Fsbo

The secret to successful pre-sale home remodeling is to keep up with the Jones’, but never surpass them. Whether you want to make more money than you spend, or just recoup your remodeling expenses when you sell your home, know what’s standard in the neighborhood.

Does everyone have laminate kitchen countertops? Splurge on granite and you’ll be the envy of your friends, but you won’t get your money back at resale. Is your home in a high-end neighborhood? Put in laminate countertops and your house will sell for less than full value, or worse yet, linger on the market for months.

Never be the last homeowner on the block to remodel. Homebuyers will pass up your property in favor of the one down the street where everything is already updated. Your home will sell slowly and for less money.

The main things to keep in mind when remodeling are: neutral, clean, and classic. That will always recoup your money.

Tight on cash? These quick fixes add the most value for the least money:

1. Paint Your Way to Profits

Painting your home before you put it on the market is one of the cheapest ways to get the highest possible price for your property. But don’t use the same color for the entire house – white walls are dull. Use soft muted colors like pale green or muted beige. They can still be neutral while greatly improving the look and feel of each room. Add white baseboards for additional style.

2. Find a Higher Price Underfoot

If you’ve got hardwood under old carpet, rip up the carpet and refinish the floors. Sanding hardwoods is physically demanding. Make a mistake and you ruin the floor. Hire a pro to sand for $1 to $1.50 a foot and then do your own staining and sealing to save money. When carpet is your only option, buy the best padding. Mid-price carpeting will look and feel fine if the padding below it is thick.

3. Tweak the Front Yard

First impressions make a huge difference. Perspective buyers tend to make up their mind before they even walk into the house. If they don’t like the outside, they’re not going to like the inside. So:

– Trim your shrubs
– Cut your grass
– Place potted flowers at the entryway
– Paint the front door
– Invest in new doorknobs, a mailbox and house numbers

4. Follow the Light

Update old light fixtures in the kitchen, bath and hallways so buyers will see why your home is worth more. Florescent lights and brass are dated. Buyers like brushed nickel, stainless steel or blown-glass style light fixtures. Recessed lighting is also a huge selling point because it brightens up the room and creates a natural-looking light.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 7:22 am and is filed under FSBO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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