5 steps to improve your home's selling value

All homeowners who’re selling their properties try to get the highest price for them. Unfortunately, not everyone succeeds. When it’s quite visible that the requested price doesn’t correspond with the home’s value, the potential buyer will either negotiate the price till it reaches the satisfactory level (which is the best case scenario, by the way) or won’t even consider involving in the process of buying your house and walk away to review other options.

Luckily, there’re numerous things you can do in order to improve your home’s value and increase its chances to get sold for the desired price in the shortest time possible.

Steps to increase your home’s value and prepare it for sale

1. Get advice from a pro

Each home has its own personality and its own problems that require a special fix. That’s why you need to invite a realtor and an interior designer over for a joint meeting to discuss your options. Ask your realtor to suggest improvements that would boost the value of your house and help you justify the desired price point. Then, receive a follow-up consultation from an interior designer to discuss which of those remodels may fit within your budget and determine the best, cost-effective ways to perform them.

Upon request, an expert will offer a few ideas regarding interior arrangements and home staging hacks that will make your home look more appealing to a potential buyer and promote a quick sale. You shouldn’t spend more than $100 for a one-time one-hour designer’s visit, and you’ll get numerous professional opinions to kick start the home improvement process.

2. Make your home energy efficient

One of the things homebuyers look into when reviewing different houses is whether they will be able to afford maintenance and paying bills. Elevated energy costs deter their interest, especially when it comes to houses located in hotter climates or regions with cold winters, where heating takes up most of the bill during the cold season.

Thus, energy efficiency measures a rather important. If you’re an owner of an older house that hasn’t been updated for a while, look into quality insulation, energy efficient appliances (heating and air conditioning systems in particular), windows that protect against the direct sunlight in summer and cold air penetration along with the heat loss in winter.

3. Increase the amount of living space

In modern market conditions, reasonably sized homes that offer plenty of living space get sold a lot faster than larger, yet more expensive alternatives. Your home may be sold for a much higher price than the house in the same neighborhood and of the same square footage if you rearrange the floor plan and add the living space without conducting any structural extensions.

Refinishing a basement and remodeling an attic into a living room are the most common pain-free ways to do that. The cost of such remodels fluctuates from $10,000 to $50,000 (remodeling contractor’s services and materials included), but the added value and the price boost exceeds the expenses.

Laundry rooms, playrooms, extra storage space and a home office add value to any home and make it look more appealing to Millennials – people, who make up the majority of home buyers these days.

4. Revamp your kitchen

Modern, good-looking kitchens are major selling points. The kitchen is something that gets replaced not as frequently as everything else around the house due to the high cost of the appliances, cabinets and their installation. Most new homebuyers don’t have the means or desire to conduct such a renovation right after purchasing a house, so they look for properties that already have nice kitchens. They will change everything else to make the house feel like their own, but the kitchen will most likely remain the same.

So, you have a chance to improve your home’s value by revamping your kitchen. If your budget doesn’t allow for a full replacement, consider refinishing current cabinets, replacing countertops and installing a double stainless steel sink with a convenient faucet.

5. Improve your home’s curb appeal

There is a significant percentage of homebuyers who pay a lot of attention to the way the house looks on the outside and the state of the garden. Even such things as repainting siding and windows, cutting the grass, trimming the bushes, adding flowers and removing the yard mess will help you make a better first impression and add to the home’s value without breaking the budget. Shade trees, nice walkways and good, clean roof without missing shingles will boost the price even more.