Top 5 Projects to Help You Sell Your Home

This time of year we think of graduations, summer vacations, and, yes, even moving. May is #NationalMovingMonth because a majority of annual homes sales happen between May and August throughout the U.S. If you will be one of those sales this year, make sure to add time to your schedule for getting your home ready to sell. Here are our suggestions for projects we’ve seen new homeowners request over the years.

Flooring

Flooring can make a big impact on the sale of your home. If your family includes a cat or dog, you’ll have pet dander along with their fur hiding in the carpet. This can cause odors in the home and not make a great first impression. If you’ve had your flooring for less than 5 years, a good professional cleaning should do the trick. If it’s been more than 5 years, now is a great time to update! You don’t need to choose the most expensive option of flooring, but we also recommend replacing the padding or underlayment as well, especially in high traffic areas. New carpet gives a cozy feel to a bedroom, and new tile in a bathroom helps it look cleaner!

Paint

A great compliment to clean or new flooring is a fresh coat of paint. Specific paints can also help eliminate odors, which is great especially if you are a smoker. Choose light or neutral colors to help brighten a room and give it a feeling of being larger. Having lots of natural light available and light colored paint to bounce off of can really improve the look of any room. Remember - you may love the color scheme currently, but the new owners might not. Giving them a fresh palette to work with helps a home seem more move-in ready. Make sure to let the store associates know the size of the room your painting and the current color so you don’t buy too much or not enough.

Lighting

Just like color schemes, sometimes lighting can be a more personal choice. If you have some very specific fixtures you’ve put in your home, especially in a child’s room, it’s a good idea to change them out for something a bit more conservative. Take note if it’s a proper amount of lighting for the space so that it’s not too dark or too bright. Also go through your home and check for any burnt out bulbs that could hinder how a room is able to be shown.

Curb Appeal

The outside of your home is the first place prospective buyers are going to see. If they aren’t impressed by the outside, they could skip over your home altogether. Keeping the lawn mowed is a good first step. If you know you’ll be busy or out of town, consider hiring a neighbor kid or a local company to help. Adding a few plants or flowers can also give your home a more put-together look. The best way to know what people first see is by walking down the sidewalk in front of your home and really taking a good look. Loose gutters? Faded shutters? The more appealing your home looks on the outside, the more interested people will be to want to see inside.

Exterior

Take the time to clean the siding to really make it pop, and, if you have a deck or patio, consider power washing it to make it look like in a clean, inviting space. Many of us don’t like washing windows, but now would be a great time to get it done. Look for an outdoor window cleaner that attaches to your hose to make light of the work. Also, remove any lawn ornaments or decorations to keep your yard looking too cluttered.

A great place to find quality items that fit into a budget is one of the two Habitat for Humanity ReStores here in the Des Moines metro. They have everything from gently used to new overstock items from drawer knobs to large appliances, lighting to flooring. You’re also supporting a great cause because the proceeds go to help build homes in the community. Benchmark has proudly donated to the Restore for many years and supports what they do in the community. It’s also a great way to get rid of old fixtures and other items you may have taken out but don’t have a need for.

The To-Do List when it comes to selling a home can be long. If you need an extra hand getting your home ready so you can focus on getting your family ready, give us a call today to get your free estimate. We’ll gladly help add value to your home for potential buyers so you can start enjoying your new home sooner. Don’t forget to keep us in mind to help make that new home more personalized as well!