Help your home appear updated and move-in-ready to prospective buyers with these tips from Curbio.
While you’re living in your home, you may find its value is tied to the memories created with the ones you love.
As soon as you list your home for sale, the meaning of “home value” immediately changes. It’s time to pack up those memories – along with your dishes, lamps, and sofas – and focus on all the ways to make your home appeal to as many buyers as possible.
It can be overwhelming deciding where to start on improvements before a move. So, here are nine spots to focus on for value-adding updates that are sure to be big wins – helping make your home the move-in-ready listing today’s buyers are looking for.
1. Give your landscaping some love
It’s not just what’s on the inside that counts. First impressions make or break a home sale, and increasing your curb appeal goes a long way towards boosting that initial impression. Tend to your garden by mulching, cleaning up your edges, and pulling the weeds. Remember that low maintenance landscaping is often most appealing to buyers, whereas complicated topiary and finicky plants can scare them away. Even if your would-be garden space is small, planting some easy-to-maintain perennials can really spruce up the outside.
2. Update fixtures
Sconces, chandeliers, and pendant lights are opportunities to modernize and change the feel of your home without undertaking a huge project. Simple, classic designs in timeless metal finishes are great choices because of their mass appeal, and small pops of color or unique pieces can add lots of character if used sparingly throughout the home.
3. Invest in appliances
Updating your home doesn’t just apply to design – it applies to ease of use and lack of future maintenance, too. Equipping your home with modern appliances is a must-do if you’re thinking about a potential home sale. They help underscore a turnkey experience for buyers, and they can be well worth the cost of investment.
4. Make needed repairs
Don’t overlook the non-glamorous updates and deferred maintenance if you’re hoping to maximize on your investment with your home sale. Potential buyers need to have confidence in all facets of your home or they will not be able to envision themselves living there. That means everything needs to work the way it should: faucets that don’t leak, decks that don’t sag, doors that open according to code, etc. Start by checking up on your roof and HVAC system, and move your way down the list in search of necessary repairs.
5. Finish unfinished spaces
If you’ve been waiting for a reason to finish your basement, before selling is a great time. If you have a space in your home that doesn’t serve a specific purpose or function, it can be a red flag in the eyes of a buyer. Your home value may skyrocket just by clearly defining each space throughout the property. Try converting that catch-all room to an extra bedroom or home office and transform an unfinished basement into a family den.
6. Focus on your kitchen
Kitchens, without a doubt, are the heart of the home. That means that they are typically the first space potential buyers consider when evaluating a home purchase, and kitchen investments are some of the best kinds you can make to increase your home value. First, ask yourself:
• Is my kitchen functional?
• Is my kitchen spacious?
• Is my kitchen sleek?
Next, focus on the areas of improvement that will maximize your home’s value. If your kitchen is relatively new, consider smaller upgrades like fresh hardware. On the other hand, if your kitchen is dated, in need of love, or under-functional, you should seriously consider a kitchen renovation to help your home compete with new builds and win the hearts and minds of buyers.
7. Open your floor plan
A spacious, open living area is a desired feature in today’s real estate market. Floor plans with lots of walls and too many separate rooms tend to inhibit a communal feeling and often lack natural light, which can be detractors from your home’s value. Consider opening or removing some of the non-load-bearing walls in your home to form an open floorplan within your living space.
8. Create an outdoor experience
If your backyard is just a patch of grass, that means it’s full of potential opportunity to increase home value. A covered patio, pergola, fire pit, or an outdoor eating area are all great ways to set the scene for an experiential outdoor lounge space – and appeal to buyers. Who doesn’t want a place to roast s’mores, stargaze, and grill out?
9. Transform your bathroom into a spa
Self-care is in, and that means buyers are looking for bathrooms that emulate a spa. Incorporating spa-like finishes will help your bathroom feel luxurious, relaxing, and indulgent. That could entail adding sleek finishes, a soaking tub, and a light, airy color palette.
Now that you’re informed on what updates to complete before listing your home, it’s time to get started! Curbio is a turnkey solution that provides full-scale project management for every pre-listing project, no matter the size or scope. Plus, sellers never pay out of pocket – 100% of the project costs are deferred until closing. Any agent can request an estimate from Curbio free of charge, with a same-day response. Agents can learn more and get started with Curbio now.
Article originally appeared on RE/MAX.
