16 Projects You Can Do - Instead of A Renovation, To Sell A Home

Thinking of a major renovation before selling that home? Let’s look at what you may want to consider before you sink a lot of time and money into something that may - or may not, pay off in the long run.

Countless people have added any number of expensive improvements to their property, hoping for a payoff at closing. Lots of times it just turns out to be a costly lesson. So, let’s examine a few things you can do to give your house a nice appearance before you consider that remodel.

First, as we always advise, take pictures of your interior – from lots of different angles. Get on the floor and snap away. This will help give you new insight on views from the lower level. We’ll tell you why you need to do this in a second. Next, get up on a ladder and take pics from the high ground.  Not only do you get a new perspective, but you can see repairs and replacements that need to be made high up. Finally, get every wall of every room at eye level. OK. Now you’re ready to plan your attack

Look at those outlet faceplates. Yeah, you probably ignore these utilitarian heroes, but now you can’t. Are they grungy, or broken? Chances are good they are. Because we see them every day, they tend to be a blind spot for us. Much like everyday clutter, we just don’t see it. For some reason, it just doesn’t register in our brain. But, let us walk into someone else’s’ home, and we see it immediately. It’s just how our brain thinks. This is also why we asked you to get pics from floor level. Just as you think of yourself differently when you see a photo of yourself, you will also think differently about your interior space.

While you’re at it, think about adding outlets that also have USB power plugs on them as well. These are cheap and easy to install – even good ones. Believe it, or not, this will move some buyers in your direction because you are considering how they will use the space. Especially Millennials.

What do your vents really look like? Contractors replace these when they sell previously owned homes because it needs to be done. Dingy vents not only take away from the look of your home, they can affect the value prospective buyers attach to your property. They’re cheap. Replace them.

Add some lighting. Remember those pictures we talked about? Look for dark areas in rooms that get used a lot. Look for older style lights – think kitchen, my friends. Look up. Is there a long florescent tube light staring back at you from the ceiling? Time for an update. The good news is changing light fixtures is a somewhat simple project. You can get the same type of bright lighting in your kitchen from a different, more up-to-date fixture. More on that below.

Change your bulbs! It’s that simple. LED lights are not only more efficient, they’re “tunable” according to the mood you’re trying to set for a room. Comfortable rooms need a warmer, yellowish light, whereas modern, and utility rooms need whiter, cleaner lighting. Imagine trying to work in an office space in your home with subdued lighting. Not a good fit, is it? People have to use desk lamps for a reason. LEDs are available that produce yellowish light just like your old incandescent bulbs, but they only use 26 watts to produce 100 watts worth of light.

Houses themselves have differing “personalities” based on their architecture. To enhance the feeling of the build, your lighting choice is important. Modern interior architecture demands pure, white light to display both the contrast and the crisp lines. Whereas, early constructions are more at home with a soft, friendly lighting. You will find that each room will demand its own particular lighting, according to its use.

Why LED lights? Unlike fluorescent lights, which are cranky about dimmer switches - at best, LED can easily be used with a dimmer. Soon, you won’t be able to find incandescent lighting, at all, so it’s not really a consideration anymore.

Add and replace ceiling fans – even on the patio! You will be amazed at what a new fan will do for the attractiveness of a room/deck. Of course, you’re going to have to match the character of the interior with a specific style of fan, so this is going to require some research. Fortunately, just like lighting, there are huge numbers of fan styles out there – from single bladed fans for modern architecture, to a “palm leaf” style for exterior units. Some exterior fans even have misting heads built into them. 

Look at your stairs. Are the runners worn? Is the carpet in need of replacement? Stairs are always a high traffic area, and get more use, and wear than what you realize. Let’s go back to your photos, and take a closer look. It may only take a couple of coats of stain and clear coat to make those stairs look ideal, or a nice carpet runner. Either way, this is a small thing that makes a huge difference when someone sees it for the first time.

