10 Spruce-Up Tips in 10 Days. Get More Added Value to Your Home Before You Put it on the Market!!

De-cluttering the Day Away...Day 2

So you've read about curb appeal, which I believe is very important in selling your home.  This tip is another one that many people overlook, at times without realizing it.  You assume that, because you LOVE your wedding pictures on the walls~all 20 of them~that everyone else is going to LOVE them, too.  Wrong answer!  This is one of those times that you need a friend, a real friend who's going to be completely honest with you, to help you with this task. 

The first thing I would recommend doing is getting a place to store all of your items that you're going to pack away.  (Don't go into shock!  This could potentially get you more for your home!  Suck it up and do it!)  If you have a garage, it may be okay.  However, remember that, with all of the boxes that are stored there along with everything else that you normally keep there, you're losing the visual square footage.  And you know what that means, right?  You're losing DOLLARS!  So, if your budget can stand it, rent a storage space.  If you can't, make due with what you can, but make it as visually appealing as possible.

The second thing I would do is pack away everything you can that's personal.  Typically how I would start the process is pack away as much as I can, and then bring out a few of the items to help make the place homey.  Just not TOO many.  Pack up some of the kids' toys.  Little Johnny will be alright.  I promise that it won't scar him for life!  You want to pack up enough things so that it looks clean, but not plain.  Adding a few items on tabletops is okay.  However, having 50 things on your coffee table is NOT.

Third, go through your kitchen.  If it's summer and you have a ton of baking pans that you only use all of during the Holiday Season, pack up as many as you can.  Pack up the cookie cutters, the decorative dishes, and things that you don't use that often.  If you think that buyers don't go through your cabinets, you couldn't be more wrong!

This is also a great time to get rid of expired medicines.  So number 4 on the list is bathrooms!  Again, buyers will go through your medicine cabinets, drawers, etc., when looking at your home as potentially theirs.  Go through your bathroom(s), and get rid of things you don't use.  I promise that you will survive.

Finally, I highly recommend getting rid of old magazines, newspapers, books that you dust and don't read, and so on.  If you save your children's artwork and schoolwork, pare it down!  Also, a great idea that I've seen a friend do is keep what's most special and put these things into three-ring binders.  You can get one for every school year.  It's great to look through the years, kind of like scrapbooks, to see how your child has progressed.  Then, you can pack the binders away as well!

Basically, if something pulls at your heartstrings, it probably won't for potential buyers.  Keep that in mind as you pack.  And one huge benefit is that you've already started packing for your next home!  You'll be way ahead of the game when you move, and opening those boxes will be like a treasure hunt when you get to open them!

Good luck and happy packing!

10 Spruce-Up Tips in 10 Days. Get More Added Value to Your Home Before You Put it on the Market!!

Day 1~ Curb Appeal

This is by far one of the things that so many homeowners seem to overlook when preparing to put their home on the market, and I'm not sure why. It's like going on a first date without making sure your clothes match, or you don't have your make-up on!

If potential buyers pull up to your home, there are weeds everywhere, the landscaping hasn't been refreshed, and the lawn is a hot mess, what does that say about the inside of the home? If you can't take care of the exterior, many buyers will assume that the inside is unkempt as well. After searching several sites, including Forbes.com and psychologicalscience.org, it takes anywhere between one tenth of a second to seven seconds to develop an opinion of someone or something.

So now, you're wondering what you can do to not only make a fantastic first impression, but also recoup what you invest. According to the article “Top 15 Home Updates That Pay Off” on FrontDoor.com, you can expect to get up to 100% of your money back that you put into your landscape! And if you do the work on your own, you will be adding sweat equity, and your return could be much higher. However, don't take on more than you know you can handle. You don't want your yard to turn into an even worse turn-off than it already was! Contact a landscape designer who can come up with a plan. If you're comfortable with following their design plan and doing the work on your own, then GREAT! You'll pay for the plan, the plants, and you can add extra value with your own sweat equity. If you're not comfortable with it, however, leave the work to the pros!

There are some simple things you can do on your own, that could make a huge impact, though. One easy fix is adding planters to your front entrance and rear entrance. It makes it seem fresh and appears inviting. And please make sure that the planters are clean, fresh and inviting! (In another post, I'm going to talk about cleaning the porch...) If your porch is large enough, maybe a rocking chair or bistro set will add some charm! In the back, add an eating area and possibly a fire pit. Home buyers want to envision making s'mores by the fire, entertaining friends, or maybe reading a book on a porch. The possibilities are endless!

Remember to keep it simple. You don't have to spend thousands to make your yard look like a million!