Selling your home: Curb appeal, upkeep attract buyers – Eau Claire Leader-Telegram
Whether you’re selling your home in the current market or are several years out, the upgrades you invest in can affect more than your wallet.
Being smart about where you spend your money can help your home make a great first impression and command top dollar.
The following are three guidelines for making smart investments when preparing to sell your home.
Curb appeal
Your home’s exterior is the first thing potential buyers see, whether online or in person.
It’s important that they feel safe and welcome when first experiencing your home.
You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression so do it right from the start.
• Where to invest? Cleaning and landscaping are low-cost, high-impact updates. Start by scrubbing windows, clearing out gutters and power washing siding. For landscaping options, buy cheap shrubs or cut back existing bushes and plant bright flowers. Freshen up mulch and pull pesky weeds.
Sprucing up these areas can typically give you 100 percent return on your investment. It’s why curb appeal remains one of the top areas to invest in when selling your home.
Back to basics
Buyers take the basics for granted.
They expect the furnace to work, windows to open and basements to remain dry.
If your home needs a new roof, but you splurge on a dream kitchen instead, it could scare off potential buyers, no matter how gourmet your new kitchen looks.
Buyers have a limit to their budget. They can live with functional and outdated cabinets when they don’t have to worry about the foundation.
• Where to invest? Ensure your home is well maintained by keeping up with projects while you are living there. It’s inexpensive and less stressful to fix or update over time than right before you plan to put your house on the market.
It may seem like wasted money when no one can see the updated electrical system, but buyers appreciate a move-in ready and well maintained home.
Quick fix or upgrade?
To upgrade or not is one of the biggest dilemmas sellers have when putting their homes on the market.
The best place to start is to evaluate how long you expect to be in your home before you plan to put it on the market.
• Where to invest? If you are looking to list in thenext couple of weeks or months, quick fixes are your best investment.
A fresh coat of paint on the walls and new cabinet or door hardware can go a long way to update spaces with little effort.
If you are planning to remain in your home for a longer period before selling, focus on kitchen and bath upgrades that pay back.
Smaller projects, such as updating countertops and flooring, are great if your cabinets are in good shape.
Full scale remodels need to show money has been well spent.
High end appliances, all wood cabinets and walk-in showers are great upgrade decisions.
How do you decide? Pay attention to what your neighborhood has. If you are the only home with one bathroom, spring for a second instead of a kitchen remodel.
Also make sure you don’t over-upgrade.
If no one else in your area has granite countertops, buyers are notother home projects.expecting it and that money can be spent on
Keep in mind that just because you spent $20,000 on new items doesn’t necessarily mean you can just add that onto the asking price.
Be smart about your home project investment. If you don’t know where to start, begin with asking a realtor or an interior designer before taking on any project, no matter how far out you are from selling. Experts in the industry can help you decide where your money is best spent. That will set you up for success in any market.