

There are two things that immediately come to mind for this, paint and a really good deep clean.  

Fresh Paint

Fresh paint is the least expensive way to make a home look clean and fabulous. Consider painting the walls throughout your home with neutral colors. Gray’s, tans, off whites, and blues are very popular right now and buyers see those colors as ones that won’t have to be changed immediately upon moving in. Your baby pink nursery or bright orange kitchen on the other hand, might lose you buyers looking for a move-in ready home.

Got water spots on your ceiling? Cover them up with stain blocking spot treatment paint and then paint the whole ceiling with a nice bright white ceiling paint. Remember, water spots are often a sign of a leaky roof, we highly recommend that you take care of the root issue before painting your ceiling! 

A Good Deep Clean

A well cleaned house will appeal to someone walking in the door faster than a house that is filthy. This is worth the investment to have professionals come in and deep clean every nook and cranny of your home prior to taking photos and listing the home. 

If you have the same houses sitting right next to each other and each needs the same repairs, has the same staging and the same paint colors and one is clean and one is dirty, the clean one would sell first. When a home is clean buyers look at it with a different eye. They see the potential for their family to live there, they imagine what their possessions would look like in the home and they are more likely to buy it. When a home is dirty, all buyers see are the imperfections and they wonder what else hasn’t been maintained in the home. 

The money is in the details. When we say clean, we mean everything, top to bottom, inside and outside. Consider hiring a cleaning company to do a deep cleaning of your home, a carpet cleaner to take care of large rugs and carpets as well as hard surface floors, and a power washing company to pressure wash your siding, concrete, and deck.

Special Considerations

Beyond dust, dirt, mildew, and calcium buildup, there are a few deeper issues that can affect the value of youth home and the price you will ultimately sell it for. Take a home that smells like cat urine for instance. If left untreated prior to listing, potentially buyers will wonder what else the home owners haven’t taken care of and it leads to wondering what is lurking under the surface. If the issue is mitigated (though sometimes expensive to fix) it will pay off in the long run because the home will often sell faster leading to less expense in carrying the home, especially if the homeowner needs to move prior to the home being sold and is holding two mortgages until their old home sells. If this is an issue for you or someone you know, let us know! We have great people in the area that can help. 

Another thing to keep in mind is whether or not things that need to be updated in or on your home are going to keep your home from selling in a timely manner or for top dollar. While a roof replacement might cost you $8,000 to complete, the buyer sees a $12,000 price tag up there. While this is getting outside of the range of least expensive things you can do, sometimes they are necessary fixes to help your home sell quickly and for more money. The longer your home sits on the market, the more expensive it becomes and the more likely you are to receive less for it. 

So, if you are ready to list, head to the paint store and get yourself some neutrals to cover those walls with and then get your home scheduled for a professional deep clean. Want a free consultation for what else you should consider prior to listing your home? Give us a call today!