Six Home Renovation Ideas Before You Sell

If you are selling your home, you want to get the best price. You are doing all the simple things like removing clutter, cleaning, and making sure the yard is neat.

However, is it a good idea to do more? Some small renovations can often bring a great return on investment to get a good price or sell your home more quickly.

Here are some simple renovations ideas you can do before you sell your home.

Add a Fresh Coat of Paint

Repainting is one of the cheapest and easiest things you can do, but it has a high rate of return. If you are handy with a paintbrush, you can do it yourself, but getting a professional won’t cost that much.

Choose neutral colors that make your other home features look good. If you hire a professional, ask for their recommendations for each room of the house. 

The current best colors for selling a house are gray and greige. These colors might seem dreary, but it does make a difference. Lighter colors also make rooms look bigger, and the entire house appear more spacious. 

Other colors to consider are beige, white, charcoal, and light blue. Some buyers prefer white because it’s easier to paint over.

Repaint the exterior in pleasant, cheerful colors, especially if you are currently “That purple house.” Some people might be all over a purple house, but most buyers will be put off by it. If you have vinyl siding or similar, power wash it so that it’s bright and clean.

Remodel the Bathroom

This doesn’t mean a total replacement of the bathroom unless it really warrants one. A luxury bathroom won’t create a huge ROI.

However, making some minor improvements can make a huge difference. At a bare minimum, re-caulk the tub and replace the showerhead. 

Showerheads are so hard to clean that they always look used, so a brand new one will make a huge difference. Consider replacing the faucets too. Clean and freshen the grout lines between the tiles.

You could also consider new floor and wall tiles, especially if your existing tiles are in an unpopular or startling color. Go with neutral colors here too. 

Other improvements that can really help are new countertops (ideally stone), frameless glass doors (which are in right now), or new or refreshed cabinets.

Update the Front Door

First impressions matter and one of the first impressions a buyer will get of your home is the front door. If you have a nice, solid front door, paint it bright, cheerful. Primary colors always look welcoming and will lift your mood.

If you have an older door, consider replacing it. Make sure it matches the overall appearance of your home, and don’t overspend. A new steel door may or may not look great with your home. Look at other homes on the street that are similar and see who has the best front door.

Add Simple Landscaping

Basic yard maintenance will do a huge amount to get people to look at your home in the first place. If you have high maintenance plants, especially in the front yard, get rid of them. Ensure the lawn is mowed and edged and that your trees and shrubbery are neatly trimmed.

Add some dots of color with bright annual flowers. If you have potted plants, put them out on the front porch if there’s room and let them help you sell your house.

Also, fix the walkway and make sure to remove any weeds that might have found their way into the cracks.

Update the Flooring

If you have lived in your home for a long time, even steam cleaning might not fix that carpet, especially if you have pets. Replacing all new carpeting (in neutral colors) is a great step.

If you have a higher budget, wood or faux wood is always preferable to carpet, and it’s easier to clean, looks great. Add a throw rug or two in strategic locations to make rooms look bigger.

At the bare minimum, get your floors professionally cleaned, but remember that replacing carpet is a popular update that makes a huge difference. 

If you already have hardwood floors, get them refinished.

Update Lighting

Go through all of your lighting fixtures. Are any worn, dated, or, worse, not fully functional? Brass fixtures can make your home look old. Huge chandeliers dominate a room but not in a good way, so take them out.

Make sure to get a professional electrician to do anything that involves changing the wiring. Your home should be well lit. Add floor lamps or accent lamps if needed to show your place looks bigger and prospective buyers can see everything well.

If you still have any incandescent bulbs, replace them with LEDs. And if you have some weird fixture that only takes incandescents (it’s rare these days, but it still happens), get rid of it. No buyer is going to want to deal with it.

If you have exterior lighting, make sure it works and that it’s the way you want it. If you have beautiful trees, add uplights. If you don’t have lighting that marks your walkway, consider adding it. Solar lights don’t require any wiring, look good, and are a selling point because of safety.

Completing a few simple renovation ideas before you sell can increase the value and curb appeal of your home and easily pay for themselves. They can also help you sell faster and thus finish your move quicker without having overlapping mortgage payments. Consider cheap options such as updating lighting and repainting your house inside and out, and you will be pleased with the results.

Contact us for more information about how Offercity can help make selling your home easy.