Small Improvements Can Pay Off Big When It's Time to Sell Your Home

When it comes time to sell your home, even the smallest improvements can help you get top dollar. From a fresh coat of interior paint, to a major kitchen renovation, there is a range of home improvement options to fit every budget and price point. Following are a few tried-and-true tacks:

De-clutter – This may seem like an obvious first step, but sellers are often unsure of how thoroughly they should pare down their presentation. Start with those stacks of bills and papers, unnecessary items crowding your kitchen counter, shelves piled high with knickknacks, clothes piled in the closets, and the like. Art is fine, but keep family and personal photos to a minimum – you want potential buyers to see themselves, not you, in the home. Streamline furnishings and keep hallways and paths free of any objects that can impede the flow of the home.

Curb appeal – Landscaping is an economical way to improve a buyer’s first impressions. Local garden centers can offer advice and design services, or a quick drive around the neighborhood can serve as inspiration. Adding sod, small bushes, or a focal point like a stone walkway can enhance your home immensely. If you don’t have the funds for a full exterior paint job, coat the front door in a fresh color that complements the exterior but provides just the right pop to make your home stand out.

Consider staging your home – Presenting your home as the star of the show is one of the easiest things you can do to up the appeal. Professional stagers are equipped with the materials – whether furniture, accessories or the like – to add the right amount of polish. But you can also do the staging yourself, with a few simple tricks:

·     Neutralize wall colors to provide a calm backdrop on which to create inviting rooms

·     Increase lighting, open blinds, clean windows – generally present an open, bright air about your home

·     Create furniture arrangements that are “conversational”: couches that face one another and aren’t pointed at a TV

·     Make small spaces appear larger with things like mirrors, pedestal sinks and “airy” furnishings: If you can, replace that giant sectional with a polished sofa, or a heavy hutch with understated shelves

·     Never leave a room empty; instead, turn it into a guest room, craft room or office

Bathroom and kitchen updates – A gut renovation of an outdated bathroom or kitchen can help immensely in the final selling price, but if it’s not in the budget, consider smaller updates that can freshen the overall look. Swap out old fixtures and faucets for modern ones, re-caulk around sinks, replace or re-glaze old tubs, and re-face cabinets and drawers.

For more tips like these, or to find an agent equipped to help you get the most out of the sale of your Asheville area home, please contact Mike Figura at Mike@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call him anytime at (828) 337-8190.

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