Listing your house for sale should be an out of body experience – literally. To show your home to its best potential, you have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and see how they will experience your home.
While you may be able to see the joy in a psychedelic orange and purple mural your teenager painted in her room, most buyers will shudder. The “charming” old wallpaper in your powder room might signify to a prospective buyer that you haven’t updated anything in the home since the 1980s and they’ll move on to the next listing. Those pesky buyers might see the stained grout in your master bathroom, and think it looks gross. The nerve!
Even though it might seem illogical to spend money before you sell your home – that’s exactly what you might have to do in some instances to get a buyer interested in purchasing your property. I don’t suggest going all out and designing your dream bathroom, but I do think it’s wise to spend a modest bit of money to update things that are damaged, stained or very dated.
A fresh coat of paint can solve a myriad of problems. Every home is different, but anything that stands out as mismatched, broken or unsafe hits the top of my list of things to replace before the first open house. Your buyer will be looking hard at the kitchen, bathrooms and your master bedroom, since that’s where they will spend most of their time.
Check out 15 Home Updates That Pay on FrontDoor.com
How would YOUR kitchen hold up today if you held an open house?
VERY HELPFUL! We are in the process of some home renovations, however we are also starting to focus on the likelihood of wanting a smaller house, one level living, less yard, less work, etc….probably within the next 3-4 years. Nice to read above that clean and updated is the right way to go. This sounds like a smarter plan than ripping out the kitchen or building a bigger garage. And our first step needs to be cleaning out the clutter! Our cellar/basement was a very nice rec room long ago – more of a storage center now and I think this needs to be cleaned out as it is a big feature of the house. Thanks for sharing your projects!
Mismatched, broken or unsafe things should really be first in the priority list. Fix, replace or remove – the house you want to sell needs to look well, function equally, etc.
To answer your question, no one would want to buy my home, if he/she sees my kitchen today. However, I have been through selling my home and I can bet I will be able to put my condition in order in no more than hour and a half. Excellent post!
Lost of love,
Cheryl from Go Cleaners London