How To Make Your Home Worth More When Selling: Low-Cost Updates With High Return
When working with sellers to get their home ready for market we always say the first impression is the most important. And since 98% of buyers start their home journey online, making your home look more attractive over a screen is the first step to bringing all the buyers to your yard. So what are the least expensive ways to update your home without a full renovation?
UPDATES
Here at Neighborhood Experts Real Estate, we focus on updates that will translate well online and areas of the home that currently look dated. The easiest interior fixes are light fixtures, paint, flooring, and new hardware. Adding a touch of freshness to the exterior—like a coat of new paint on the door, some landscape TLC, and a layer of fresh bark—can truly elevate a property’s first impression game as well.
For light fixtures and hardware, you can look at what is trending at Restoration Hardware and other popular home furnishing stores and purchase a less expensive version from Amazon or Wayfair. Choosing a neutral paint palette goes a LONG way in freshening up the look of a listing. Changing the flooring is also a huge plus for buyers and makes the home feel clean and consistent; luxury vinyl plank (LVP) is a very inexpensive option. And don’t underestimate the power of small details like clean windows, a fresh atmosphere free of odors, and ensuring all lightbulbs are in working order.
Remember, elevating your home’s perceived value doesn’t always necessitate a major renovation; a strategic approach can work wonders.
STAGING
Another way to make your home look more expensive without renovating—or breaking the bank—is with staging. It’s so important to put out a good product that shows well, and according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), “Eighty-two percent of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.”
We stage every single one of our listings and do a complete media package with professional photos, drone footage, and a 3D Matterport tour. If the home is vacant we do a full stage, and if the home is occupied we have a stager walk through the home with the seller and tell them how to edit their belongings to declutter. We even provide a storage unit to get that beautiful floral couch that was passed down by grandma out of the home, allowing our stagers to come in with more modern and updated items that speak to buyers.
Add staging on top of editing your own personal belongings and great marketing and you should have a home ready to debut. Our motto is to invest into our clients and properties, only putting out the best product. Hire an agent that is willing to put the work in to make your home shine bright.
When it comes to buying and selling in Pierce and Kitsap counties, the team at Neighborhood Experts Real Estate has your back. Paige Schulte, Falynn Auston, and Michelle Charlton know every street, hidden gem, and mom-and-pop business owner. They support our local communities by becoming part of them though building personal relationships with small business owners, fellow agents, and vendors, and putting those connections to work when it comes to helping you buy or sell a home. Call them today at (253) 313-4093, or visit Paige’s Gig to learn more about our wonderful community right here in Gig Harbor, Washington.