8 Cheap Home Improvements to Help Quickly Sell Your Home

Ok, so you are starting to think about selling your home.  Where do I start?  What can I do to get the BEST price possible, QUICKLY!

Well first off, there is a ton of property on the market right now.  Some in great condition, some not so much.  Guaranteed several homes will be quite similar to yours and very close in price.

Your GOAL will be to make your home STAND OUT from the others.   If prospective buyer have three homes to chose from including yours, you want them to choose yours first!  Here are 8 easy things you can center on to add value to your home and make it more appealing to a prospective buyer:

1.  DeClutter and DePersonalize
Buyers will walk into a home and immediately start trying to envision themselves there.  Where will my couches fit?  Aunt Jane's buffet?  My 75 inch Flatscreen?  The more spacious the rooms, the less they will be distracted.

The same is true for Family pictures and things like collections.  You certainly still have to live in the home until it sells, but think about putting your 4 bookshelves of family photos, and wall of Star Wars figurines into storage.  Less is more.  You want the buyers to be looking and thinking about how great the room would be for an office let's say, not concentrating on "the stuff" that's in it.

2.  Clean Up the Outside
First impressions are everything!  As the buyers drive up for the first time.  Have the lawn mowed, the leaves raked.  Power Wash the Vinyl Siding.  Paint and Clean Up the Front Door and Front Steps.  If the Screen Door is Falling off and looks terrible, replace it.  The brick front steps are falling apart, the concrete stoop is cracked and dangerous, have them fixed.

3.  Add Outside Interest and Color
In the spring and summer, plant some colorful inexpensive flowers and plants.  Or tastefully fill a selection of potted plants for the front stairs.  If you already have flowering bushes and plants, CUT THEM back.  Clean them up and make them stand out and look beautiful.   You want the colors to really stand out and grab people's attention, but again less is more.

4.   A New Paint Job
One of the easiest and CHEAPEST ways to breath new life into a home is a great NEW paint job!  Now, you may LOVE the Sherbet Orange Office, but guaranteed most will not.  Part of the job of selling your home is to tell people WHAT they want.  Most will not have enough vision to imagine past the bright pink or orange walls.  Go will white or neutral, something clean they can imagine having themselves.

5.  Fix Up the Bathroom
One of the BEST places to get the most bang for your buck would be the bathrooms!  That being said, completely renovating your bathroom might not be financially possible.  But little things can help.   What can I do with my mint green and black tile?  Well if a complete rehab is not workable, work with what you have.  Repaint the walls something neutral, get a fantastic new shower curtain that works with the colors you have, and some cool simple accent towels.  New fixtures, Towel Rack, Shower Head, Toilette Paper Holder, and such certainly will help as well.

6.  Lights
Older fixtures and Dim lighting can very quickly date a home.   Newer and brighter lighting can subtly and subconsciously improve a home very quickly.  A quick trip to Home Depot for a few new lights and some brighter soft light bulbs could be cheap and make a huge difference.

7.  Windows, Shades, and Curtains
Again, less is more.   Give the curtains, windows, and shades a good cleaning.  If you have dark dated curtains, take them down for something light and clean.  The lighter and cleaner the better.  People love natural light!

8.  Give the House a Good CLEAN
Make sure the house is always neat and clean, especially the flooring.  Most people don't have the funds to replace old flooring right before a move; however, a fresh shampoo job to old carpeting and a good clean and polish to wood floors goes a LONG way.

All of these suggestions are truly inexpensive and go a LONG way to staging and showing your home!  Honestly they will make a WORLD of difference!  Put your BEST foot forward from the beginning, and you'll be good to go!