Speaking of paint, what do your walls and handrails look like? Paint can always be problematic. Not just because it always seems to aggressively collect grime and handprints, but because we paint our interiors to please us. If you’re really trying to sell your house, you’re trying to get people to see themselves in this house. You’ll need to seriously consider painting in neutral colors; especially if you have rooms you’ve painted in bright, or dark colors. Just because you like royal blue, certainly doesn’t mean buyers will see your vision for the room. Just repaint it. Grays seem to be the recommendation, at the moment.

Your cabinet faces could use some attention. Short of outright replacing the faces of your cabinets, you can give them a good cleaning, staining and polish. Yes, this is going to take a bit of time, but it’s a lot less time than it takes to replace the cabinets, or even just the doors. Once you have this taken care of, you’ll also want to look at replacing the hardware with something more current. You’ve already replaced the lighting, right? See if you can coordinate the hardware to work with the lighting for a planned look.

Popcorn ceiling? Remove it! You’re going to have to look on the net for various solutions, and it is some hard work, but it can be accomplished as a do-it-yourself project. Nothing says “dated” like this ceiling type. Even if you have to hire someone to do this for you, it’s a lot less costly than a remodel, and it will help with the overall appearance of the room. Enough said.

Organized storage areas complete a room. You’ve seen those roll-out cabinets and lazy Susan built-ins at your local big box hardware store. They’re popular because people really want them, and especially if they’re already in a home they’re looking at. This can make a home much more interesting to a prospective buyer. Not only that, but you’ll get more use out of your space until you sell that home. The more innovative, the better, but don’t go overboard. This is supposed to be about small improvements, not remodels.

If you have real wood paneling in a room, make it attractive. Clean that wood within an inch of its life. No one likes a dusty, grungy paneled room. Period. You don’t see it for the same reason you don’t notice the cracked wall outlet plates, but everyone else will. Wainscoting on a wall, while an older style, can be beautiful in a home that’s built for it. Think beach homes. This style is often painted, so you may be looking at a weekend project to tackle this, but the new coat of paint will make your rooms look beyond great.

Even tiny wall cracks are very noticeable. These really don’t take much to repair. Some spackle and sanding, and you’re done. Now comes the hard part. Be prepared to paint the entire wall. Matching old paint to new is nearly impossible, even with color matching technology. Just paint the whole room. You know it probably needs freshening up, anyway.

Baseboards are always a concern. They make or break a room. Even when they’re cut correctly, over time, they are huge dirt and ding collectors. They take plenty of abuse that we don’t even notice. Other people will. While it is their function to protect walls, we need to inspect and repair them every once in a while them, or they can work against us. Yes, you may have to fill in some dents and scratches, but wood filler, sandpaper and paint are an inexpensive fix for an ugly problem.

The trim around the doors takes some heavy abuse, too. Like your baseboards, trim is meant to protect the edges of your door frame from abuse, and usually does such a great job that it begins to show wear and tear very shortly after you move in. Again, wood filler, sandpaper and paint do wonders for refreshing trim.

Smells stink! There are obvious differences between fragrances and odors. The former can cover the latter, but only temporarily. Imagine walking into a home of people who love to cook fried fish. You get the idea. Don’t mask it; clean it. I’m not going to lie, this is a tough job. But, even if you paint you still won’t get rid of the smell of old grease and detritus in between the stove, dishwasher and refrigerator. You’re going to have to pull them - and the kitchen drawers, to get into the nooks and crannies where the smell hides. It will be worth it – even in the short run. And don’t forget the grease filter in the kitchen hood. This is a huge hiding place for odors. Soak this thing on a degreasing detergent, and use a bristle brush to get it all (this will take a couple of soaks if you’ve not done it in a while.)Now you get to enjoy a fresh kitchen again, and so does your prospective buyer.

Bonus Info:

Small Maintenance Items That Make a Huge Difference

Oil the hinges on your doors. Squeaks are more than annoying, they scream lack of maintenance.

Lube your garage door mechanism. Chains, hinges, runner wheels and anything that can wear or rust.

Clean your kitchen hood fan blades. Again. Odors breed here – especially old grease smell.

Clean out the refrigerator drain pan. Any residual stink is probably coming from this culprit.

That dishwasher really doesn’t clean itself. To get rid of odors, you have to clean that thing out.

