6 Upgrades You Should Make Before Listing Your House for Sale
Any trustworthy real estate expert will tell you that undertaking pre-listing upgrades on your home will attract potential buyers who will willingly offer a higher price on the investment. The facelift also lets you sell your home faster without leaving free money on the table. In this article, we look at the top pre-listing home improvement projects that add the most value and enable you to make top dollar for your home.
Check Your Plumbing System
No one would want to buy a house with leaky faucets, clogged drainage, slab leaks, and other plumbing issues. Consider scheduling a plumbing inspection with trusted plumbers to identify areas of improvement. A few plumbing upgrades to undertake to boost your home value include investing in insulated pipes, tankless water heaters, quality faucets, and newer toilets.
The hard truth is that it’s not easy to find a quality plumber. Sometimes they show up. Sometimes they don’t. You never know what’s going on with their current job.
Slowly, this is starting to change. Look for a professional that uses plumbing field service software. It helps streamline their business and make them more productive. Anyone who uses this kind of tech for their business is more likely to want work, show up on time, and get the job done to client specifications.
Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint
Adding a new layer of paint is one of the easiest ways to increase your home’s value. Fresh paint can give your interior space a cleaner, neat, and spacious look. It also helps neutralize a house with bold colors to make it appealing to everyone. Repainting your home’s exterior can help boost curb appeal, creating a great first impression.
Refinish or Get New Hardwood Floors
According to the remodeling impact report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), refinishing hardwood floors gives you 147% cost recovery, while installing new hardwood floors features 118% cost recovery. There’s no doubt that good flooring quickly attracts more prospective buyers.
Start by refinishing the floors in high-trafficked areas like the kitchen, eating areas, foyers, and hallways if you can’t afford to redo the entire house. Such areas become worn out first and begin looking unappealing, which can be a turn-off to potential buyers.
Update the Kitchen
At the heart of every home is the kitchen. Most home buyers prioritize kitchen appearance and the impression it creates. Update the cabinets by staining or repainting them and replacing the drawers and doors with a new style. If you need a budget-friendly refresh, simply scrub the cabinets and use a cabinet restorer to polish them.
In addition, add new fixtures to the kitchen islands and sinks and fix faulty lighting fixtures or upgrade outdated ones. Invest in modern, energy-efficient appliances like the dishwasher, refrigerator, or oven if possible. Most importantly, deep clean the kitchen to get rid of dust and stains and make it bright and shiny.
Give the Home Insulation an Upgrade
Most Americans spend quality time in their houses, making insulation upgrades more of a priority. A large number of older houses lack insulation or have outdated ones. A well-insulated home makes the space comfortable and reduces utility bills, which is what most home buyers look for. By performing a pre-listing home inspection, you can identify the areas that require the most insulation improvement in your house.
Pump Up the Curb Appeal
According to a recent study captured in the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, homes that feature high curb appeal tend to sell for 7% higher compared to those with low curb appeal.
It doesn’t hurt to create a great first impression before home buyers enter your home. Start by pressure washing your doors, windows, stairs, siding, driveways, and sidewalks. Consider painting your front door to refresh the front-facing exterior of your home. Landscape your yard and incorporate unique outdoor lighting fixtures.
You may leave money on the table if you list your house without doing these profitable upgrades. Remember, today’s buyers will be less likely to invest in a home that requires immediate cosmetic upgrades.