As a homeowner, you’ve probably spent a lot of time maintaining and caring for your home; so, it makes sense to experience mixed feelings about selling it and moving somewhere new. Whatever your reasoning is for selling your home—a new job, a growing family, a financial upgrade—there are many tips and resources available to make the process run smoothly.
If you are in the market to sell your home, get ready to put a lot of time and research into planning a successful home sale. Before you put your house on the market, analyze the current condition of it, and then decide whether you should take on a few projects to increase the value of your home. Research shows that the right combination of upgrades can add as much as 10 percent above the home sale price you’re anticipating.
Below are some smart tips to help you determine which projects you should consider for your home to raise the value before you sell:
Add Home Automation Features
A great way to differentiate your home from the others on the market is to make it smarter. In today’s world, home automation technology provides the safety, security, and convenience that new buyers are looking for and can help speed up the selling process. There are many smart-home products on the market, which makes it challenging to decide which will benefit your home the most. A good rule of thumb when deciding on smart home upgrades is to install products that people are familiar with and are easy to use.
On the flip side, you can also pick out products that might not be super well-known, but instead, provide helpful and preventative solutions to everyday household issues. For example, you can protect your home from water damage and leaks with smart plumbing technology. Flo by Moen is one example of a plumbing product that allows you to monitor and shut-off your water system remotely, and it runs daily tests to make sure your plumbing is running efficiently, sends alerts right to your phone if it detects any leaks, and helps you visualize where your water is going through the Flo app. A great talking point when discussing your smart plumbing product with buyers is how it helps to save on water and helps save money on utilities and annual insurance premiums.
Have Your Pipes Checked
Before you start packing up your belongings, be sure to give the important aspects of your home’s infrastructure a once over. After all, what good is a clean home without running water and efficient utilities? If you are a household without smart plumbing technology, this step is essential to avoid missing any cracks in your pipes or other plumbing issues that may be detrimental to the overall efficiency of your home. You can also look up a local plumber near you to provide a more detailed check-up.
Professional plumbers offer a credible way to detect potential problems that you might’ve missed by inspecting your pipes on your own. Plus, this approach gives both you and the buyer peace of mind knowing your plumbing (and any other essential home features) are working correctly.
Give Hardware a Facelift
If you’re not looking to do major renovations to the interior of your home, deciding to tackle hardware can give you the boost your home aesthetic needs without breaking the bank. Updating door knobs or pulls on kitchen drawers and cabinets can change the entire vibe of your style! Get creative with unique shapes in modern finishes like rose gold or copper.
Go one step further by upgrading your faucets, shower heads, and other small appliances to match the tone of your new hardware. Faucets and showerheads specifically should be changed out every so often. Replace your showerhead every six to eight months to prevent exposure to growing mold, bacteria, or sediment buildup that could potentially enter your shower.
Inspect Your Roof Shingles
Before anyone comes to look at your home, take preventative steps to ensure your home inspection runs smoothly. You don’t want to find out alongside the buyer that your roof needs replacing, so inspect your shingles and structure ahead of time to make sure everything is in working order. If you see any red flags, like loose or broken shingles that can potentially allow water to seep into the home, it’s smart to spend some money on repairs.
Even if you fix just a small section, you can help prevent further breakage and avoid costly water damage. Also, you can save yourself and potential buyers money if you catch problems early on; which might work in your favor during the selling process.
Declutter Thoughtfully
As you sort through personal belongings, there are two important questions to ask yourself. First question: Is this item or piece of furniture a true reflection of who I am? Second question: Will these things continue to bring happiness and functionality into my new home?
Whatever you decide, make sure you start the elimination and selection process early on–that way, you have enough time to organize your possessions and prepare for your move. Before you move, consider replacing common household items that you use frequently. The most important benefit of starting the decluttering process early on is that potential buyers can easily visualize how their things will look and fit into your home, should they decide to buy it.
Incorporating even just one of these tips can help speed up the selling process and attract the right buyers to your home. In the end, this can help make you feel confident about your decision to sell and begin a new chapter of your life.
