When it comes time to sell your Seattle home, there’s a lot of things you can do to increase the overall value and chances of getting your asking price. A new roof, complete landscaping overhaul, and kitchen remodeling are just a few of the many things that you can do. However, these types of home upgrades tend to be very expensive, and not everyone can afford them.
So how do you improve the value of the home you’re about to sell without spending tens of thousands of dollars?
My name is Scott Haveson, and I’m a Seattle Realtor. I have helped countless homeowners successfully sell their homes. Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks that can help improve the value of your home—without breaking the bank.
Here are my top five favorite things that you can do to upgrade your Seattle home for little to no money:
Add Plants and Grass
While having a new roof or driveway can exponentially increase the curb appeal of your home, it’s also exponentially expensive. If the walkway up to your front door has patches of dead grass or dirt, consider adding some native plants or flowers to the area. This inexpensive fix is one of the first things that people will see when they pull up to tour your home.
If you can’t afford to repave your driveway, at the very least, grab a bottle of weed killer and start nuking the weeds growing in the cracks and along the sides. The more effort you put in making the front of your house look good, the better your chances of getting your asking price.
Kitchen and Bathroom Hardware
While replacing kitchen and bathroom cabinets can cost an arm and a leg, replacing the hardware is cheap and won’t take more than an hour. Chances are that the doorknobs of your cabinets are worn or outdated. Considering buying new ones that closely match the color of the cabinets.
Your kitchen and bathroom sink faucets are another inexpensive fix that can help transform the room. You can find an attractive faucet for anywhere from $50 to $100, and it won’t take more than a few hours to install. If you have metal bars that hold towels in your bathroom, you can replace those as well.
Apply a New Coat of Paint
One of the best and easiest ways to give your old home a new look is to repaint the interior walls in a color that’s attractive to buyers. While everyone’s color tastes are different, neutral beiges and whites will appease the greatest number of prospective buyers.
Paint nowadays costs around $20/gallon, and it won’t take more than a few Saturday’s worth of work for one person to paint a three or four-bedroom home. Be sure to get advice from the home improvement store on what complementary color to paint the trim of your walls and door frames.
Clean Your Wood Floors or Carpets
Most grocery and home improvement stores rent out professional carpet cleaning machines. Over the years or decades that you’ve lived in your home, your carpet has picked up certain smells that you’re used to. When a prospective home buyer walks into your home for the first time, that unmistakable odor is one of the first things to hit their noses. This advice especially holds true if you have pets. A deep carpet clean will fix that right up.
Wooden floors are highly desirable amongst some buyers. Polishing them up will cause them to take notice. This is one of those DIY jobs that require more elbow grease than money. It can take several hours to manually buff and polish your wooden floors. If that’s too much work, you can always rent a wooden floor polishing machine.
Focus on Your Kitchen
There’s an old saying amongst veteran realtors: “The kitchen sells the home.” While it’s not economically feasible for some people to add new cabinets and appliances, at the very least, this is where you should focus the majority of your cleaning efforts. Dirty backsplashes, sinks, and stoves all stick out like a sore thumb. Don’t forget to clear away the dust bunnies and cobwebs out from under your refrigerator.
In addition to adding new cabinet knobs and sink faucet, you can also fix any little scratches that may appear on your kitchen counter, cabinets, or kitchen floor. Home improvement stores sell kits that you can use to remove or, at the very least, cover up tiny scratches in these areas.
Selling Your Seattle Home
While these five tips may not seem like much, keep in mind that each buyer has a breaking point in their mind that will cause them to walk away and not make an offer. If you can’t afford or don’t want to invest in improving the curb appeal of your home, these five tips can help give you an advantage and persuade the buyer that your home is worth the asking price.
If you’re ready to sell your Seattle home, give me a call at (206) 953-8311 or contact me via my website. I can come out and walk your home with you and offer tips and advice on what you can do to help ensure that your home is appealing to the greatest number of buyers.
