If you are hoping to sell your home in 2014, there are many small home improvement projects you can undertake to make it more appealing to prospective buyers. Here are ten resolutions you should make for the new year so that you can ring in 2015 with a house long sold.
1. Clean, Clean, Clean
If you are actively showing your house, take a weeklong break to do an early spring cleaning. Potential buyers notice every fingerprint and scuff mark, so scrub your house to a high shine. Get the cobwebs out of the high corners; wipe off the windowsills and do all of the deep cleaning you may have been putting off.
2. Spruce Up the Entrances
Winter can make the most gorgeous plantings look dead and lifeless, but there is no excuse for the branches scratching at passing buyers. Trim back any intruding plants, remove snow and ice from the footpaths, and make sure any handrails are sturdy and free of ice. Your porch should also be free of ice and snow to welcome in visitors.
3. Paint
You may love the blood-red accent wall in your bedroom, but it might be sending prospective buyers fleeing. The same goes for the pale pink walls and teddy bear border in the baby’s room. Tackle one room at a time, fill and smooth any nail holes in the walls and paint the interior a neutral color such as eggshell or cream.
4. Let in Light
Overcast winter weather and heavy curtains can turn your beautiful house into a dull, drab cave. Make sure your windows are polished inside and out. Pull the blinds and let the light pour in when you have a viewing scheduled. You can also replace low-wattage bulbs with higher wattage to add more illumination, as long as you do not overpower the receptacles.
5. Downsize Your Possessions
Nothing makes a house look smaller or more cluttered than to have every square inch of available space taken up with belongings. To make your house appear larger and simplify your life, pack away all of your nonessentials. This will also make packing to move a breeze, as a lot of the work will already be done.
6. Eliminate Odors
If you have pets or small children, you may not notice just how your house smells. The smell does not even need to be unpleasant to drive away buyers. Find the source of any odor and attack it with an unscented odor eliminator.
7. Make a Honey-Do List
Do a walk-through of your home and make a list of all the minor repairs you may have been putting off. List everything from cracked electrical outlet covers to rusty hinges and fix these up one by one.
8. Consider Your Floors
A gleaming, perfect linoleum floor is usually much better than a battered and scuffed hardwood. If any of your floors are looking tired or worn, consider having them redone. Cracked tiles and loose caulking in the bathroom can look terrible, as can nasty carpeting.
9. Eliminate Allergens
While many real estate agents may tell you to bake fresh cookies before a viewing, baking peanut butter blossoms with an allergic couple coming in could turn into a disaster. The same can be said about indoor pets and their dander, as well as certain flowering house plants. If at all possible, remove these items completely.
10. Refuse to Over-Stage
Having your home professionally staged can be a great boon in getting it sold, but resist the urge to over-stage it. You do not want your house to appear sterile and boring, as this can turn off many potential buyers. Strive for balance when it comes to www.
Proper home improvement can go a long way towards making your home appear welcoming and lovely to potential buyers. If you are hoping to sell your home in 2014, these 10 resolutions can help you meet your goal.
