1. Updating the Kitchen

Kitchens are the most important room in the house. It’s the heart and soul of the home. Even if a buyer is not much of a cook, the kitchen is still where family and friends tend to gather.

• If new granite or stone is out of your budget, consider granite tiles instead of granite slab.

• For wood cabinets, stripping the finish and re-staining or painting will save you more money than re-surfacing the cabinets.

• Buy new knobs and / or pulls for the cabinet doors. If you have 40 or so knobs on your kitchen cabinet, at a cost of about $5 per knob, your total outlay for new hardware will be about $200. New hardware will transform the appearance of your cabinets.

• Replace a worn kitchen faucet for about $100 to $200.

• Buy new kitchen sink basket strainers for less than $25 each.

• Consider installing kitchen pendant lights over the sink. Cost: About $500.

• Clear the counters of all items to give a spacious look. Adding three items of interest (a decorative plate on a stand, an open cookbook, a fresh potted petite plant or vase, etc.)

2. Painting the Interior

Professional painters will probably charge you anywhere from $300 to $500 to paint each room, but with a little patience, you can paint the rooms yourself. This is not the time to get creative.

• Choose a soft color in a light brown tone (never white), and paint every room the same color.

• The painting will go faster if you paint the ceilings the same color, but ceilings really pop if they are a lighter color than the color of the walls. Lighter colors also make the ceilings appear higher.

• For a 10 x 10 room, you will need 2 one-gallon cans of eggshell paint. Each one-gallon can of paint should cost no more than $25. For the amount of money a professional painter will charge you to paint one room, you can probably paint the entire house yourself. It is a lot of work best done by professionals but if you need to save money and can do a good job, you can save by doing it yourself.

3. Freshening Bathrooms on a Budget

If you have wallpaper in the bathroom, it’s most likely dated and should be removed. You can rent a steamer to remove the wallpaper or strip it yourself.

• Consider replacing the toilet and vanity, especially if they are stained or particularly outdated. A new toilet and vanity will cost less than $500, and it’s easy to replace a toilet. Ask a friend or neighbor to come over and give you objective advice. Because after you live in a home for a while, you might not see the things that may distract home buyers. For example, personal photos, collections or trophies may distract potential buyers from seeing the house. Putting these away will also take away the worry that something may be broken or disappear as buyers tour the house.

4. Home Selling on a Budget Starts With the Exterior

First impressions count. That’s why your yard needs to be inviting. Trim back the bushes and trees, especially if they block views from the windows and make your home difficult to see from the street. Here are a few other low-cost curb appeal improvements that you can do for less than $500:

• Keep the lawn mowed, preferably on the diagonal.

• Plant yellow flowers such as marigolds along the walk or by the front door. The color yellow sells.

• Wash the exterior windows. Remove the screens and carefully store them in the garage. Windows without screens make the pictures more attractive.

• Paint or replace the front door and buy new hardware.

• Power spray the house to get rid of dirt and cobwebs. A pest service company can spray to temporarily prevent ants, cobwebs and other insects from forming.

• Buy a new welcome mat for the front steps.

• Paint or replace the mailbox.

• Paint your house number on the curb or buy a plaque displaying your house number and install near the entry.

• Wash or replace a front porch light fixture.

5. Remove Excess Clutter and Furniture

Many homes contain too much furniture. You may benefit from removing 2 to 3 pieces of furniture from each room. Less furniture will make the rooms appear bigger. You can pay about $100 a month to place the furniture into storage or simply stack it neatly in the garage for free.

• Depersonalize the home to allow new buyers to envision their family in your home. Remove all personal photographs from tables and walls. Patch holes in the walls or hang non-personalized artwork over the existing nails.

• Pack up your bookcases (you’re going to move anyway).

• Potential buyers do open closets. Therefore, clean out the closets and store away non-essential items. Remove half of the items you currently have inside the bedroom and coat closets to give the impression of a spacious and organized closet.

• Rearrange your kitchen pantry and kitchen cabinets in an orderly manner.

6. Thoroughly Clean the House Before Selling

You can hire a professional cleaning crew for about $300 – $1000 or do it yourself for free. Be sure to wash the inside of the windows.

• If you have carpet, rent a carpet steamer and clean the carpets. You may find they do not need to be replaced.

• Dust the tops of your doorways, window frames and baseboards.

• Polish all wood / ceramic flooring.

• Wash all light fixture coverings and ceiling fan blades.

• To give your home a more open feeling, consider removing a few doors that open into each other or otherwise block the flow of traffic.

7. Updating the Bathroom

• Buy a two-light wall fixture or a light bar for over the sink. Cost: About $200.

• If the tub is stained, hire a professional to refinish it. Cost: About $200 to $300.

• Replace water-stained shower doors or clean them with a lime dissolving detergent.

• Buy a new shower curtain and tie it back with ribbons. Buyers will want to see the tub or enclosure condition.

• Hang fresh towels. Lay a new bath rug.

• Place scented candles near a basket of tightly rolled wash cloths to create a spa-like environment. A lovely silk orchid in a nice vase works well instead of candles.

• Stash all personal items under the bathroom sink. Have a plastic tote basket handy so you can remove these items quickly and place them hidden under the sink when someone comes to view the house.

8. Pets

Pets can pose a challenge for home sellers and their agent when scheduling showings. Some potential buyers may have allergies or fears. If possible, see to it that your pets’ bedding is clean and their bowls are out of sight and no pet smells emit when buyers are walking through the property.  If possible, remove the pet before the buyers even approach your property. Take them for a walk or board them during open houses.

The bottom line is: How a home looks when selling is very different from how a home looks when you are living in it. Your aim is to make the home look sparkling clean, clutter-free and odor free to allow buyers to see its features.  Its hard work, but with planning and taking one step at a time, you can do it relatively inexpensively. 

By Camelia V. Vera, DRE 01871575