Making the most money on the sale of your home is always the goal of the seller and the seller’s listing agent. In Greenville, SC we are currently experiencing a seller’s market or a market in which there are more buyers than homes for sale. Homes that are priced less than $200,000 are usually under contract within a week or two.
This leads many sellers to assume that they can just list their home for sale without much effort. “Why fix that leaky faucet or paint that lime green room?” is the thought of a typical seller in today’s market. They think that their home will sell quickly no matter what.
I am here to tell you, that is not the case. Even though homes are selling more quickly in today’s market, your home still has to be clean, maintained and staged appropriately. If your home is in disarray and needs a ton of work, chances are it will take longer to sell. If you don’t want to make necessary repairs or updates to get your home sold quickly and for top dollar, then you will likely have to lower the price and thus will not profit as much.
So what are some tasks that you can complete now to increase your home’s value and attract buyers?
Increasing Your Home’s Value
Clean Your Home. Make it spotless! Don’t have time? I have recommendations for awesome cleaners! Make sure to clean the following:
- Carpets+rugs.
- Appliances.
- Blinds+windows.
- Deep clean kitchen and bathrooms.
Declutter Your Home. Remove unnecessary or bulky pieces of furniture and clean out your closets and garage. It will make moving easier and your home look nicer!
Make The Rooms Brighter. Remove blackout or dark curtains, replace burnt light bulbs, and paint any dark-colored rooms to a lighter, more neutral shade. Bright homes appear larger.
Curb Appeal.
- New and welcoming doormat.
- Colorful flowers and flower pots.
- Freshly painted door and new door hardware.
- Make sure key works in the lock and that it is not a struggle to open the door!
- Freshly cut grass/neat landscaping.
- Pressure wash home if necessary.
Outdated Lighting Fixtures. Replacing outdated ceiling fans and other fixtures can go a long way to improve the overall look and feel of a room. No buyer wants to have to replace every single outdated light fixture when they move into their new home. It’s a headache and one more task that they have to complete.
Furniture/Decor Pieces. If it is unclear the purpose of a certain room, invest in furniture and decor pieces to make the purpose of the room obvious. I recommend going to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore to look for pieces. I also have staging pieces that I can place in my client’s homes to help with costs.
Updated Kitchen+Master Bath. If you want to make the most of the sale of your home, it may be worth it to update the kitchen and master bathroom. You don’t want to get too carried away though, so be sure to consult with a realtor you trust to seek their advice. There is such a thing as overdoing it and spending too much money!
Even if your home is spotless and staged appropriately, your home may not sell quickly if it is not priced correctly. For a free Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to see what your home may be worth in this hot seller’s market, please email me at jennifer@guidetogreenville.com.
