By Sandy Walsh, CDPE, CNE, CRS, CLHMS • July 14, 2021

Are you thinking of selling your home? Just because we’re in an incredibly hot market doesn’t mean that sellers can slack on presenting a desirable home. In fact, the #1 question I’m asked by home sellers is, “How do we maximize the value of our home?” Even in this market!

A lot of factors come in to play when trying to maximize value. That’s where a real estate professional can help. I’ve made a list of five quick tips that will help you show your home to its fullest potential.

Tip #1: Make Sure Your House Has Curb Appeal

Tips for Selling Your Home #1: Make Sure Your Home Has Curb Appeal

This beautiful house looks even more spectacular with fresh mulch and new landscaping. The house feels loved!

This is the first and last view a potential buyer will have of your house. Even a few little touch-ups can go a long way—hanging flower baskets, freshly mowed lawn, cute patio furniture. A potential buyer might not even want to see the home if, when driving up, they can’t see themselves living there. I always suggest that you put yourself in the eyes of the buyer. Drive by—does the house catch your eye, look inviting, and make you want to stop in? If not, ask yourself what’s stopping you and see if you can change those things.

Tip #2: Repaint/Touch-up Your Walls and Use Neutral Colors

Wall colors can make a big impact. One seller of mine was in love with purple and had given her living room a lavender-colored accent wall. As pretty as it was to her, potential buyers were thrown by such a bright color in a central living space. When you use neutral colors on the inside of your house, it can make a drastic difference on how the home feels to a potential buyer. In some cases, making the walls feel like a blank canvas allows the buyers to make their own painting and decorating choices. They start to see their things and their lives in your home.

Tip #3: Change Out Your Light Bulbs

“Boob Lights,” as I call them, are in almost everyone’s home. You know the ones—the perfectly round white glass lights? Changing out boob lights for a low-profile or modern option makes a huge difference! LED lights are my top choice because they brighten the space and provide a calming aura.

Tip #4: Stage Your Home

Tips for Selling Your Home #4: Stage Your Home

Through Staging, buyers will see a distinct dining area and a sitting area in this open floor plan. Without Staging, could they have “seen” this?

The first place your home will catch a buyer’s eye is online through captivating photos. If your home makes a good impression, the buyer then needs to feel at home when they visit the home in person. The purpose of Staging is to create a sense of how the home lives and show the prospective buyer how comfortable they could be in the home. Staging increases the perceived value of the home moving it from a “product” to a potential lifestyle for the buyer.

Did you know that only 10% of home buyers can visualize the potential of an un-Staged home? This is a critical point. If a buyer just looks at vacant rooms and they don’t have the ability to visualize how it would live, then the home won’t appeal to them. The majority of people aren’t able to “see” what it would be like. In addition, agents are more likely to successfully show Staged homes because it’s easier to talk with their buyers about living in the home.

Tip #5: Hire a Real Estate Professional

You probably knew I would say this, but it’s true! We spend every day in homes and can see the maximum value that can be generated by a home in a specific area. Plus, we don’t have the emotional connection to your home like you do, so we can be frank about things that can be changed to increase value.

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These were five quick tips to increase the value of a home in general. If you’re thinking of selling and want tips specific to your home, contact me for a free consultation. Call/text (206) 369-6240 or email me.