8 Home Updates You Need Before Selling Your House
Making the right home updates can get you more money when you sell. Here are the 8 improvements you need to do before putting your home on the market.
Every year, there are more than 5 million Americans who sell their homes. And on average, it takes them somewhere in the neighborhood of about 70 days to do it from start to finish.
Are you thinking about putting your home up on the market right now? If so, there are some simple home updates that you can do to sell your home as quickly as possible. You can list your home and sell it in no time when you do the right updates to it.
Take a look at 8 home updates that you should definitely consider doing before you decide to sell your house below.
1. Paint the Exterior of Your House or Put New Siding on It
When potential home buyers pull up in front of your house, you want it to make a great first impression on them. The curb appeal of your home is going to determine whether or not they decide to get out of the car to check out the inside of your house.
Therefore, you should either paint the exterior of your house or put new siding on it if your home looks like an eyesore at this time. You’ll be amazed by what a difference a coat of paint or a home siding replacement can make when it comes to your curb appeal.
You probably won’t have to worry about curb appeal too much if you’re planning to sell your house to cash home buyers. But it’ll be one of the key things to consider if you’re looking to attract a lot of interest in your property from other buyers.
2. Install a New Front Door
One of the other ways to improve the curb appeal of your home is by installing a new front door on it. A new front door will look a lot more welcoming than the old front door that you have on your home now.
There are so many different types of front doors to choose from. Some examples include:
- Wood
- Fiberglass
- Steel
- And more
Regardless of which front door you ultimately decide to go with, the door will stand out once it’s in and improve the look of your house. It’ll also beef up your home’s security and make people feel safe once they step inside.
3. Rethink Your Landscape Design
If you paint your house and put up a new front door and still don’t love your home’s curb appeal, there’s one other home update you can make to get the job done. You can rework your current landscape design to make your property look more appealing.
Rip out that old flower bed that you’ve neglected for the last five years and get rid of the overgrown bushes that are hiding some of your windows. Then, replace them with vibrant flowers and well-maintained trees and shrubs that will draw more eyes to your home.
We can’t stress the importance of curb appeal enough. If your home doesn’t have it, you’re going to have a hard time generating a ton of interest in your house.
4. Replace Your Old Windows
Does your home have older windows in it?
Those windows might be dragging your curb appeal down. But they also might be driving your energy bills up and making your home less secure than it should be.
You can change all these things by having new windows put into your home. They’ll make your home look better than it does on both the inside and outside, and they’ll also serve as a great selling feature for your home listing.
5. Rip Out Your Old Carpeting
Nothing will turn home buyers off more than seeing ratty old carpeting throughout a house. Even though replacing carpeting is simple enough, people will have a hard time envisioning themselves living in your house when your carpet is looking (and in some cases, smelling!) like a disaster.
Rip out any old carpeting that you have in your home and either replace it with new carpeting or put in laminate or hardwood floors. This will allow people to focus on all your home’s great features rather than your disgusting carpets.
6. Paint Your Interior Walls
You may love the hot pink walls in your bedroom and the lime green walls in your kitchen. But chances are, those who come to look at your home aren’t going to feel the same way about them!
So if you have any crazy paint colors on your walls, take the time to paint them a nice neutral color so that they don’t distract people when they walk through your home. The last thing you want is for someone to hate your home because of the paint colors you chose when you first moved in.
7. Consider Doing a Small Kitchen or Bathroom Remodel
Tackling an entire kitchen remodel or bathroom renovation might not be in your budget right now. But there are small things you can do in a kitchen or bathroom to make it more appealing to buyers.
For example, you can tear out your old countertops in your kitchen and replace them with stone ones to give your kitchen a more updated look. Or you can take out old tile from a bathroom and replace it to make it appear more modern.
Just make sure you don’t get in over your head and spend too much money during a “small” remodel. You might not end up recouping all that money later.
8. Declutter Your Home and Stage It Accordingly
If you don’t do anything else to your home, one of the simplest home updates involves decluttering it and making it more presentable.
You might even want to consider staging your home with new furniture to show the potential your home has. It’ll give off a much different vibe than your current home and get people more interested in it.
Generate More Offers With These Home Updates
If you attempt to sell your home without making any of these home updates, you might still sell it quickly. But you might not get the kind of offers that you could get by doing an update or two to it.
Think about which home updates make the most sense for your home and then make them. It’ll prevent your home from sitting on the market for too long.
Do you want to find out other ways you can remodel your home today before selling it? Check out our blog to see some suggestions.