What Every Seller Should Know (Part 2)

Hello Sellers! It's time for another installment of What Every Seller Should Know. Last time, I discussed the importance of making sure your home looks its best from the outside. Today, we're moving on to making cosmetic improvements to the interior of your home.

Making Cosmetic Improvements
If you've ever watched any of the home-improvement shows on TLC or HGTV, you know what a huge difference a cosmetic makeover can make to a space. The great thing about these changes is that they're often simple and cheap, especially compared with major remodeling. Speaking of major remodeling, I do NOT recommend it as a means to get your house ready for sale. Replacing an outdated oven range or a grungy bathroom fixture is one thing, but doing a total re-haul of your home's floor plan (or other similar measures) can easily land you in a situation where you either can't find a buyer who likes what you've done OR you can't recoup the costs of the remodeling by selling. Bottom line: Accept your home for what it IS, and make the best of it, rather than trying to make it something it isn't.

That being said, here are some great ways to help your house fulfill its potential:

- Paint the entire interior in warm, neutral colors. Think colors like sandy browns, sage greens, and light greys. And think SIMPLE - if your painting gets too customized with trim colors, accent walls, or borders, you'll end up narrowing the field of buyers who will find it attractive. Read more about using warm neutrals here.

- Remove, store, or hide any of your stuff that you don't use every day. This includes furniture, knick-knacks, family photos, small appliances, and more. You want your home to appear as large and spacious as possible. You want buyers to immediately start imagining what THEY would do with the space, instead of being distracted by what you've done with it.

- If you have carpet, it should be professionally cleaned. If it's in poor condition, or if you have pets, you should consider replacing it. Wood laminate floors are incredibly popular with today's buyers and they are a great option if your flooring needs to be improved.

- Clean all kitchen, bathroom, and lighting fixtures throughout your house. If hte fixtures are dated or damaged, consider replacing them. Fixtures in a home are kind of like makeup on a woman's face. When they're done right, you might not be able to put your finger on why, but you know the house looks nice. When they're done wrong, the place looks ugly.

- Keep your home relatively clean the whole time it's on the market. Usually you will have plenty of advanced notice before a buyer drops by, but you want to be ready just in case! I'll discuss how to stage your home for a showing in greater detail later in this series.

I hope that helps some of you! The best thing to keep in mind when your getting your house ready to sell is that you want it to be a blank slate. Make your improvements with this in mind, and you'll find that your house appeals to more buyers!

Stay tuned for next time, and keep an eye out for more useful information for Sellers in the next edition of my newsletter!