A recent survey by the mortgage giant Fannie Mae found that most people still feel that now is the time to buy or sell a home. If you’ve been thinking about packing up and heading for greener pastures, now might be a great time to put the for sale sign up in your yard. If you want to turn your homestead into a pile of cash, you should think about sprucing it up in order to attract the most buyers with the biggest wallets.
If you think enhancements are expensive and a waste of time, fear not – these 6 fixes listed here won’t cost you a lot at all. By spending as little money as possible, you can still get the wow factor that will draw in home buyers from near and far. Just be prepared to put in a little elbow grease and a whole lot of creativity.
Here are 6 home improvements that will see a fantastic return on your dollar.
Paint The Walls
Paint is inexpensive and if you’re just painting to sell you can go ahead and get the bargain basement brand from the hardware store. Get a small container or spackle and fill in any nail holes, dings or cracks before you start for a professional finish. Make sure you choose a neutral shade of paint to appeal to the greatest number of people. Light gray, light beige or white works. But stay away from any more powerful colors. While you might think purple is the coolest color since sliced bread, others might not agree with you.
Have A Yard Sale
The point of hosting a garage sale is to declutter your space. It’s hard for buyers to imagine themselves in your space if they’re tripping over furniture and looking past piles of clothing or video games. Aim to reduce your belongings by 1/3 to 1/2 for a huge change in appearance. If you can’t sell your stuff and don’t want to throw anything away, you can even rent a small storage space while your house is on the market.
Eliminate Basement Odors
To not scare away prospective homeowners, get rid of funky basement smells and dampness. Home buyers are always turned off by wet basements, so deal with it before you have people looking at your home. Install a dehumidifier unless the problem is too big, then you’ll have to seal the floors and walls as appropriate.
Refresh Your Hardware
Changing out your sink faucets and dated drawer pulls will give your kitchen an instant update. These changes are super easy and can be done yourself for nothing more than the cost of the replacement parts. Head to a discount hardware store for even greater savings.
Sniff Out The Pet Odors
While you may love your dog or cat, your buyers don’t want to smell them or see their hairs everywhere. Sniff out spots they tend to rest and give it a good cleaning or sprits with odor eliminator. You may want to consider a professional cleaning if you have wall to wall carpets.
Do A Little Yard Work
Your yard is the first thing buyers will see when they come in and the last thing they’ll see when they leave, so make sure the front yard is looking nice. Clean up the grass, remove dead leaves, trim the plants and mulch around flower beds. You can add some flowers or potted plants near the front door if you like to create an even more inviting look.
