by Ann Meadows | Jun 30, 2011 | For Sellers
If you are thinking about selling your home in Denver, you should take some time to consider the upgrades and additions that would add value to your home and make it more competitive in the local real estate market. HGTV compiled a list of 20 ways to add value to your home; here are five suggestions that will help you earn top dollar when you sell your home.
- Repairing the siding of your Denver home should be at the top of your list. In addition to your outdoor space, the exterior of the house is the first thing a potential buyer sees, so you want to give the buyer confidence that your home is well-maintained and not a fixer-upper.
- Updating certain parts of the household bathrooms will often earn you a higher return on investment than other upgrades. Small but noticeable upgrades are not time-consuming and relatively inexpensive.
- Fixing up the kitchen will also provide a higher return on investment. Something as simple as removing the wallpaper and painting the room a new color will breath new life into the space.
- Adding new windows to the house will improve the first impression on a potential buyer and save the home’s energy bill up to 30 percent per month.
- Fresh coats of paint in most rooms will give your house the new and clean look that potential buyers are looking for. They are looking for a home to call their own, not one that looks like someone else has already lived there.
Do you have your own suggestions on how to add value to your Denver home before selling it? Leave them in a comment to share with others!
Photo courtesy of Stock.xchng
by Ann Meadows | Mar 18, 2011 | For Sellers
Has your home been on the market a little longer than you had planned? How is your curb appeal? Known as “outdoor staging,” great curb appeal is just as important as a lavish indoors. No one will ever know the quality of the interior is you never get them past the mailbox.
An attractive exterior with fresh paint, clean windows, freshly mowed lawn, and colorful plants will set the stage for the indoors. There are certain issues that come up when dealing with city properties such as litter, leaves, among other things. Neighborhood homes have other issues like homes next door not taking care of their property. Some home sellers have asked next door neighbors to clean their yard up and even paid to have their home painted. Do what you can to make your home look the most presentable, no matter the obstacle.
Increasing your home’s curb appeal does not have to be costly, unless your home calls for professional service. It is something that might not give you a direct return, but it will help you get a buyer in your front door. Sellers have also found it helpful to take pictures of their home during different seasons so buyers can see the beauty of the home during nice summer seasons even in the midst of winter.
Give me a call to learn more about the importance of good curb appeal and to see how you can help your home attract more buyers looking to relocate to Denver.
Source: RISMedia
Photo credit: stock.xchng
by Ann Meadows | Jan 17, 2011 | For Sellers
I recently discussed some helpful home staging tips to follow when preparing your home for showings (see Home Staging 101: Part 1). Here are more great tips that will help get your home into “show home” shape:
- Clean
It might be worth the investment to have a professional come to deep clean your home and then spend 20-30 minutes each day maintaining their work. Make sure your windows are clean, so you can open the windows to let in more light. Remove all water stains and messes on countertops, sinks, bathtubs, shelves, etc. Clean all floors.
- Turn excess inventory into cash
Have you collected extra supplies of lightbulbs, paper products, or other items? Take it back to the appropriate store to get extra cash or store credit. You will use the store credit once you move and you will have free space to show the buyer.
- Watch where the eye goes
Walk through your home and look for imperfections like peeling wallpaper, chipping door frames, holes in walls, etc. Take a critical friend with you to get a third party opinion. Fix the problems that you can. If you are not able to fix a problem, strategically place items in the general area that will distract the buyer from the issue, but do not cover up the problem.
- Find a fix-it person
Although you have learned to ignore problems such as leaky faucets and crooked cupboards, home buyers will not. Do not risk having these small issues coming up when you negotiate the price. Hire a professional to fix the problems.
- Consider the curb appeal
Keep the lawn freshly mowed and free of leaves or snow. Clear all walkways and tuck garbage away around the corner so the buyer will not see or smell the trash. Look at the condition of your front door and railings and see if they need a fresh coat of paint. A good scrub will clear away most dirt and it might do the job just as well.
Looking to sell your home in the Denver area? Give me a call to learn about how I can market your home.
Source: Staging Diva
Photo Credit: DuffDudeX1 on Wikimedia Commons
by Ann Meadows | Jan 10, 2011 | For Sellers
It can be difficult to know how to stage your home to have it appeal to the largest pool of potential home buyers. Home sellers hear all types of tips for home staging, but the most important thing to remember is that you need to play up your home’s strengths and downplay its weaknesses. I will be talking about home staging for the next couple of weeks and I will provide you with tips that you can do on your own to help your home sell faster. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Bye, Bye Clutter
Get rid of the clutter in your home. Have a rule that you take away an item when you add an item to your decor to avoid displaying too many things. Your furniture might also be a problem. Professional home stagers typically take away half of the furniture in a home to prep it for sale. Homes that have less furniture always look larger in the eyes of the buyer.
- Furniture Groupings
Instead of pushing your furniture against the walls to make the room look larger, make small conversational areas and float pieces away from the walls. This will help make the traffic flow obvious and open up the room.
- Musical Furniture
Just because you bought a certain piece of furniture, artwork, or accessory for a particular room does not mean that you can not move it around. This might mean taking the armchair that is in your living room and placing it in your bedroom for a reading area, or taking a small dining room table and transforming it into a writing desk or library table.
- Room Transformations
Every home has that room or rooms that end up gathering dust with storage items and other junk. Repurpose those rooms. For example, adding some rubber padding and some cushy pillows to create a yoga room or any other type of room that a buyer will see as valuable.
- Home Lighting
Great lighting can improve the look of your home. Many homeowners do not having adequate lighting. For each 50 square feet, have at least 100 watts of light and distribute the lighting with ambient (general or overhead), task (pendant, under-cabinet or reading), and accent (table and wall).
Check back with the blog for part 2 and help your home staging out among the rest!
Source: Home & Garden Television
Photo Credit: Home & Garden Television
