Before you put your home up for sale, you’ll need to request a market analysis to determine its market value. Obviously, you’ll want that valuation to reflect the time, effort, and care you’ve put into your property over the years. To achieve the highest appraisal possible, you’ll need to pay special attention to several areas throughout your property while working to improve its standout features. Below, the realtors at Home Avenue explain three actions you can take to get the most value out of your home.

Pay Attention to Curb Appeal

When prospective buyers pull up outside your home, the first thing they notice is the appearance of your landscaping and home exterior. To create an exceptional first impression that sticks in the mind of every viewer, follow these tips to improve your curb appeal:

• Frequently water your lawn and keep it trimmed.
• Prune any foliage and landscaping for maximum aesthetic appeal.
• Clean your front porch and deck. Touch up the paint or stain, if necessary.
• Perform paint touchups around the exterior of your home and on any outlying buildings.
• Add foliage or planters for additional charm and appeal
• Update outdoor lighting and fixtures
• Diligently weed all garden and landscaping areas

Imagine your home as you’d imagine the model home in a brand new neighborhood. When you strive to present your home in exemplary condition, both your appraiser and prospective buyers will notice and appreciate the effort.

Tend to the Interior

When it comes to showing your home, a bit of cleaning and tidying simply won’t cut it. When you want top dollar for your property, you must provide maximum value for prospective buyers, which means minor improvements are necessary. Try these tips to freshen up your home interior:

• Touch up the paint. A little bit of paint can go a long way toward improving the appearance of your home interior. If your walls are a hodgepodge of colors, consider repainting in them using a neutral tone. You want buyers to imagine their lives in your home, and your personal color palette won’t help them do that.

• Clean the carpets. Dingy, stained carpets are a major turn off for prospective buyers, even if they plan to install new flooring. If you have wall-to-wall carpet in your home, make sure you give it a thorough shampooing before entertaining an appraiser or prospective buyers. Ideally, you should hire a professional carpet cleaning technicians as they have access to far more robust cleaning tools.

• Upgrade hardware and fixtures. A few simple fixture and hardware upgrades can really enhance the appeal of your kitchen and bathrooms, which happen to be two of the most attractive features for prospective buyers. Consider swapping out old drawer pulls and cabinet handles, updating light switch covers, and installing new lighting fixtures or faucets.

Clear the Clutter

When you have too many items situated inside your home, it creates a chaotic atmosphere that makes the space appear smaller than it really is. Both appraisers and prospective buyers look for functionality and cohesiveness in the layout of a home, and clutter doesn’t help.

If you have several furniture pieces, consider rearranging them to open up space. You can also rent a storage unit and store extra furniture there to keep it out of sight. As well, be sure to remove and store personal items, such as photo collections, wall decor, knick-knacks, anything else that doesn’t contribute to a tidy, cohesive aesthetic.

Ready to Save Money on Real Estate Commissions? Contact Home Avenue Today

At Home Avenue, we’ve been helping Twin Cities home sellers keep more of their hard-earned money for over 30 years. In that time, we’ve consistently ranked in the top 1% of realtors nationwide for our full-service, flat-fee MLS real estate services and our FSBO MLS listing services. Whether you’re looking for a team that will manage your home sale from beginning to end, or you prefer more of a do-it-yourself sale, we have an option to meet your needs.

To learn more about how we can help you sell your home without outrageous commission fees, feel free to give our team a call at 952-929-7355. You can also get in touch with us through our contact form, and we’ll get back to you promptly!