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So it’s time to find your dream house; to begin a new and exciting chapter of your life in a beautiful new home that offers everything you want in a residence.
Ah, but wait a minute; before you move in to the home of your dreams, you first have to do something with that other house—the one that you’ve lived in so long that it looks just a little—well—lived in.
Before you advertise your house for sale in today’s highly competitive market, you want to make sure that your current home is most literally putting its best face forward to potential buyers; while not spending so much moola in the process that you can’t possibly afford the new one!
Read on for some practical tips on how to remodel on a budget; and in preparation for a high-yielding and successful home sale:
1. Declutter before you demo. Before you host showings and open houses for potential buyers, clear your house of all clutter that might distract from the overall beauty of your home. Recycle old newspapers and magazines, sort out and dispose of unwanted documents and photos, clear all surfaces, and take all steps necessary to neaten up your place.
2. Clean before you close. When potential buyers step into your home, they should see a spotless, immaculate living space that has been vacuumed, dusted, washed and polished. So, basically, do all that—and then some! You even might want to hire a professional cleaning service to do the job for you.
3. Before you take that long last walk across the floors of your old home, take a good look at them. Do the carpets and rugs need to be cleaned, or even replaced? Do the tiled floors of your kitchen and bathroom need to be mopped, refurbished or replaced? To prevent prospective buyers from walking right out of your house, make sure that they’re walking on shiny surfaces that are clean, solid, stable and eye catching.
4. Paint yer wagon—and your house. A fresh coat of paint can do much to bring light and beauty to your home, regardless of its age.
5. Watch your woodwork. If needed, clean and retouch all woodwork in your home.
6. Wash your windows, mirrors, and other shiny surfaces. Even if you usually ‘don’t do windows,’ you may want to make an exception when you’re trying to sell your home; also launder and iron the draperies and curtains that showcase these portals to best effect.
7. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; if it is, on the other hand….Make sure that all of your utilities are safely preserved and in good working order—as well as extras like fireplaces, ice makers, built-in dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, garage doors, interior and exterior lighting, etc.
8. It’s what’s on the outside that counts; at least when it comes to home sales! Take a good look at the overall condition of the exterior of your home and property. Does your lawn need to be mowed or trimmed? How does your garden grow? Does the outside of your residence appear clean, attractive and freshly painted? Do your porch and deck need washing, raking and repainting? Do your sheds and storage units look clean and presentable?
9. Decide what you want to keep, and what you want to leave. If you do choose to leave behind any operational, high quality furniture or appliances, they could add to the value of your home.
10. Before the movers arrive to carry you away, have them carry away your excess stuff. If you find that your home is brimming with mementos and collectables that you just can’t bear to throw away, then you might want to pay to move and store them before you put the house up for sale.
Once you complete this quick and inexpensive remodeling process, you will have a home that just might qualify as somebody else’s dream house; thus enabling you to sell it for the money that will facilitate the purchase of your own. Get to work!
