2. Depersonalize the House
Your house likely reflects your personality, especially if you’ve lived there for a long time. But when you’re trying to sell real estate, it’s important for potential buyers to be able to imagine themselves living there and making it their own home. This requires depersonalizing the space — removing anything associated with you or your family.
It may help to think of hotel rooms when doing this. You want warm, inviting rooms without reminders of previous occupants. You can depersonalize the space by:
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removing all family photos from walls, shelves, and tabletops
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removing artwork from children or grandchildren
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removing sports trophies, ribbons, and personal memorabilia
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storing bathroom toiletries in vanity drawers or linen closets
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clearing bedside tables of everything except a tissue box, lamp, and clock
Depending on how many personal effects you have around your home, this might take a few days. Be sure to touch up any damage to your walls (e.g., from nails or screws), and use this time to take a trip down memory lane with loved ones.
Household fixtures follow fashion trends. As such, old light fixtures can date a home, especially if they’re dented, faded, or scratched. Updating bathroom wall sconces, dining room pendants, and entryway lighting with inexpensive neutral choices can easily modernize your home, planting the idea that the home is newer and well-cared for. Consider this a good weekend project.
Lighting is also key to creating bright and inviting ambience. Swap existing light bulbs for brighter options and add a few table lamps or floor lamps to cheer up dark corners. Complete this in an afternoon.
4. Update Faucets and Cabinet Hardware
Like lighting fixtures, old faucets and cabinet hardware can date a home, but are inexpensive and simple to replace. Take a good look at your bathroom and kitchen faucets, as well as the cabinet hardware in these rooms. If they’re more than a few years old, it’s time to hit the hardware store for updated versions.
Many realtors will tell you that
kitchens sell homes. The kitchen is the heart of the home, where families eat, entertain, and make memories. Potential buyers will try to envision themselves carrying out these activities in the kitchen. Not everyone has the money or time to invest in a full kitchen remodel with new counter tops, cabinets, and appliances, but something as simple as changing out appliance panels so that they match can give your kitchen a custom, modern look.
You might be able to replace your old dishwasher’s white front panel with a stainless steel one to match your stainless steel fridge and stove. Or, if you love your kitchen cabinets, perhaps you can select a fridge panel that matches those cabinets. Depending on your cabinet style, you might pay between
$300 and $500 for a fridge panel, but this is a DIY project that you could complete in less than one day.
6. Regrout and Replace Chipped Tiles
Crumbling or dirty grout and chipped tiles in your entrance, bathrooms, or kitchens aren’t just ugly. They could be dangerous too, as loose tiles could cause trips and chipped tiles could cause cuts. These issues also suggest a lack of attention to home repairs and upgrades and savvy buyers won’t ignore them. Although regrouting and replacing chipped tiles takes some work, doing so can make your tile work look new and give that “fresh” look that buyers want — in about a day’s work for fewer than $100.
Freshen up your home with a new coat of paint in a color palette that will appeal to today’s buyers. This will help to cover unsightly stains, unpleasant odors, and minor scratches. Paint is a fairly fast and inexpensive way to give a few rooms (or your whole home) a modern look.
Despite your personal preference, choose a neutral color to appeal to the widest range of possible buyers. Visit your local paint supply or hardware store for the latest color selections or ask your realtor for advice — they should have an idea of what’s currently popular. Depending on the size of your home and how many volunteer painters you can entice (or commandeer), painting the interior of your home could take as little as a couple of days.
8. Clean Carpets and Wood Floors
Nothing turns buyers off like stained, stinky carpeting, yet this is a relatively inexpensive fix when you’re trying to sell your home fast. Focus on high traffic areas, such as living rooms, family rooms, or dining rooms, or wherever the carpets are stained.
Wood floors are popular among a wide range of homeowners, so show yours off by making sure they’re clean and shiny. This is another job that takes more effort than money. If you’re ready for a real workout, clean your floors with hardwood floor cleaner. Or you can buy a
wood floor buffer machine for about $100 to clean and shine the floor — this option may be easier on your back.
