Transcription: Looking to sell your home? Selling a house is an exciting experience that can be financially rewarding. As a homeowner you want to maximize your selling price. A great place to start is the exterior look of your home. Creating curb appeal will ensure prospective buyers want to come inside.
First impressions are very important. Try seeing your home through the eyes of a potential buyer. Small lapses in maintenance over the years may have become invisible to you, but will be extremely obvious to potential buyers. Remember a little investment today will help you maximize your selling price tomorrow. There are plenty of helpful low-cost tips to create more curb appeal without spending a bundle. Here are a few:
Remove all yard debris
Cut, rake and patch any lawn discolourations
Wash the driveway and patch cracks and holes
Repair and paint your fence
Clean the gutters and windows, and replace any broken windows or torn screens
Repair and replace and damaged siding or shingles
Touch up any peeling paint on doors, windows, siding, and trim
Consider updating your front door handles, number sign, and lights
Remember, prospective buyers will judge your house within the first 30 seconds, so make sure you maximize this opportunity by adding natural beauty and colour with flower boxes and planters.
Your Royal LePage Realtor can give you important information on comparable properties that have recently sold in your local market. And to help achieve the best sale price in the shortest time possible, your Royal LePage Realtor will give you expert advice on what you need to do to prepare your home for sale. Among those suggestions will be simple fixes that will let you stay within budget while optimizing your return on investment. To maximize the selling price of your home, contact your local Royal LePage Realtor for more information on creating curb appeal and for expert help and advice on buying and selling.
CALL YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT
One mistake that home owners make when they are ready to sell their home is getting their home “ready” to sell before they call an agent. The home owners will make repairs or upgrades that have will little or no return on their investment. Your real estate agent (hey, that’s me) will give you tips on what renovations are necessary to sell, if any.
DE-CLUTTER
Remove everything but the essentials. Donate what you don’t want and store the rest. Plenty of people prefer to use storage units for items they want to keep. Take a minute to organize kitchen cabinets, closets, bathrooms and the pantry. It if looks like a clothing store in your closet and a well-fronted grocery store, you’re doing great.
DE-PERSONALIZE
Potential buyers want to be able to walk into your home and imagine themselves living there. They can’t do that if you have pictures of your family up and decor like “Thomas Family. Established in 1988” hanging on the front door. Remove these items, and any built-in items that you’ll be taking with you. Place personal items from your bathroom vanity in accessible boxes.
DEEP CLEAN
Wax the floors, dust everything, and polish metals. Get every single crack and crevice as clean as it can be and remove odd odors. If this seems like an overwhelming task, break it down into smaller tasks and put it on a calendar.
REPAIR THE BASICS
If the door squeaks, get some WD-40. If the bathroom needs re-caulked, that’s okay. Small projects are good, large ones are not (i.e. you do not need to replace all of the windows in your house). The biggest project you should tackle is painting bright colored walls. Bright colored walls says to potential buyers “this is going to take work.” Try neutral colors, off whites and light grays.
SPRUCE UP THE CURB APPEAL
Maintain the lawn, pressure wash the exterior, and clean up the shrubbery. Hire a professional or shell out a couple of bucks for flowers or seasonal plants for the garden!
