If you are upgrading before selling your house, here are the ways to save money but sure add value to your property:
- Take your yard to the next level
A great exterior makes good first impressions, and first impressions matter the most.
Things to do:
- Clean the windows and other parts of the outside of the house.
- Remove the debris of the dead plants, leaves, and branches.
- Clear all the pathways and the driveway.
- Trim the shrubs and plants to better shape.
- Mow the lawn and remove the weeds.
Tips to save money:
- Add a mulch to your garden beds to make it look great and improve the soil. You can get free mulch from local yard trimming recycle companies who give free mulch to gardeners.
- Upgrade your front entryway
Even with an impressive front yard, first impressions don’t stop there. Upgrade your entryway to keep the impression better.
Things to do:
- Sweep the ceiling and remove those cobwebs.
- Put a new welcome mat or replace it with a clean one.
- Replace the light fixture and the bulb if needed.
- Make sure the doorbell is working.
- Repaint the house number or replace it.
- Add potted flowers to bring in more life and colors.
Tips to save money:
- Spray paint old hinges, handles, and door knockers and make them look fresh and neat again.
- Declutter and depersonalize your things
Sort out your unusable stuff, dispose of them properly (or recycle them) and keep the more personal items away to keep the focus of the prospective homebuyers to your home and not to you.
Things to do:
- Sort your closet and get rid of old clothes that you don’t wear anymore.
- Pack personal things carefully and keep them away.
- Declutter and depersonalize the whole house—the living room, the dining room, and all the bedrooms.
Tips to save money:
- Make a garage sale. While there are some personal things that you don’t need anymore, there could be others who may need them.
- You could also sell your stuff online which is a hot trend now—like on E-bay some local sale sites.
- Anything that’s left unsold, you can restore and reuse or donate to charity organizations.
- Make DIY repairs
Any minor problems that are left unrepaired will be red flags to home inspectors. This will impact the value of your home.
Things to do:
- Fix faulty electrical lines, outlets, switches, drainage, grading system, roof issues, damaged caulk on the windows, cracked pavements, peeling paints, plumbing problems, etc.
Tips to save money:
- Hire a handyman. They are mostly jack-of-all-trades and hiring one will save you money instead of paying different professionals to fix different house problems.
- Deep clean all parts of the house
Keep the home buyer’s impression at a great level by making sure wherever their hands may land on, it’s dust free.
Things to do:
- Clean the living room, bedrooms, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the dining area and everywhere outside and inside of your home.
- Do general cleaning, wiping dust off the furniture, removing cobwebs, etc.
Tips to save money:
- Buy generic cleaning supplies. Branded ones tend to cost 40% more than the generic product.
- Make DIY cleaning solutions.
- Use old unusable clothes, towels, rags to make your DIY cleaning wipes.
- Repaint your home
Repainting gives a great deal of fresh look to your home and it makes anyone feel like it’s brand new.
Things to do:
- Clean the walls before painting.
- Patch holes, dents, and cracks.
- Protect floors and window frames with covers/masking tapes.
- Finish your repainting project and keep in mind saving techniques.
Tips to save money:
- Use a primer to undercoat the surface before painting. It will help you use less paints and save money.
- Primers can let you cover dark tone colored walls before covering it with a lighter neutral color.
- Stage your house for better visual appeal
Put yourself into the shoes of a buyer and think about what you want to see in a new house. Rearrange furniture and redecorate to achieve that dream home you’ve seen in magazines.
Things to do:
- Add lively colors, rugs, throw pillows, vases, flowers, etc.
- Put fluffy clean towels in the bathroom.
- Hang artworks on the walls.
- Decorate kitchen with succulents.
Tips to save money:
- Visit thrift shops and buy eye catching colorful decors for less prices.
- Recycle artworks and make DIY paintings if you can.
Do-It-Yourself can save you a lot of money rather than hiring professionals but that is only if you know how to do it. Before you start anything, do some research first and watch hack and how-to videos.
If you want to skip all that hassle, sell it to direct investors because they buy houses as is. Mrs. Property Solutions for example is a home buying company that can help you if you need to sell your house fast Los Angeles. They can give an honest and fair offer without all the hassles mentioned above.