Easy Upgrades That Can Help Speed Up the Sale of Your Home!

You’ve decluttered and cleaned your house from top to bottom, with a view to putting it up on the market. You’ve done some upgrades to the garden and curb appeal, as well as discussed some easy staging with your realtor, but what can you do to upgrade the inside of your home, to help speed up its sale?

Repair where you can, rather than replacing!

When parts of your home are looking worn and tired, that can have a real negative impact for buyers. They see a lot of work in their future, and that might not be what they’re looking for. But that doesn’t mean that you have to rip out all the flooring and put in a brand new kitchen with new appliances! Consider instead some less costly repairs that can give your home the spruce it might need to appeal to others. Like what?

• Sand and refinish scratched hardwood floors.
• Replace the chipping grout in tubs and showers.
• Repair and repaint any walls that have damage to the drywall.
• Update fixtures, like faucets, or cabinet hardware, rather than replacing the units entirely in the kitchen.
• A new toilet seat and new hardware in the bathroom will go a long way too.
• If your front door is looking tired, replace or at least just the hardware. It’s a first impression that can count!

Mind your environmental footprint!

No, I’m not talking about installing solar panels and tapping into the local grid. I did say  ‘easy upgrades’, after all! But you can make a big difference with something as simple as making sure that all your light fixtures are updated and replacing incandescent bulbs with new LED bulbs. They’re more expensive, but last longer and are far more ecologically conscious.

Go techno and make your home smarter!

When I say ‘techno’, I’m not referring to the booming, beat heavy music from the 90s. I’m talking about adding some high-tech features to the inner workings of your home! These updates appeal to all sorts of buyers, so turning a home into a smart home is an upgrade that can pay dividends. For example, if you’re going to replace light fixtures, and add lighting in rooms that lack some, why not go the extra step and connect all of your lighting through a wireless app that can help you schedule when they’re on, adds random schedules for when you’re away and can still be controlled through manual dimmer switches? You’ll save on your energy bill and so will the new owners! You can even connect these to voice activated systems, like Google Home, to impress potential buyers! Other options? Video door monitoring systems, keyless door locks and smart thermostats, like those from NEST, and more are all on the wish lists people have and if you’ve already got them in place, your house looks that much more appealing. A simple upgrade can be something like replacing outlets with ones that have USB plugins on them — it’s a cool feature that will stand out!

Less is more!

Do you have dated draperies at the windows, or old blinds? Better to get rid of them all together than have that be what prospective buyers see as they look towards the garden. Same for old rugs. If they’re looking frayed or tired, get rid of them, or at least put them in storage for a while. Get rid of the old bed linens, as well as the threadbare towels in the bathroom: fresh, gorgeous linens make a statement. Old ratty towels do too, but just not the right one! It’s an inexpensive, easy update that you can do without hiring anyone!

Extra Tip: Photograph your home out of season!

If you’re not in the market to sell your home right now, but think you might in the future, take pictures of it looking its best in every season. Why? Well, if you end up needing to sell in the middle of winter, because of a job change or other reasons, you’ll have gorgeous photos of the outside in the beautiful summer months to show! When you’re all decluttered, cleaned up and ready to sell, make sure you work with a realtor who will get you the best price! Working with someone who understands the market, all the ins and outs of the real estate business and can get your home sold quickly is your best bet to have a stress free transaction! Talk soon!