If you’re considering selling your Seattle home in the next few months to a few years, you probably have wondered what you’ll get for it. A quick trip to Zillow or Trulia will give you an approximation of what homes in your general area are worth. However, whether or not you’ll get that much—or more—is highly dependent on your house itself.
Homes that have upgraded appliances, excellent curb appeal, and a few other things usually sell for more money than surrounding properties. I have come up with a list of five things that can do right now to help increase the value of your home.
Yes, some of these things cost money. If that isn’t in your budget, there are other things you can do that will only require a little bit of elbow grease and a Saturday afternoon or two.
Caveat: Before you spend tens of thousands of dollars on repairs and upgrades, it’s wise to seek the advice of an experienced Seattle realtor. Ask him to pull the local comps and see which home(s) sold for the most amount of money in your neighborhood. Then compare that to what your house is currently worth.
If your house is already worth $490,000 and the highest home in your neighborhood recently sold for $500,000, it might be a good idea to hold off on expensive renovations as you may or may not make your money back. A realtor who is familiar with the Seattle area can give you specific advice as to what you should or shouldn’t do to increase the value of your home prior to selling it.
Curb Appeal
The “wow” factor for any home starts the minute the potential buyer pulls up to your driveway. The landscaping, driveway, and paint can all affect the value of your home. If there are bald spots on your lawn, head on down to the local hardware supply store and buy some patching kits. The same goes for paint chips on the garage or weeds in the planters. A little TLC goes a long way.
Your roof can also help sell your home. If you have mismatched, mis-colored, or warped tiles, that immediately sends a red flag up in the mind of the buyer before they set a single foot inside your home. They will start to wonder if there’s a large re-roofing bill that awaits them if they purchase the house.
Kitchen and Bathrooms
The kitchen and bathrooms are the two most important areas of the inside of your house. Replace your old appliances and make sure that they match in both color and brand, if possible. Sometimes new cupboards or a resurfaced countertop can help add value.
Does your kitchen have a backsplash? That’s one do-it-yourself project that you can easily tackle throughout a Saturday and Sunday. Fixing or upgrading the small things inside your kitchen and bathroom can add a lot of value.
If your shower glass door or tiles are chipped, stained, or have seen better days, a simple replacement job can do wonders. Your job as a home seller is to remove as many red flags in the mind of the potential buyer as possible. Something as simple as grabbing a non-abrasive sponge and some Ajax and scrubbing the toilets and sinks can really make them shine.
Backyard
The backyard area is another place where you can start to increase the value of your home. If you can’t afford to landscape, either hire some gardeners or start pulling weeds and planting grass and flowers over the course of a couple of weekends.
A potential home buyer is already picturing themselves living in your house long before they make an offer to buy. So, give them what they’re looking for by making your backyard more appealing.
Small things such as a cheap $100 bistro table and two chairs can really liven up a patio just as much as a few newly planted shrubs or fruit trees can transform an unsightly bare patch of dirt. The best part of improving your backyard is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money in doing so.
Make it Smarter
Many safety-enhancing devices on the market can help increase the value of your home. From intelligent HVAC controls that “learn” your preferences to security cameras, smart door locks, and carbon monoxide detectors, there are a multitude of intelligent products on the market nowadays.
Best of all, many of them will work seamlessly with a smartphone, thereby enabling the homebuyer to have a fully automated home. You can also add smart outdoor lighting that will not only turn on when you pull up in the driveway at night but will also enhance the visual appeal of your landscaping after dark.
Seattle Realtor Scott Haveson
If you’re considering selling your home, give me a call at (206) 953-8311 or contact me via my website if you have any questions about the overall value. I can give you tips and ideas on things you can do not only to increase the value of your home but help it sell much quicker. At Scott Haveson realty, I can help you prepare, list, and sell your Seattle home!
