In today's home market a seller has to do go over the home with a fine-tooth comb to identify areas where spending a little money will go a long way to the sale of the home. One of the main items that buyers are looking for is something that is already finished and is also low-maintenance. So when the buyer first locks his or her eyes on each part of the home nothing unfinished should jump out.
The first things many realtors will try and get the seller to do is to “upgrade,†which means spend lots of money. This could be windows, bathrooms, kitchen cabinets and any number of high-ticket items. There is truth to the adage that to increase the value of your home the seller should “follow the water.†In other words, the homeowner should allocate funds for fixing up the bathroom and kitchen in order to get the most “bang for the buck.â€
This is not necessarily so. Sometimes what catches the eye of a buyer can be bought at a dollar store.
Clean House
From the outside through to the basement the entire house has to be cleaned up. In fact this includes all the “cute†collectibles, photos and other personal items that the homeowners has been carrying around for years. This is not the time to present the home as a museum or a family shrine no matter how much the family photos are cherished. To accomplish this task the seller will probably have to rent a mini-storage unit. The list should also include almost everything in the basement and garage, non-seasonal clothes (This should be kept handy in the unit in case the place does not sell quickly), sports equipment, excess books in the bookshelves and anything that does not fit with a clean lines of the home. If necessary, a professional “de-clutter†expert should be brought in. A few hundred dollars spent here will come back many times over in the sale.
Floors
Decent flooring doesn't cost much and cleans up the house considerably. A homeowner can have an old carpet professional shampooed however, as clean as it gets, it's still an old carpet. For $3.00 a foot, a good laminate flooring can be installed which will make the room large and cleaner. In the kitchen $500 for a vinyl, cushion floor in a nice tile design can mimic a travertine tile floor or some other pattern that would finish off the kitchen. If the kitchen is small use a light floor to make it bigger. Tile is expensive, $5.00 a foot, but could grace a small area like the bathroom where a beautiful floor goes a long way.
Entrance
This is the welcome area and this can be balanced with a clean and “homey†look. For example, the door can have a seasonal swag, or wreath, hanging on it and a vase of dried flowers beside the door. Make sure the door, trim and threshold are freshly painted. The buyers will see this area up close. A welcome mat only costs a few dollars and this would be a finishing touch.
Kitchen
Cabinets: The kitchen cabinets are the first items a buyer sees entering the area. If they are looking haggard a melamine-based paint will put a great gloss finish on them. Paint the insides of the cupboards, as well and stack them with new dishes from the discount store. This will add a luster. As will matching, hanging cups. Except for the absolute necessities clean everything out to storage of the garbage.
Hardware: New hardware is like shining the chrome on a car and some great bargains can be had at the hardware stores. Sometimes they have bargain bins full of them. New faucets bring a sink to life and the stainless-steel can be brought back with jeweler's rouge polish.
Countertops: These are another eye-catcher. A new laminate counter costs less than $500 but can spruce up the whole area. For an inexpensive granite countertop, use 12†X 12†granite tiles. These are about $5 each and, using small grout lines, give a rich look to the kitchen. Finish it off with hardwood nosing pieces.
Bathroom
Shower Touch Up: If the shower area is tile, rip out the old silicon caulking. Using a sanding disk on an electric drill take out as much of the old grout as possible and then put new grout in. The whole area brightens up. Now, re-caulk the seams using masking tape to line the joints. When the caulking is done pull off the masking tape and there will be crisp lines. New taps and shower hardware will also brighten up the area. A porcelain tub can be painted with a special epoxy-based paint to a new, gloss finish.
Color: The bathroom can be re-clothed with new shower curtains with matching floor mats, towels and other fabrics. Pick a paint color that will bring out the designs.
Paint
For inside and out painting get a decorator to choose the colors. Most paint stores will offer this service free but spend a few dollars and get a pro. This person will coordinate the colors and decorating items from front to back
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