Home Improvement Tips to Help Sell Your Home to a Discerning Buyer

Noel Peebles writes:

Everyone has one or two things they would like to improve about the place they live. When it comes to improvements, our homes should be at the top of the list, but they often get shuffled to the side, because improvements tend to be costly and time consuming. The reality is that a lot of improvements you can actually accomplish on your own using some home improvement tips that aren't costly, but are noticeable.

Two areas of the house tend to get the short end of things when it comes to home improvement. They are the bathroom and our outside world. The bathroom is somewhat understandable. While we like to have it nice, the reality is that a face lift in the bathroom can be problematic. Redoing the entire bathroom is quite costly and often a messy proposition that takes weeks to reconcile.

Despite the inconvenience, doing up a bathroom is usually time and money well spent. It is one of the most used rooms in any house, and is a priority for most home buyers. The condition and presentation of a bathroom can add or subtract thousands of dollars in a property sale. A bathroom can also influence how long a property stays on the market, before being snapped up by a buyer.

That being said, what about the outside of your home? Is it looking a bit worse for wear? When is the last time you saw it as other people really see it? While it is true that you live on the inside, it is also true that what the outside of your home looks like, is the first thing people see. It is what gives your home curb appeal and makes people want to see more. Still when it comes to improving your home, one of the biggest things that people tend to overlook is the outside.

Did you know that adding a flower bed or a little bit of shrubbery can not only increase your chances of selling your home, but also cost you a nominal amount. It could amount to less than two to three hundred dollars for decent greenery that may increase the value of your home as much as a thousand dollars or more. Flowers and shrubs tend to give a home the appearance of being lovingly nurtured and people notice. An attractive garden will get you buyers when the swimming pool in your back yard might not.

Firewise landscaping is another method of adding to the value of your property and is one of the home improvement tips that you don't see added to the lists very often. This is particularly the case in areas where wild-land fires can be a problem, such as New Mexico, Arizona, California, and in some eastern states. Firewise landscaping is making news. It represents the proper placement of landscaping items so that the fires will have less fuel and be less able to consume the home along with the property. Firewise landscaping sells houses.

Taking into account where you live when considering these home improvement tips. Take care of your own interests, as well as those who will buy the property after you means assuring the safety of your home. It is one of the best ways to get your home noticed in a positive way and to sell the property to someone else.

Noel discovered a really interesting site will some good real estate information to help home buyers and vendors buy and sell properties.

26 Ways To Get The Best Price Selling Your Home

Noel Peebles writes:

My friends Jim and Kate recently sold their family home for a record price in their local area. I couldn't resist quizzing them to find out what they did to get such a good result. They had lots of good advice as you'll read below.

Here is what Jim and Kate did to sell their home for a record price in their area:

1. They did some research on local real estate agents and then interviewed 4 agents before deciding on which one to choose.
2. They decided to delay marketing their property for sale until it was ready for viewing.
3. They took the agent's advice and priced their home realistically asking for offers over a preset price.
4. They then went through their home outside and inside and prepared a long list of positives and negatives.
5. They then decided what aspects of their home needed attention.
6. They began outside by weeding and mulching the garden beds before adding some flowers.
7. Jim and Kate then replaced their tired old mailbox.
8. They added some nice potted plants as a feature in the entrance way.
9. They pressure washed the paving and driveway.
10. Jim and Kate then hired a local painter to wash and touch up the house exterior.
11. They cleaned every window in the house on both the inside and outside.
12. They cleaned the rain water gutters around the house and replaced one rusty section.
13. They mowed the lawns.
14. They tidied the hose reel and removed some garbage and built a small trellis to hide the garbage can.
15. Kate rearranged the outdoor furniture and added a nice potted flowering plant on the table.
16. Together they decided which items of furniture needed to be disposed of or put into storage. The whole purpose was to remove clutter.
17. They rearranged the furniture to give the appearance of space.
18. They stored away personal photos and a couple unusual items that wouldn't appeal to most people.
19. Jim got to work and cleaned out the garage and basement.
20. Kate cleaned the bedrooms, added some attractive linen and a few feature ornaments.
21. Jim focused on the bathroom cleaning it from top to bottom. Kate added some nice towels.
22. Together they tackled the kitchen with a thorough clean. They removed clutter from the bench tops and tidied the pantry.
23. The rest of the house was thoroughly cleaned too.
24. Blinds were cleaned and pulled open to let in more light.
25. They both then inspected the house prior to viewing on open days.
26. The dog was never at home when potential buyers arrived and Kate took special care to hide any dog odors by sprinkling a box of baking soda on the carpet before vacuuming. She also used one of those plug-in fragrances and thought the vanilla one smelt best.

After talking to Jim and Kate I realized they had put a lot of thought and effort into selling their home and it had certainly paid off for them. Hopefully this has been helpful and will assist you with selling your home for the best price. As Kate said, "it was the biggest asset we owned so we had to take the sale seriously." It certainly worked for them.

I wish you every success with the sale of your home.

More tips for selling a home and selling real estate in general