Your neighbor's house just sold, and for way more than you expected. Since you've been kicking around the idea of putting your house on the market and moving closer to Mom, you start envisioning the moving truck out front. Can you sell your home for what you want, or need, to net? Contact a local real estate agent and ask their opinion of your home's market value. If the number seems right, list your house and sell it. If it seems low, get to work beefing up your home's value. We have some tips that will help with that.

The All-Important Curb Appeal
You want potential buyers to get excited when they pull up to your house. If it's drab or ho-hum, they will view the entire house negatively. A fresh coat of paint or a new front door, colorful flowers and a pop of color from some complementary shutters can add value to your home.

Open up the Space
If your home has a lot of small rooms, consider combining some. Remove a non-bearing wall between your kitchen and dining room or dining room and living room. Larger, open spaces give buyers what they want, and will help your home sell for more.

No Deferred Maintenance
Be sure that everything is up to snuff, which means touching up paint or repainting if necessary, caulking, replacing cracked tiles and getting rid of that tiny drip in the bathroom sink. These are total buyer turn-offs. Conversely, a well-maintained or upgraded home excites buyers and makes them willing to pay more.

Deep Cleaning
This is an inexpensive but very worthwhile project to undertake. Go through your home with a fresh eye, as if you were seeing it for the first time. Clean it till it shines (or hire someone to do it for you) and your home will instantly increase in value. Likewise, if you have an overabundance of "stuff", get it out of there, even if you need to rent a storage unit to do so.

Spiff up Kitchens and Bathrooms
More than any other space in a home, money spent on a kitchen or bathroom renovation or upgrade will net a large return on investment. Would you buy this home with those cabinets? If not, replace them, and get your house sold for more.
While sellers normally puts an emotional price on the market first, there are professionals, like those at Assurance Financial Group, that help with pricing for your home. Consider these points when talking to your real estate agent about the worth of your home. These tips should help you get more interest, more offers and more money!