Monday, May 14, 2012


10 Cheap Fixes to Sell Your Home
In today's market, buyers want a move-in ready house at a great price!  I tell my sellers they need to make their home feel fresh & new to add to the saleability.  This doesn't have to cost a lot of money though... I have found some great fixes that are relatively cheap and will help you sell your home more quickly (if it's priced right :-).

1. Make your kitchen pop!
With the kitchen being the central hub of a home, make it fresh with simple accessories.  Add a new faucet set to the sink and some new cabinet door pulls to brighten up the older accents. Updating lighting fixtures with brighter energy efficient ones can also bring greater value into your home. 

2. Give your appliances a facelift.
New panels for your kitchen appliances can give old fixtures a new and uniform look. If you have miss-matched appliances, simply call the manufacturer and order new face panels to give them all the same look.  One trick for dishwashers is that many of the panels are white on one side and black on the other. So by simply removing and flipping it around you may achieve that cohesive look.

3. Take care of the bathroom.
Next to the kitchen, bathrooms are one of the most important rooms for buyers.  Stop by the Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Chambers in Eagle for a new toilet seat or pedestal sink to brighten up an old bathroom.  Then, get dirty and do a quick once over with new grout on the spots that look dingy to give the look of a well-maintained home. 

4. Add Storage!
Especially in older homes,storage is a much valued commodity.  By taking advantage of the space you have with organizational systems you can give the space a more purposeful use. There are many do it yourself options as well as online tools to measure and set up the space to your needs. 

5. Hire a professional.
Hire a handyman to come in for a few hours and tend to the many small fixes that are probably needed.  With the professionals expertise you can fix all those faulty outlets, lights or sinks that may drip.  Again, the goal is to present a well-maintained home to buyers.

6. Mind your steps.
If your flooring is dingy, rent a carpet cleaner and in 2 hours your home will have a nice, clean, fresh look. If some spots are unrepairable, add area rugs to hide the problem spots.

7. Brighten your space.
If your room has boring or dark lighting, add some simple but modern lighting fixtures to liven up the space or buy lamps.  The more light the better!  Add new blades to a ceiling fan while keeping the body for a cheap update to that fixture. 


8. Your entrance gates
The front door is part of the first impression so add new hardware if yours is dated. If the door itself isn't up to snuff, then give it a nice coat of fresh paint for increased curb appeal.

9. Some fresh sod goes a long way.
Spend time pulling weeds, edging sidewalks and driveways and trimming hedges.  This will give a well-maintained look to the front facade. If that doesn't cut it, you may also need to buy some new shrubs and plants to place around your house with a fresh bed of mulch. This is the first thing buyers see and for a couple hundred dollars and a day's worth of work, you can add a ton of value to your house.

10. Paint correctly.
While new paint can add new life to a room this is a job many people do incorrectly or poorly. Make sure when doing this you are sanding down all bumps and blemishes on the wall as well as fixing nicks and holes. If the original color is dark make sure you are priming the space first to allow the new color to shine. Only pick neutral colors!

Don't do this!

Many of these jobs can be done over a weekend with only a few hundred dollars. While the actual value of these fixes are hard to quantify, there is no doubt that prospective buyers will appreciate and notice these minor cheap fixes. If you need any help or further information on staging your home, please let me know.

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