Pressure wash your driveway  - and use a degreaser. You’d be amazed at how good it looks.

Reseal that driveway. If you have cracks, they’ll only get worse if you don’t repair them.

Replace your old, drippy faucets. Chances are good they’re wildly outdated (especially the bathroom.)

Check countertops for separation from the sink. Mold from enclosed moisture isn’t pretty to deal with.

Get that chimney cleaned. Not only dirty, but also a safety hazard if not cleaned yearly.

Check for roof leaks. Just because it’s not raining in your house yet, doesn’t mean they’re not there.

Get your septic system pumped. Yearly! Your smelly backyard and prospective buyers will thank you.

Showers and Tubs need re-caulking. Age, use and water weight in the tub will cause caulking to fail.

Pressure wash your deck. Like your driveway, it accumulates grunge with age.

Check and clean your gutters. Seeing a waterfall from the edge of your house means you need to.

Repaint any flaking exterior surfaces. You know it needs to be done. Pick a weekend to spend in the sun.

Check toilets for leaks or wobble. If you pull a toilet to inspect for leaks, replace that wax ring.

Congratulations. If you’ve made it this far down the check list, you are well on your way to impressing your prospective home buyers. This seems like a lot, and it is if you’re trying to do it all at once. However, if you set up a maintenance check list – feel free to use this as a starter, then you’ll have everything ready by the time you decide to sell your home. If you do decide to sell, we’re here to help. Just drop by at WWW.Shafferrealtyllc.com and choose one of our experienced agents.

What Really Affects Home Values?

Home equity is classically defined as the difference between the appraised value of the home you have, and the amount of mortgage you have left to pay off for that house. There are, however, some things that can change your home’s value. Some of these aspects you can’t control, but quite a few of them are up to you.

Obviously, the amount you continue to pay on the principle, simply adds to your equity. But there’s also the appraisal amount, which should, typically, increase over time – assuming the stability of your neighborhood doesn’t decline during that time (one of those parts of the equation you have little control over.)

You can also make improvements to your home to increase value, and thus, equity, as long as those improvements are seen as actual enhancements, as opposed to simple cosmetic changes. Not that cosmetic changes don’t help sell homes; a fresh coat of paint does wonders for homes “resting” on the market.

Additionally, structures around you can change. This can influence the value of your home for appraisers. If local infrastructure changes, or private commerce structures (think better shopping areas) change for the better around your area, this can add to a valuation.

When schools get better ratings in your area, this can also change your home’s value for the better.

Maintenance is also key. Keeping up on repairs is critical to maintaining the value of your home. Without consistent upkeep, a home’s value can depreciate rapidly – especially if you are trying to sell that home. Suddenly it becomes a “fixer-upper” as opposed to someone’s dream home.

Look at the age of your appliances. If you still have avocado green appliances, you might want to consider updating. Older appliances are seen as a liability, just as an older, less efficient HCVAC system is viewed as a problem for future home owners.

Check for any leaks. Even small, long-term drips can wreak havoc on a valuation. A slight leak in a wall, or ceiling, can quickly turn into a mold problem - with a huge cost to remedy. Imagine the valuation that comes back with that written on a report.

What does the roof look like? Just like dated bathrooms, your roof can be very telling. If you have a fifteen year roof, and you’re in your fourteenth year, you should probably consider a replacement. Lifetime roofing materials are available, with transferable warranties. This can be a major point of value for a potential homeowner.

Like a web page, your home is quickly evaluated by what it looks like when someone first sees it. That said, the outside becomes very important to what potential buyers think about the valuation you’ve placed on your home. Look for those things that not only can be seen from the street, but features that can be seen when coming up the walk. Look for any signs of peeling or blistered paint; unruly hedges or bare spots. Finally, take a good look at your windows for any repairs, repainting or replacement.

Seeing what needs to be done can sometimes be difficult. We can become acclimated to our surroundings, and overlook little updates that add value to our homes. One solution to this is to take pictures of all sides of the exterior and every interior space, and then look them over for a fresh perspective of your home. See if you don’t find more than a few things that might need to be repaired or updated. Remember, a well maintained home gets better offers.