Money-Saving Home Improvements Tips

When you are getting ready to sell your home, some home improvements can help you find a buyer. While you could spend thousands on renovations, it doesn’t guarantee prospective buyers will like the changes you’ve made or that you will recoup your investment.

However, there are some money-saving improvements you can make that aren’t going to break the bank, and should improve your chances of selling quickly and for more.

A Fresh Coat of Paint

Rooms that have been newly painted are going to be more attractive to buyers and provide a good first impression. The same is true of the outside of your home, although just properly cleaning your walls can make a big difference as well.

The color you choose can be important too. Light or pale shades of blue and gray can actually help your home sell for more. Homes with rooms in those colors seemed to sell for more, following analysis of sales data on Zillow.

If you don’t have the finances available to repaint your rooms, you can make improvements by removing marks and scratches. Often these will wash or rub off, quickly making the appearance of the room better.

Landscaping

There are many ways to boost home value, and landscaping is one of them. Your front yard is one of the first things prospective buyers will see when they visit your home. And since you only really get one chance to make a good first impression, the yard should be looking its best.

Even if you are on a very limited budget for your landscaping, improvements can be made like keeping things neat. Mowing the lawn and edging it regularly, will show that you care about maintaining the home and will enhance the overall curb appeal. Pull out any weeds as well, to make your front yard more presentable and attractive.

Plant some colorful flowering shrubs and plants that will be in bloom when your home is on the market. Don’t forget to water your yard and use fertilizer too so that your plants look their best.

Cleaning Up in the Kitchen

Often considered the most important room of the house, your kitchen should get some attention. There are some excellent tips to update your kitchen without breaking the bank. While a complete renovation is going to be expensive, there are things you can do that are more cost-effective.

You can repaint baseboards, door frames, cabinets, moldings, and more to improve the look of the kitchen. If you have the budget, replacing appliances should help sell the home by making the kitchen seem more up to date.

If you don’t want to buy new appliances, you can also make sure the countertop is looking perfect. Clean and remove nicks in the surface, replace grout if necessary, and make sure it is looking as good as it can. If you have the money, you could replace it with a granite countertop.

New tiles or cabinet pulls are an easy way to update and rejuvenate the kitchen without spending much.

Remove personal items from your kitchen, like photos and religious or political possessions. You should try to make it easy for the potential buyer to imagine themselves living in the home, and depersonalizing will help with this.

Let There Be Light

Is your lighting duller than it could be? Old or lower-powered bulbs could be the culprit, replace them with new and more powerful lights that better suit the room and will save energy cost at the same time.

You could replace recessed lighting with brighter fixtures, perhaps a chandelier will be more attractive in the room. You might also take the opportunity to use energy-efficient bulbs if you aren’t already. Many buyers are looking for more energy-efficient homes, and this is a step in the right direction.

If you don’t have the budget for more expensive home improvements to the lighting in your rooms, you could just add more lamps. As long as you remember to turn on the lights before buyers are shown your home, this should have the desired effect to make rooms more appealing.

Lights outside your property will matter if your home is shown in the evening. Simple lighting options, like solar-powered lights, can make the outside space more appealing and help create the right first impression. This is another opportunity to upgrade your home while staying on a budget.

Flooring

If you have old and worn carpets, it won’t be appealing to buyers, particularly if your home will be vacant when they visit. There are particular styles of flooring that buyers prefer when searching for a home. If there are stains or you have a dog, a professional clean will be a good idea. There are some tips for selling a home with pets that will surely save you money!

You can also buy water-based cleaning products to suit your floor that should make a big difference. These can cost a few hundred dollars, but it will be worth it if it avoids putting off buyers.

Final Thoughts

Whatever options you choose, these money-saving home improvements should help you sell your home more easily, and you could receive more for it as well.

About the Author

The above real estate article “Money-Saving Home Improvements to Make Before Selling” was written by Sharon Paxson of Newport Beach Real Estate. Sharon is a residential Realtor® with experience representing buyers, sellers, and landlords with their real estate transactions since 2005. We welcome the opportunity to share our expertise and guide you through the home buying or selling process.

We service the following Orange County CA areas: Corona del Mar, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, and more! If you are considering selling your home, we welcome the opportunity to work with you and list your home with a top Newport Beach CA Realtor.