10 Simple Upgrades to Help Sell Your Home Fast

Once you’ve decided to sell your house, it would probably be helpful to think of yourself now as more of a businessperson, and a home-seller, rather than still as the homeowner. By looking at the transaction from strictly a financial perspective, and not an emotional one, you can better understand that the new owners will have their own ideas and you’ll more easily think of simple and creative upgrades that will make your home more appealing to prospective buyers. Here’s a few tips you can start today that will help to sell your home faster.

Improve Curb Appeal

Make your home more inviting by adding a brand new mailbox, and add a few well trimmed shrubs. Cleaning up the curb would create a good first impression and make potential buyers would want to come in and see more. Trees and shrubs should accent and enhance your house, not hide it, so trim and prune existing shrubs. If you have a concrete driveway, you can pressure wash it .

Dress Up Your Porch or Patio

If you don’t already have an outdoor space, add a DIY paver patio and an affordable outdoor dining set. Throw in some potted plants, string lighting, an outdoor rug or other pretty accessories, and get buyers imagining what they’re new life could look like.

Add a Fresh Coat of Paint

Inside your home, avoid bright and flashy colors and paint your walls in a light, neutral tone. Since you don’t know what potential buyers favorite colors will be, and they’ll probably want to repaint your house anyway, painting in a light, neutral color like light gray, beige or antique white is a no-brainer to help sell your home faster.

Stain Your Hardwood Floors

If you have hardwood floors, bring them back to life and make them look new again by adding a few coats of dark stain. The darker stain not only looks great but can also hide years of wear and tear, especially helpful for high traffic areas. If you have carpets, rent a professional steam cleaner to get them looking nappy -new again.

Clean Tile Grout & Add Subway Tile

You can spruce up your kitchen and bath by adding clean white subway tiles. DIY’ers should start with a small area such as a simple backsplash, but for larger projects that involve more tricky cuts and angles, you might consider hiring a professional tile installer. You can get your existing tiles looking new again just by cleaning or touching up worn or stained grout, then applying a shiny tile and grout sealer.

Upgrade Bathroom Fixtures

This is where people spend a lot of time at the beginning and end of each day, so update your toilet paper and towel holders, shower heads and sink faucets to more modern and efficient designs. Adding fancy new nickel or brushed brass bathroom fixtures to give your bathroom a spa-like and timeless feel.

Replace Cabinet Hardware

Replace your dated knobs with brushed brass or nickle hardware to give your kitchen and bath a new modern look. Stick to simple and classic designs that best fit your home’s architecture.

Paint Older Kitchen Cabinets

If you have old and dated kitchen cabinets, make them look more modern by adding a fresh new coat of paint. Choose a neutral shade like a classic white or neutral gray. Cabinet surfaces that were already painted can be painted again if it’s in good condition, but if not the old paint should be removed. Sand first with a medium grit sandpaper, prime, then paint them using a high quality brush and a foam roller.

Put Up Crown Molding

It may sound intimidating for the average homeowner, but adding crown molding to the top of your walls is really something that a hands-on homeowner can easily accomplish, and it will definitely grab the attention of potential home buyers while giving your home a more elegant look.

Update Ceiling Fans and Light Fixtures

Upgrade your 80’s chandeliers and ceiling fans with new, sleek and modern designs. If you have wood floors, consider choosing ceiling fan blades that have a similar wood tone as your floor. For tile or carpeted flooring, choose a fan blade color that is similar to that shade.