10 Property Upgrades To Make Before Selling Your Home

Property Upgrades

Selling your home is exciting – but there is a lot to think about when preparing if you are hoping to get the best value out of the sale. Including property upgrades.

Without the proper planning and preparation, you could lose a lot of money on the purchase price.

You are not alone. I have this conversation with many of our customers who are selling their own house and looking for feedback on what property upgrades they should be doing to their house to get the most return.

Sellers these days know the ins-and-outs of their property. You know which electrical outlet in your house causes the reading lamp to flicker, and which shower isn’t working properly. A visual walk around your property is a great place to start. You may want to bring in an electrician to fix that outlet, or a plumber to repair the problem in the shower. The old saying “Kitchen, bathrooms, and front entrances are what sell homes,” still rings true today. In this post, I share the 10 property upgrades that you should think about making to your house before privately selling your home.

 

 

1.Front Door

Is it dated? Looks warn? This is typically the first impression to the buyer and the vibe setter for their showing, a beautiful entrance way is a great place to make a lasting memory. This is the first upgrade we recommend you make before privately selling your home.

 

 

2. Kitchen

This is usually the first stop within the house on the buyer’s tour. Cosmetically there are a lot of ways to spruce up this space. If you have a dated kitchen and do not want to drop some big money you can be unique and paint the kitchen cupboards and switch up their handles.

 

 

3. Bathrooms

Replace leaky faucets or dated light fixtures. Replacing an old, dated vanity for a fresh new one can go a long way for style points.

 

 

4. Carpet

I am not a big fan of carpet. Most buyers I am currently working with are looking for carpet free homes. If there is carpet they expect it to be new. If it is in your property you may want to consider replacing it with laminated wood flooring.

 

 

5. Garden

If you are selling your property in the Spring, Summer, or Fall the garden around your house should be clean and tidy.

 

 

6. Declutter

Less is more. Decluttering your living space goes a long way to having a positive impact when buyers are doing showings in your house. Get rid of furniture that is not serving any purpose and taking up too much space, such as large desks that take up a lot of square footage.

Furniture you do leave in the house should properly fit with the space. Regarding smaller items, everything should be organized and clutter free. Remove unnecessary items such as personal photos to create more of a blank canvas that people can envision their own things in.

 

 

7. Fix broken appliances

If something is not working, get it fixed. The buyers want to feel like the property is not only taken care of, but has been loved over the years and treated right.

 

 

8. Paint

Painting is an easy way to add property upgrades to your house. If your house hasn’t been painted in the last 10 to 12 years it may be a wise investment to put a fresh coat of paint on.

 

 

9. Roof

A property with a dated roof will get beaten up on price. If your shingles are starting to curl you may want to invest in getting the roof r-eshingled.

 

 

10. Get a pre-inspection from a professional

The above list has tackled a lot of things that are visual to you when preparing your house for listing. But what about the items you can not see?
By getting a pre-inspection a lot of unnoticeable items that need repair may be brought to attention.

Inspectors are not kind, they will take an unbiased approach to inspecting everything in your house and provide you with a thorough report.
You can use that report as a blueprint on what items need to be addressed that don’t fall into the more cosmetic list above.

The cost of a house inspection by a qualified professional can vary by company and the size of the property. It can range anywhere from $400 to $1000 for an inspection.

Conclusion

As a seller, you could just throw your property online for sale and see what happens.

But – if you want to make the highest profit possible from selling your property you need to set yourself up for success.

Take the time to address the above property upgrades suggestions to see if any of the areas need sprucing up.

You have one opportunity to make a lasting impression on a potential buyer – don’t waste it!