Exterior Updates to Boost Resale Value

Exterior Updates to Boost Resale Value

One of the best tools in a seller's arsenal is curb appeal. The outside of a home or property is one of the first things a buyer sees, and while many times it's not on the outside that counts, when it comes to real estate, the outside of a home plays a huge part in whether a buyer is going to want to take a look inside.

If a property can catch a buyer's eye from the get go, the probability that the buyer will want to look inside exponentially grows. If you've put your property on the market and are not attracting the number of potential buyers you'd like, or you're considering putting your property on the market and would like to give it a step above the other options on the market, consider these exterior home updates to help attract more buyers and help the resale value of your home or property.

Landscape

Unless your home or property is in an urban environment, say the middle of the city, it's highly likely you have some kind of yard or landscape. While not all homeowners enjoy working in the yard, a front yard or outdoor area makes a huge first impression on house hunters. Not to mention that 92 percent of home buyers now begin their search online, looking at pictures of homes, so showcasing the front of your home by landscaping or adding natural elements will undoubtedly help attract buyers and overall add to the total value of the home.

6 Worth The Price Fix Ups

1. Cleaning and Decluttering Remove any personal items, unclutter countertops, organixe closets and shelves nd make the home sprakling clean. ($299 cost $1990 RETURN)

2. Brightening. Clean all the windows inside and out, replace old curtains, update lighting fixtures and REMOVE ANYTHING BLOCKING the windows, that means also on the outside any shrubs, flowers that have not been trimmed in years. ($375 cost $1550 RETURN)

3. Smart Staging Rearrange furniture, bring in new accessories and furnishings to enhance rooms.incorporate artwork and play soft music in the background.($550 cost $2194 RETURN)

4. Landscaping enhancements Punch up the homes curb appeal in the front and back yards by adding mulch, bushes and flowers and ensuring current plants and grass are well cared for and manicured. ($540 cost $1392 RETURN)

5. Reparing electrical and plumbing. Fix leaks under sinks, remove any mildew stains, and make sure the plumbing is in working order. Update the homes electrical by updating outlets and any lights that don't work. ($535 cost $1505 RETURN)

6. Replacing or shampooing dirty carpets. Steam clean carpets, replace any worn carpets and repair any floors that creak. ($647 Cost $1739 RETURN)

All this is good and worth it as long as it has been taken care of PRIOR to putting the house on the market. So that it is in the best possible light when it first comes on the market. Doing it while it is on the market diminishes all that is being done because the first few weeks any one seeing the house already as their impression of it.

costs excerpted from home gain 2011 home sle maximizer survey. www.homesalemaximizer.com

 

 

Staging Your Kitchen for Sale!

#3 Priority for Remodel Curb Appeal!

Priority #3 - Crank Up the Curb Appeal

Small changes outdoors can really boost your home's curb appeal for a potential buyer. Here's where a $1,000 budget can create the biggest impact:

• Add a deck. If you're a handy guy or gal, or you have friends that fall into that category, consider building a wood deck to add to your home's outdoor living space. If you're not looking at a mammoth-sized deck you should be able to purchase the lumber, tools and supplies for less than a grand.

• Replace the lawn. HGTV suggests that if you can get the job done for your $1,000 budget, ripping up your existing lawn and replacing it with sod will positively impact your home's value. Just don't forget to water!

• Pretty up the entranceway. Draw buyers to your front door with attractive planters, flowers and a hardwood bench or set of chairs and a small patio table. Line the walkway with a border of perennial plants or simple lighting fixtures.

Thoughts On Home Staging

It is a quick, intensive house make over that creates a theater for the home buyer. Staiging is a hybrid of advertising and marketing, which carefully designs the house to appeal to the statistically probable buyer.
Stagers create a property to appeal to the buyers not how they live NOW but how they aspire to live.
Homes that have been staged get faster market attention, sell rapidly for a higher price, are more organized and make the moving process lerss stressful for the seller

Staging is not just INSIDE it is OUTSIDE too for Curb Appeal

Realtor.com and other websites have photographs of your house for sale, and those photographs are a BIG FACTOR in whether buyers choose to visit your lisitng offline.

Curb Appeal today means WEB APPEAL!

• How do I make my lisitng/ house for sale  more photogenicc?

  Start by taking a picture of it form the front. Look at it and critique it.

  What are the best features?

• What is it lacking?

• Are the bushes overgrown and you can't see the windows? trim the bushes down so you can see the window and more light can get in.

• Can you see the trash can from the front?

• Add window boxes for more color and interest they should be the full length of the window and NOT under the shutters

• Is the light bulb on the outside light working? What does the fixture look like old and rusty? Replace it

• Is there a tree with no leaves just branches? get it cut!

• Does the door blend in with the house? Paint it with a contrast color. and if not then place some flower pots with colorful flowers to give it pop.

Anything that you have procrastinated about now is the time to get it DONE! before the buyers start looking and calculating 3 times what the actual cost to fix it would be.