Home Upgrades for Today’s Market

17. December 2007 by Teri Deane.

Many homeowners who are thinking of listing their homes for sale ask whether or not they should upgrade before selling.   Your agent can advise you best, but here are some ideas based on what buyers are looking for when home shopping.

Some easy, low-cost ways to enhance your home:

– remove extra furniture and clutter (rent a storage space if need be).  Don’t forget to clear out your closets. . .nothing says “not enough storage space” like stuffed closets! 

– give your house a thorough cleaning (hire someone if need be) and include cleaning the windows.  I’ve been in some beautiful homes that look drab because of dirty windows.  

Other things that you should consider:

– put a fresh coat of paint on the walls.  This really isn’t too expensive (and something you might do yourself) and it can really perk up your home.  If you have walls with strong colors, definitely repaint — using neutral colors.  Why turn-off potential buyers who don’t care for your color choices?

– remove old, torn, or peeling wallpaper — don’t paint over it! 

– recaulk around sinks, counters and bathtubs — if you’re handy, do this yourself.  Otherwise, hire someone to do it. . .sloppy caulk never looks pretty.

– lay new carpet.  Unless yours is only a few years old and not worn anywhere (in which case you could probably just shampoo it) you really should spring for carpeting.

Major upgrades:

Your Realtor can advise you best on this. . .depending on the age of your home as well as your particular circumstances, upgrades to the kitchen and bath may be worth your while.  Give this some thought particularly if you have dated appliances.  Buyers will skip your home for the one down the street that boasts a new stove and fridge.  Don’t expect dollar-for-dollar return on your costs — most likely, you will recover around 83% of the cost of a kitchen upgrade, for example.  However, a home that is upgraded will sell before one that is not.  Buyers have a lot of inventory to choose from right now, so they can shop around for a home that doesn’t come with a lot of homework!

When you list your house for sale and it is clean, clutter-free, has fresh paint and carpet, it will sell as fast as the current market allows, and that alone will be worth every penny you’ve spent on fix-ups.

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