What Are the Fastest Ways to Add Value to Your Home When Selling?

If you had unlimited time and money, you could make every upgrade under the sun to squeeze out every possible dollar from the sale of your home. In the real world, most clients are selling for a reason, and they typically don’t have the luxury of either.

What can you do if you want or need to sell your house quickly and you don’t have the resources for a lot of renovations? In this post, we’ll highlight the most simple and least expensive upgrades that can still add value to your sale. 

Start With Cleanliness

If you don’t have time or money to spare, always start by presenting a clean and spotless home. This simple step is actually more important than any massive home improvement project you can undertake, and you’d be surprised at how many home sellers don’t bother. 

You can stand out from other listings in your area by taking your cleaning and decluttering to the next level. This is a massive value add that you can accomplish quickly and without cost, especially if you recruit a friend (or two) to help–preferably one that owes you a favour! The following checklist can help you stay on track to a fast sale without sacrificing value:

• Declutter each room thoroughly. Don’t forget the insides of closets and cupboards as buyers place a high value on storage space. Tip: Put everything you’re unsure of in labelled boxes to avoid the temptation of shuffling clutter from one room to the next.
• Wash the ceilings, walls, baseboards, and floors. Follow this order so you don’t knock dirt from higher surfaces onto the floors.
• Scrub all sinks, faucets, countertops, showers, bathtubs, and any areas you may miss during routine cleaning.
• Don’t forget to spruce up the outside because it is the first thing a buyer sees. Simply mowing the lawn and putting away garbage bins and tools can help to make sure the first impression is a positive one. 

Now is not the time for shortcuts because a house that is clean, well-organized, and free of any disturbing odours holds instant appeal to buyers. This simple step alone can help you add to your bottom line once your transaction is finalized. 

Selling a house can represent a new chapter in life, but it can also be stressful in some situations. The resources below have you covered:

• How to Sell an Inherited Home 
• My House Didn’t Sell. Now What Should I Do?
• Navigating Divorce? How To Choose The Right Realtor®

Be Mindful About Renovations

The idea of renovating can throw a wrench into the plans of many homeowners who want to sell. Just thinking about it can seem too overwhelming to even get started. But once again, keeping it simple is often the best strategy.

No matter how much you invest in dazzling upgrades, your buyer will always have plans of their own. You don’t have to make all the decisions or do all the work for them. So if you get a quote from a construction company for $50,000 to redo your kitchen, don’t be alarmed. It’s probably not necessary to get the best results from your home sale. Plus, having one room completely remodelled so much that it creates an outlier in your house is actually the last thing you want. A room that doesn’t fit can be a turnoff to buyers who are now mentally calculating how much they’ll have to spend to bring the rest of the house to that standard. 

You can breathe a sigh of relief when you think of some of the other expensive and time-consuming projects you can safely take off your plate, such as:

• Tearing down walls to create an open-concept layout
• Building an expansive deck or patio in the backyard
• Adding a swimming pool
• Finishing the basement
• Investing in top-of-the-line appliances

Consider consulting with a real estate agent before beginning any significant project. We can’t tell you how many of our clients have believed they needed to invest tens of thousands of dollars on improvements when a few minor touch-ups could do the trick. Working with an expert can save you endless amounts of time and unnecessary headaches when selling your home.

Understanding the local market will help you with your next steps after your house sells. The posts below can help:

• Know the Real Estate Cycles and Hack the Market 
• Why Is Upsizing In Etobicoke So Difficult And What Can We Do About It?
• Can You Still Buy A House In Etobicoke For Under $1 Million?

Stage Your Home for Buyers

Once your home is meticulously clean and updated, there is still one ace up your sleeve to make your listing stand out in any market. Staging your home means designing it in a way that appeals to prospective buyers. 

The trick is not to redesign your home to your own sense of style. Instead, you’ll want to depersonalize everything and create a blank canvas to allow buyers to imagine living here. It’s both an art and a science, which means it might be best to leave this step to the professionals. 

That said, a few general principles can help you sell faster and potentially earn more from the transaction:

• Take down all personal photos, sentimental items, and memorabilia. You want to make room for the buyers to visualize where their own keepsakes will go.
• Maximize the perceived space inside your home by keeping bulky furniture to a minimum. Less is more most of the time!
• Enhance the natural light by replacing dark curtains with sheers and keeping tall furniture away from windows. The strategic use of mirrors and lamps can make your home appear brighter throughout. 

Staging is often a subtle effect, but it can be an incredibly powerful selling tool when done right. That is why all clients receive complimentary services when listing with Thompson Sells.

Presentation is Only Part of the Puzzle

Getting your house ready to sell can feel stressful, but there is no need to put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. Remember that a clean, well-presented home is only one piece of the puzzle.

Setting a strategic price and promoting the listing effectively to the highest number of qualified buyers are just as important. For all of these steps, you can lean on your real estate professional. By working with a full-service team, your home can be ready for the market faster than you thought possible. 

Do you want to learn more about what upgrades will get you the best value for the least investment? Reach out to us today at contact@thompsonsells.com or call 647-282-7653 for a consultation.