If you are going to sell your house, you want it to be in the best shape possible. Some sites will recommend staging the home with pictures or appetizing scents, but many buyers will look past these.
A house is a significant and milestone investment for these potential buyers. They are there to inspect if the house has all the right foundations to be the right home.
Some sellers may remodel their whole kitchen with new ready-to-assemble cabinets. However, rather than a complete home remodel, you can polish up the house.
Best Improvements You Can Do To Sell Your House
The following tips are about fundamental changes to your interiors that produce more value and appeal to your home.
1. Pay Attention To The Interior Design Trends
Even if you do not follow fads, at least look at how houses are staged in interior design blogs; when people shop for homes, they are not just looking and referencing real estate pictures.
They are also looking for inspiration for rooms they want in their new home. This means that shoppers are reading the newest real estate listings, complete with interior pictures with the latest styles.
For example, two-tone cabinets are a current trend because they give more depth to a room.
This is in reaction to the previous fad, the white kitchen cabinets with white countertops meant to be minimalist and clean. An extra color will make the kitchen feel warmer, so a splash of darker paint on the base cabinets will produce this effect.
The trendy appearance of the house will make any space seem new, even if the structure has been around for decades. This will also suggest that improvements have been made, making the house more sellable.
2. More Storage Has More Value
While the open-shelf kitchen has been trending for the past few years, it doesn’t increase the overall value of the home. Having installed cabinets is an improvement that potential new homeowners will not need to worry about or invest in later.
When looking for storage in the kitchen, there are a few notable cabinets that expand the room. Large drawer cabinets, lazy susan turntable cabinets, and pantry cabinets are three notable space savers. If upgrading cabinets is not an option, simply add roll-out trays to them.
They allow for easy access to the backs of the cabinets and more storage at the same time. An important tip for those looking to sell their house is that the more storage, the merrier.
3. Add a Visible Place Where They Can Eat
One of the most important places for a home shopper to envision is where they will eat their meals. While there can be a dining room in the house, it will not feel like one without a table.
If your home’s floor plan has no separate dining room, then having a breakfast nook is highly recommended. There are kitchen island ideas to accommodate a breakfast bar with a set of barstools. Remember that you shouldn’t get a cheap-looking table just because you need a dining surface. This furniture needs to look cohesive with the rest of the house.
If you must acquire a dining table, remember that a smaller one will make your dining space look bigger.
4. While Basic necessities Are Nice, Luxuries Will Drive Up The Price
Just like having a car with options, unique features to a home will be advantages in a sale. Many people will consider the patio deck’s hot tub as an example of an extra amenity. However, to the right person, someone will be overjoyed to know the house has central air conditioning.
If provided in the sale, many basic appliances should also be advertised. Expected appliances like a washer/dryer or refrigerator do not normally come with the house during a sale.
Mention any special materials, like hardwood flooring or marble countertops that might pique someone’s imagination and make them want to visit the house. Certain architectural features, like cathedral ceilings, balconies, and walk-in closets, will make your house seem like a castle.
5. Stick to Neutrals to Make Rooms Look Bright and Spacious
Neutral rooms may seem bland, but they can appeal to many shoppers. Some interior decorators that stage homes will prefer muted tones because they enhance any natural texture in these rooms.
This palette has a broad appeal to most home shoppers, enabling a maximum chance to gain interest in your home. These neutrals are also considered classic and can suggest living in this home for an extended period.
In contrast, bold colors may distract the home shopper, who may think the house is not the “right lifestyle for them.” They will be too busy thinking of the previous owner’s presence to imagine themselves in the same space.
A neutral palette allows the shopper to think of the room like a canvas and imagine themselves in these rooms.
6. Replace Your Cabinet Hardware
It is said that cabinet hardware is the house’s jewelry, and it seems pretty accurate. Replacing handles and knobs of your cabinets is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to improve your space. These shiny and decorative details affect how a home shopper looks at a cabinet or a new house.
Is there a preferred hardware set to get for your cabinet doors and drawers? Take inspiration from recent knobs and handles that are available on the market, especially if your current hardware looks dated. You may want to avoid bold colors and designs that distract from the room’s overall appearance.
If you are changing the hardware in your bathroom, consistency in color scheme is key. If the faucets of your sink and your bathtub are silver, stick with picking silver knobs and handles. Don’t forget that the towel rack and even the toilet roll dispenser should also match in color.
7. Replacing The Faucet Can Make The Sink Look New
Unless your sink has taken damage, you only need to ensure it’s clean and polished when selling your house. However, buyers will likely pay special attention to the faucet because the hands interact with the spout and handles.
While you can remove the stains from your current faucet, installing a new one is always more beneficial. The investment in a new faucet will be paid many times over for the value of a house when it is sold.
8. Replace Worn Carpeting or Flooring
If you lived in a home for several years, the impact of foot traffic takes a toll on your flooring. Some stains are impossible to remove with carpets, even with maintenance and care. Flooring choices can make or break a decision to buy a house, and dirtier-looking carpets are unattractive.
Replacing an old carpet with a new one will be worth the investment. Carpet installation for a single room costs a few hundred dollars, but the perceived value will be much higher. For hardwood floors, they can be refinished rather than replaced since replacing them will be more expensive.
9. Put a Fresh Coat of Paint on The Interior Walls
Repainting the rooms is one of the investments with a sizeable payoff in remodeling to sell your house. Even if you scrub down your walls, there is wear on your interior walls, like scuff marks and handprints. This is even more important if you are in a room with more activity, like a kitchen dealing with food.
A fresh coat of paint will emphasize how new this area is to your potential buyer, making it one less thing for them to worry about if they move in.
This is one of the few projects you can do with some elbow grease. This will probably be more efficient if you can get extra sets of hands that can help. But no one will balk if you hire professionals to do this task to save yourself the hassle.
10. Light Up Your Space With New Lights
Replace any burnt-out bulbs in your lights to keep your house looking bright. If one of the lights is not working, this will not leave a good impression on your buyer. The buyer’s mind will wander to thinking about other parts of the house that are faulty or not working.
Finding an electrician to ensure everything is in working order before selling might be worth it. Otherwise, that’s more money the buyer can knock off in their offer.
In addition to replacing light bulbs, take a look at your light fixtures. If your lamps look dated, it might suggest that your house is older and subject to more deterioration.
There is no need to remodel if you have track lighting if pendant lighting is currently more in trend. Just ensure that the lighting doesn’t call attention to itself in a negative or distracting way.