Making a jump into the housing marketplace is an important life decision. It doesn’t matter which side of the spectrum you’re on, buying or selling. For today’s purposes, lets stick to what I feel is the more neglected side; very few of the cable network home shows focus on the seller. Most highlight the process of purchasing and renovating the home of the new owner, not the old.
Let’s play pretend for a minute. You’ve lived in a home that was everything you could have asked for at the time of purchase, but for one reason or another you’ve outgrown it or are looking for a change of scenery. What now though? You love everything about this house, so much so that you haven’t performed the proper upgrades needed to get a competitive price on the market. There are so many things you can change about a home… where do you even start? Although there are many directions you can go on this journey, some research makes it seem like there’s a few items everyone can agree on.
Curb appeal: How does your home look from the street? Is the lawn well kept? Are there shrubs, and if so, how much upkeep to they need? One rule of thumb, and it helps if it’s green in this case, is the less pruning and upkeep the better. Having a tree or two is a big plus as well.
Paint: Take some time to check out what colors are currently trending. If you don’t feel like doing the entire place, see if you can find a color that would suit an accent wall.
Storage: You may think that you’re at capacity in your current living space. You’d be surprised at the different ways you can expand! Check out this link for a ton of new options!
Kitchen: This is in my opinion the most fun and could be the easiest. Kitchens seem to have the most bang for their buck. Upgrade some appliances, maybe change the countertop, and voila the whole space is transformed.
Bathroom: Kitchens and bathrooms are very similar; cosmetic upgrades bring big $$$.
And finally, if you’re really feeling up to jumping into the game, taking down a couple of walls can make a huge difference. Current trends in the realty world show that the more open a home is, the more draw it will have.