Raising Value Before Selling Your Own Home

Selling your own home is one delicate business that must be handled with enough care. It is volatile (prices are dependent on current market trends), it deals with big money (mortgages) and is prone to losses.

Fortunately, it is one of the few businesses where one can actually raise the value of the commodity one is selling. The added bonus is that one can do it with very little or even no investment outlays at all.

Repairs and remodeling

Most remodeling can increase your home's value at least only 80 to 90% of your investments. It is good to consult with an appraiser before remodeling so you would know if the market can or cannot support the additional costs.

In highly active or inflated markets, there is a good chance that your investments might pay off. Some improvements are cheap, but they certainly can raise your home's value, as attested to by the many that did it.

Sprucing and fixing

Spruce up the yard. Get rid of trash, trim the hedges, get rid of weeds, and install landscaping proper for your home and climate.

Use neutral color paints when painting the outside to make the house seem bigger. Semi-gloss paints are good for inside walls. Fresh curtains and blinds make windows look good. You might install modern light switches and outlets to have that new look.

Refinish kitchen cabinets. Use a lighter finish on them to make the kitchen look bigger and brighter.

If you are not comfortable doing the repairs and improvements yourself, call a professional. It's better to pay outright for the work done right than paying for the damages you might do.

Cleaning

A good old-fashioned cleaning does more to improve your home's value with very little investment. Clean-smelling houses (including older but clean appliances) always have an appeal for buyers,

Wash walls and windows. Clean windows are the other appealing sights in any house. Shampoo, steam-clean or dry-clean your carpets. Marvel at how nice they look after cleaning.

Staging the house

Eliminate clutter. A nice tidy house seems larger and more elegant without the clutter of unnecessary things.

Fresh flowers during your open house can make things look inviting. Some people light some candles or use potpourri. (Be careful on this, some people have over-sensitive noses.)

A light classical music played very softly in the background can do wonders to the mood.
Floor and table lamps in each room with sheer curtains in the windows add to the ambience.

You may restore the hardwood floor if the carpet is really bad. (Old houses have nice hardwood floors under their carpets.)

Selling your own home while raising its value can be done. All it takes is some time in your hand, some fortitude in the cleaning and sprucing up, and some taste. If anything, you can always consult somebody who knows.