When getting ready to sell your home, we want to take advantage of opportunities to add value, while avoiding throwing good money after bad. Below is a list of small, inexpensive things we can do that will make a substantial difference in the sale price of your home:
Painting
Painting is one of the easiest, fastest, and least expensive ways to get your home ready for the market, and you’ll almost certainly make money by doing it! Most painting jobs add multiples back of cost to the list price, so it is well worth your time to push your furniture to the center of the room and add a fresh coat of paint to your home. Eggshell white, neutral, clean, and modern.
Floor refinishing
Similar to painting, stripping and resealing a worn hardwood floor, even engineered hardwood, with a neutral, matte finish will likely add multiples of cost to the price, at an investment of around $4 per square foot.
Minor Kitchen Remodel
There is a big difference between a minor and a major kitchen remodel. While a complete kitchen remodel typically runs $50 to $60k, minor updating will likely cost a fraction of that, and still leave you with a much improved kitchen.
Minor remodeling includes updating appliances, replacing light and electrical fixtures, painting or refacing cabinets, re-grouting, and replacement of any damaged tiles. This is a favorable option for anyone whose kitchen was brand new around ten years ago, and has weathered normal wear and tear. If a kitchen is decades old, best not to throw good money after bad and simply grant your buyer a renovation credit at closing, or factor an assumed renovation into your asking price.
Get a thorough explanation of the renovation process in Manhattan and Brooklyn from expert general contractor Rob Stevenson of KBR Design and Build:
Bathroom Updating
While new bathrooms can easily run $30k, reg-grouting, replacing broken tiles, and updating faucets and shower heads are inexpensive improvements that can greatly enhance the value of any bathroom that’s more than a few years old.
Handyman
Few investments net a more positive return than simply hiring a handyman to take care of any cracked tiles, fixtures, or floorboards, loose handles and knobs, chipped or scuffed paint, and any other aspect of normal wear and tear. When buyers come across easily noticeable imperfections, they tend to wonder what other imperfections they aren’t noticing. Something as simple as a burnt-out light bulb can needlessly sabotage our efforts.
Conclusion
When selling your home, we have to think like a buyer. We’ll make a real assessment of your property and what actually needs to be done. Aesthetic is as important as function. Buyers subconsciously make their decision the first eight seconds they’re in a home, and our goal is for them to effortlessly imagine themselves moving in and feeling at home.