How
to Get Every Dollar You Deserve....
by Getting the Full Value of Your House!
The ability to reap
additional profits on the sale of your home can be accomplished
easily enough if you make the right improvements. Many
changes can provide the prospective buyer with enhanced feelings
about your home. Feelings of more space, more light, more rooms,
more closet space, greater privacy, warmth and security. Basic,
simple and inexpensive improvements can provide an improved
emotional response in a potential buyer.
An example could be something as small as a crack in the paint on
a wall. Simply by applying some plaster and touch up paint, you
eliminated what may be an unstated concern that your home was
poorly maintained. Though the feeling may be unconscious, it’s
just as important that the potential buyer feel an overall desire
for your home. If you are working with a small budget these simple
techniques will work absolute wonders:
- The Magic of Mirrors!
Mirrors can provide
a greater sense of space and elegance when properly placed. Be
careful not to overdo it, but when placed properly throughout your
home, each area will seem larger to the potential home buyer. Try
looking in your attic or basement for any old mirrors, but be sure
they have a nice frame or at least give the frame a new coat of
paint. You may also want to visit a local flea market or garage
sale, you can almost always get a great deal on an old mirror or
two. Putting one foot square mirrors on a closet door in the
master bedroom is always an attractive touch.
- Adding Additional Closet
Space
One of the biggest
complaints heard from potential buyers is that there just isn’t
enough closet space! Simply purchasing an inexpensive closet
organizer and installing it in any or all of your closets can make
all the difference. You can also try putting a rod across one
corner of a bedroom for hanging clothes. Also you could try
hanging a screen made from a variety of materials. The screen
could match the material of the bedspread, drapes etc. The idea
here is to be creative so that the "fake closet" looks
as though it was a part of the room.
- Make a Bare Wall Beautiful
Wallpaper is
inexpensive, quick and easy to do! The right wallpaper can
brighten the room or hallway and bring it back to life. Be careful
to choose something with a neutral design or pattern, remember
you’re trying to move out.
- Bring Old Floors Back to
Life!
Nothing turns off a
potential buyer quicker than dull, dingy, disgusting looking
floors. Whether you have wax, wooden or tiled floors do whatever
you can to make them shine again! For wax floors, either rent a
floor machine and do it yourself or, if it’s in your budget,
hire a professional. Have a professional give you an estimate and
explain exactly what they would do to bring your floors back to
life. If you have them explain what they would do, it may be just
as easy to do it yourself. If you have carpeted floors you should
either have the carpet steam cleaned or install new carpeting.
This may sound expensive but new carpeting can add thousands of
dollars to the value of your home.
- Add Attractive Plants
Having plants in
the house is not only healthy for you but you create a warm
feeling with them. Many indoor plants are far less expensive then
you might imagine. Attractive pots such as ceramic, brass or even
designer plastic will add a designer flair to your home. Hanging
plants such as Boston ferns are inexpensive, easy to care for and
would go great in your new home wherever you move.
- Adding a Room Without
Calling in the Contractor!
This simple but
seldom used technique, can give a buyer the feeling there are more
actual rooms in your house. Floor to ceiling room dividers are
inexpensive and simple to install. When a buyer walks through your
home, they will generally count the rooms in a subconscious
manner. Each room will present an emotional response as they walk
through your home. By dividing and designing each side of your
room, you create a " separate room" feeling in the
potential buyer. It may sound crazy but it works!
- Clean Up the Bathroom
We’ve probably
all heard that phrase a hundred times growing up as children! Well
guess what? It’s still valid. Give your bathroom a face-lift if
needed: fresh paint, decorative moldings, tile grout, new designer
faucets are all attractive eye catchers.
- What is That Smell?
Though people
don’t like to admit it, everyone's home has a certain smell
to it. We just never notice it because we live with it day in, day
out. Strategically placing fresh scent devices throughout the home
will be pleasant to the nose of any potential buyer. As a matter
of fact, an old Realtor trick is to pop some cinnamon rolls in an
oven 5 minutes before a showing. I bet you thought all Realtors
just had a sweet-tooth!
About the author: the
author of this article is not known. Article reprinted courtesy of
Total Real Estate Solutions http://www.totalrealestatesolutions.com
Your
Hawaii Real Estate Specialist
Oleg Potemkin (RA) Hawaii Realty
Associates, LLC
4211 Waialae Avenue, Suite 1020,
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 USA
Tel: (808) 398-9987 Fax:(808)
538-8081 E-mail: Oleg@Hawaii-Realty.com
