Tips and Tricks Can Increase the Resale Value on Your Home

Selling your home is stressful. After years of living in a space the idea of parting with it can be hard enough without the extra worry of hoping to make money off it. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that hard. There are many changes that offer a huge payoff whether you’re planning on putting your house on the market in a few weeks or a few years.

Depersonalize and stage

Remember, you’re selling a house, not your home. Buyers want to be able to see themselves living there, so make it easy for them. You’ll need to remove everything that feels personal. Take down family photos, paint the walls neutral colors and remove any personality inspired decorations. For example, not everyone is a sports fan, crazy about their college, or religious. There is a big difference in designing your home and staging a house.

When staging, keep your home decluttered and clean. This helps visually trick the eye into making rooms feel more spacious than the square footage suggests. You might have to rearrange and remove some of your furniture. Homes in Austin tend to sell within 20 days, and in a highly competitive market it pays to stage your home to get the most out of it. When in doubt, talk to your knowledgeable REALTOR® at Williamson Group about your home and ask for their advice.

Minor updates to the kitchen and bathroom

Minor renovations in the kitchen and bathroom yield the biggest return on investments. The kitchen is the heart of the home for many families. Keeping it functional and welcoming is a huge draw for many new homeowners.

However, this does not mean that you have to rebuild your kitchen from scratch. Simple fixes such as swapping out knobs and door handles and switching out the faucet can be enough to make it look brand new.

Likewise, bathroom updates can be relatively inexpensive and have an even higher return on investment. Today, buyers are looking for a spa-like feel. Update the vanity and install bright and warm lighting to freshen it up.

Remember not to neglect the details. Scrub out any rust stains, clean or regrout the tiles, buy a new toilet -- these small projects can go a long way.

Go under the hood

Though it’s not as noticeable as a kitchen or bathroom update, it’s important to make sure your home is up to date on maintenance. After putting down a large down payment, new homeowners do not want to spend more money on repairs and updating the nuts and bolts of the house.

It is also a smart idea to make as many energy efficient changes as possible. Replace your windows with double or triple-paned glass and add fiberglass insulation to the attic to help conserve heat. Not only will you save money and help the environment, it’s incredibly attractive to new buyers.

Likewise, updating the essentials such as the water heater, electric panel, or furnace is a huge relief to buyers if they’ve seen their better days. And since they won’t have to put money aside to fix these issues, they can use that money toward purchasing your house instead.

Curb appeal counts

It’s easy to get caught up in the interior of the house, but the exterior is just as important. It is the first thing people see before they even step inside. Make sure the entrance is welcoming because you want buyers to be able to imagine coming home through that door. A fresh coat of paint and some bright flowers are the perfect touches in creating a warm feel.

Watch for cracks in the sidewalk and damage to the siding. Though you may have grown accustomed to it, it can be a turn off to new buyers. Spending the time and money to patch it, clean it, and possibly replace it, is worth it.

While landscaping can make a difference as well, you do not have to go overboard. Just keeping the lawn clean and the hedges and trees trimmed can be enough. An intensely landscaped yard can be too much upkeep for some buyers. Moderation is key.

Selling your home can be cumbersome but it doesn’t have to be with the right upgrades. When staging your home opt to declutter and depersonalize and utilize your realtor. In addition, make minor upgrades to the kitchen and bathroom, ensure home maintenance is looked after, and don’t forget about curb appeal. Keep this tips in mind and you can sell your home in no time!

Article provided by Ray Flynn from DIYGuys.net.