Making Over Your Kingston Home
You only have one chance to make a good
first impression, and the same goes for your home! Making
sure your home makes a GREAT first impression on a potential
buyer will speed up the sale and ensure that you get the best
price possible. Invest the necessary time, effort and money
in a “makeover” for your home before you put it
on the market.
Preparing your home for sale does not have to entail major
remodeling. The aim of a home makeover is to bring out the
appealing features of your home and to make minor repairs
and cosmetic improvements that draw the buyer’s attention
to the value of your home. Not only will you increase the
value and marketability of your home; a makeover gives you
the chance to make a pre-emptive strike on repairs that the
buyer or the buyer’s home inspector could request. Leading
the way looks a whole lot better than just following along.
Take a look at your home through a buyer’s
eyes.
Grab a friend and take a tour of your home. Have a long, hard,
critical look inside and out, as if you were seeing it for
the first time (that’s where an objective friend comes
in handy). Make a list of all the things that need fixing.
Keep track of everything from the cobwebs in the corners of
the garage to the doorframe that the dog scratched up trying
to get out to chase the raccoon in the back yard.
If necessary, have an electrician and a plumber come in
and do a checkup and suggest improvements. Some of the items
on your list will be simple and cosmetic, some more substantial.
Some guidelines.
Every home is different but here are some repairs and improvements
you may want to consider:
Outside:
- Does the driveway and/or walkway need resurfacing?
- Could the front door, garage door or others use a coat
of paint, or replacement?
Are screen doors in good shape?
- Green up the lawn (a small investment in sod is a quick
solution to bald spots), get rid of weeds, spruce up flowerbeds
and prune overgrown bushes. Depending on the season you
can brighten up the yard by planting beds of colorful flowers,
annuals are cheapest.
- Power wash the siding and deck.
- Paint, paint and more paint. Did I mention paint? Repaint
doorframes, trim, or the whole house if necessary. This
is the cheapest makeover trick that gives you the biggest
return on your investment.
- Check all the window frames and consider upgrading to
double or triple-pane or storm windows if applicable.
- Let there be light - install porch and entrance lights
or just make sure the bulbs in existing fixtures are working.
Consider installing motion detector lights for dark areas
of the yard. (This suggests that you are security conscious,
that’s a good thing)
- Make sure gutters and drain spouts are clear of debris.
- Repair or replace the roof if required – get it
inspected professionally before making such an important
decision. You may also want to discuss it with your realtor
as it may be difficult to recoup the costs of this major
repair.
- Seal cracks in outside walls and foundation and keep
the area near the foundation clear of heavy ground cover
plants, stones and landscape timbers. Keep mulch at least
12 inches from the foundation as defense against insects
and moisture.
Inside:
- Wash walls, ceilings and windows. Decide whether a new
coat of paint in a neutral color will improve the appearance
of any or all rooms. Make sure the painting is done by professionals
or, if you do it yourself, that you follow the manufacturer’s
instructions to the letter, paying particular attention
to proper cleaning and priming of surfaces to be painted.
- If necessary, consider replacing dated floor coverings
with modern carpeting or vinyl or ceramic tile and re-finishing
wood floors so they look like new. You may want to discuss
this with your realtor first.
- Lighting is important. Would ceiling fans, new light fixtures
and recessed or track lighting improve the appearance of
your rooms? Don’t forget to replace shabby or outdated
switch and outlet plates and register vents.
- Clean the curtains and invest in relatively inexpensive
blinds if yours have seen their best days.
- Spruce up the kitchen. Invest in modern cupboard and
drawer handles and decide whether to paint or replace cupboard
doors. Clean every nook and cranny, including the inside
of the stove and the microwave!
- Update bathroom lighting and replace toilet seats and
bathroom hardware if necessary.
- Clean furnace filters and make sure weather-stripping
is in place to provide maximum energy efficiency. A conscientious
buyer will notice these details.
- Tidy up! Remove clutter from all rooms. Put extra furniture,
knickknacks and other extraneous material into storage.
Be ruthless, even if a home is clean clutter suggests dirty
nooks and crannies.
- New furniture? If the living room or family room furniture
that you are planning to buy for your new home would improve
the appearance of your current home, buy it now.
- Don’t forget the garage. Get rid of trash. Have
a garage sale to get rid of the stuff you don’t plan
to take with you. Do a thorough cleaning and organize what’s
left. Clean the floor, repair cracks and remove stains and
re-finish the floor with a stain resistant concrete finish.
What about major improvements?
Most major home improvements do not necessarily
raise the property value dollar for dollar. Concentrate on
the basics – wiring, plumbing, a high efficiency furnace
and repairs to the foundation. These are what the buyers and
a home inspector will be looking for.
Consider adding practical square footage to the living area
of your home. If you don’t plan on making major improvements
to your home before you sell then studies show that the best
investments (i.e.: you can recoup the costs from the sale
of the home) are projects like finishing the basement, remodeling
the kitchen or the bathroom and adding a family room or deck.
These projects were the types that most substantially increased
the value of homes.
It’s the little things that count.
Sometime it’s the simple things that make the most difference.
You should strongly consider making those improvements that
include lightening and brightening, both inside the home and
out. New lighting fixtures and new paint with lighter colors
all improve the appearance of a home for a moderate outlay.
Don’t forget “curb appeal” and that first
impression. You want the buyer to like what they see and to
want to own the home along with the lifestyle and status it
represents. A well-manicured lawn, attractive landscaping
and a clean and bright exterior all contribute to curb appeal.
Those qualities of your home that can’t be seen are
equally important. Don’t underestimate the value of
updating your home’s energy efficiency with new windows,
added insulation, fresh weather-stripping, modern air conditioning
and heating systems.
Ask your realtor for their opinion, they know what buyers
are looking for and can be the source of valuable advice.
Last minute touches.
The job isn’t over when you’ve done all the major
work and have listed your home. Attention to detail will pay
off when you are expecting potential buyers for an open house
or individual appointments.
Make sure you’ve vacuumed and removed pet and cigarette
odors. Everything should be clean and sparkling. Don’t
forget that your buyers will be looking in closets and corners
so have everything organized and neat. Send the kids and pets
to visit grandma for the day if you’re having an open
house.
A bouquet of fresh flowers on the dining room table is a
welcoming touch. And don’t be afraid to fire up the
bread machine, it’s cliché but the smell of fresh
baked bread still works.
In Conclusion:
Consider the work you do in preparing your home for sale as
an investment and an opportunity to prepare for your own move.
Get rid of everything that is just taking up space. Have a
garage sale, give the extras to friends or to a local charity
and get the kids to do the same.
Get professional advice from both your realtor and a home
inspector to determine what repairs and upgrades are in order
and get the work done professionally. If you do it yourself
make sure you do it like a professional! The effort you put
into preparation will pay off. Not only will you get the best
price for your property, but you will have taken major steps
in your move to a new home as well.
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