Home sellers who pay close attention to the details that home buyers want will sell for more money and sell their home in record time. In fact, we sold a home in three hours, for more than asking price, by using a few redesign techniques. You don't need to redesign your entire home, but there are three areas that pay you to spend some time and money. 1. Grab the Buyer's Attention From the Curb Before you can get a home shopper to view your home, you must first attract them with the exterior. Buyers drive around areas of interest looking for houses that "speak to them." Entice home shoppers to get out of their car to see what's behind your attractive front door. 1. Garden: pull weeds, cut overgrowth, add color or deep green foliage. 2. Access: provide walkway to front door so buyers don't have to walk around cars or over lawns. Especially during winter months, buyers won't want to track up their future home with dirty shoes. 3. Accessorize: attract the eye with colorful pots or flowers near the front door. Increase the Value of Your Home - Redesign These Two Rooms Of course, you want your entire home to "feel like home" to the buyer. However, your front entry and kitchen generate the largest impact on a buyer's opinion. 2. First Impressions - Your Home's Entry Home shoppers make up their minds about a home when they first cross the threshold. They either like the home or they don't. This impression influences the rest of their home inspection. 1. Remove all clutter and extra furnishings. Allow plenty of space for people to see the home's features. Your entry isn't about YOU, so take down family photos and memorabilia. 2. Freshen up paint, if needed, in a color that attracts your buyer's profile. 3. Match the lighting intensity to the outdoor setting. This helps buyers eyes adjust from outside to inside light. 4. Add a large mirror to reflect the buyers in their new home. Seeing themselves in the setting psychologically puts them in the home. 3. Kitchen Redesign that Pays Updated kitchens with new appliances, countertops, and attractive cabinets excite buyers. But expensive kitchen improvements may only give you back a portion of the costs. Instead, make minor cosmetic improvements and necessary repairs. Sometimes replacing ONE kitchen appliance makes a huge difference. 1. Paint the walls and/or cabinets. 2. Add new cabinet hardware, check the hinges and catches. 3. Replace faucets. 4. Replace chipped sinks. (Restore4 works well to remove stubborn stains.) 5. Replace light fixtures, switch plates, electrical outlets and covers. 6. Learn home staging strategies to make your kitchen stand out from other kitchens in your buyer's mind. More improvements to your home help you sell for top dollar. The key, balance between costs and payback, gives you the highest return on your time and investment. Remember, you house is not just your home; your house is your investment property. The more money you make selling your home, the more money you have for your next home and financial future. Copyright Jeanette J. Fisher |
