How Can I Sell Your Home For More Money?

"Here are the Top 5 Inexpensive things you can do to increase the value of your home before you sell."


Clean it.   Home Buyers, it turns out, hate dirt more than just about anything else. So, give your home a thorough cleaning from top to bottom.  Wash the walls, floors and windows. Rugs should be thoroughly cleaned unless you plan to replace them.  Curtains should be washed by hand or taken to a dry cleaners.  If you're not up to the task, spend a few hundred dollars for a professional cleaning company to do the job right.

Organize it.  If your home looks too small for you, prospective home buyers are going to think it is too small for them.  So, take everything off your kitchen and bathroom countertops, half the books off your bookshelves, and the past season's clothes out of your closet and pack them away.  Not only will your home seem larger, but you will have made a good start on packing for your future move.

Repaint it.  You will get the biggest bang for your buck by repainting the interior of your home in bright white paint.  White walls help buyers imagine how their own stuff is going to look.  If you have wallpaper that is in good shape, choose a neutral shade of white or off-white to complement it.  If your wallpaper is peeling or is dated, strip it and start over with paint.

Mow it and Plant it.  Most home buyers today will spend about 10 seconds looking at a digital photo of your home on the Internet.  If they like what they see, they will do a "drive-by" showing.  You have approximately 6 seconds to impress them as they drive from lot line to lot line.  Make the most of what you have by giving your landscape a power-lift.  Trim hedges and trees, plant colorful flowers, mow the grass and edge your beds.  If you are not up to it, hire a professional landscaper to get the exterior of your home into shape.  Then, power wash, touch-up, or repaint the exterior of your home for an irresistable package.

Fix it.  If it is not working properly, you could pay dearly when it comes time to negotiate the price of your home.  Today's home buyer just wants to move in and get on with his or her life.  So oil the squeaky doors, screw in the knobs, and repair the holes in the porch screen door.  The better shape your home is in, the more a home buyer will pay for it.