 Thinking about making changes to your home? If you’re smart, you’re also wondering how these changes will impact the value of your home down the line when you are ready to sell it. There are many ways to update your home to suit your tastes, and those changes come in all shapes and sizes. But to really impact the value of your home, here are the top ways you can increase what your home is worth. 1. Add a bedroom. Adding a bedroom is the number one way to add significant value to your home, especially since the pandemic and home offices/home school rooms went from luxury to necessity. If you have the space and the funds, adding a bedroom will pay dividends at re-sale. PROTIP: To be considered a bedroom at assessment time, there must be an egress window (a window large enough for entry or exit in case of emergency) and there must be a closet. The room must also have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet and a minimum total area of 70 square feet. 2. Install an additional full bathroom. If you’re going to add a bedroom to your home, and you have the space (especially if the new bedroom is in the basement), you might as well add a full bathroom, too. PROTIP: Some people can get pretty creative about what should be considered a full bathroom, but a pipe coming out of the wall in the basement is not a “shower” – sorry, friends. By definition, a full bathroom is a bathroom with toilet, sink and shower or bathtub (or both). 3. Update the finishes in your kitchen and bathrooms. Updating your kitchen and bathroom space will add value to your home and make it a lot more marketable. While you don’t need to drop serious coin on luxury updates, you could upgrade to middle-of-the-road quality cabinets, countertops, and appliances. Try to go with a classic or transitional versus a trendy look. Not only will updating your kitchen and bathrooms add value to your home but it will attract buyers who are looking for turnkey properties. 4. Maximize outdoor entertaining space. The bottom line is, especially post-pandemic, everyone is looking for a way to enjoy their yard. The best way is to add an outdoor space where you can entertain friends and family with easy access to the kitchen or at the very least a grill. If you don’t already have a poured patio or deck, consider adding one – and bonus points if you go for a maintenance-free material. 5. Add a laundry room (or move one) to the main or second level. The traditional place for the washer/dryer has always been the basement. Over the past 20 -30 years, the washer and dryer have migrated to the main floor. Now the big trend is to get the laundry room as close to the bedrooms as possible. One of my favorite features in new construction is a laundry room that literally connects to the walk-in master bedroom closet. 6. One thing to AVOID – don’t take away storage space. When homeowners renovate, one of the ways they can accidently devalue their home, or at the very least make their home less attractive to potential buyers, is eliminating storage space during the addition of a bedroom or finished basement. You can also maximize existing storage space by adding shelves to a garage or utility room. Bottom line: approach changes to your home with the end in mind. While some of these tips will literally add tens of thousands of dollars of value to your home, the most important thing to recognize is, at some point if you are a homeowner, you will sell your home. In order to attract potential buyers, ensure a quick painless transaction and get the best possible price, you always should be thinking about how you can add value to your property.  It’s a seller’s market, you’ve got equity, and you’ve decided it’s finally time to sell your home! After you call your Realtor (me) to tell me the good news, I come by to walk through your home. Chances are, we want to get your house listed ASAP to take advantage of weekend home shoppers. Here are ways you can prepare to sell your houseYou have lovingly cared for your home while you’ve owned it, but that’s not the same as being “show ready.” When you go to sell your home, you want complete strangers (who have different tastes) to be able to imagine themselves living there. Basically, you don’t want anything to detract from the space, features, and best offer for your house.
1. SPRUCE UP THE OUTSIDE: Make the front entry bright and cheery with colorful potted plants and flowers. Trim shrubs, pull weeds, add new mulch, mow the lawn, restain the deck, and remove any grease stains on the driveway. Touch up peeling paint on the house and exterior doors, especially where the buyers enter. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. 2. PAINT WHERE NEEDED: Paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to make your home more appealing to a potential buyer. Brightly colored rooms should be re-done in a basic, neutral color. Touch up paint in the areas where there are stains, chips or scuffs. The less painting a buyer feels like they need to do, the better. 3. ORGANIZE ROOMS AND CLOSETS: Get rid of items you don't need and organize the items you do need. Don't forget the garage and storage rooms. Buyers will check to make sure they have enough storage. Fewer items in these areas will make the space feel bigger. 4. MAKE YOUR HOME FEEL SPACIOUS: Rearranging furniture and reducing knicknacks can be one of the easiest (and free!) ways to make your home feel larger and more marketable. Create an easy traffic flow. The less furniture and stuff in a room, the bigger it feels to the new buyer. 5. LET THERE BE LIGHT: Open up drapes and blinds for photos and showings. Replace the light bulbs in your home with higher wattage bulbs and clean the fixtures and shades. Buyers appreciate light and feel more comfortable in areas that are well-lit. 6. MAKE YOUR HOME SMELL GOOD: Add subtle air fresheners that give off a clean smell, especially in bathrooms and areas with pet odors. Avoid potent flowery air fresheners that just cover up the smell. Open windows and air the house out when you can. In some instances you may need to hire a professional cleaner to eliminate major odors such as pet urine or cigarette smoke. Even though they aren’t a major structural change, odors are a major deterrent for buyers. 7. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN: This includes wiping down walls, cabinets, light switches, light fixtures, windows, sinks, and tubs. Detail the floors and baseboards. Get the carpets professionally cleaned if needed. There’s no substitute for a clean house. De-clutter and organize kitchen and bathroom countertops, and store away personal items. These are all things you can do in the month or so leading up to when you actually list your house on the market. Have additional questions about preparing your home for sale (or wondering what NOT to invest in before you sell your home?) Send questions my way using this handy contact form, and I’ll be in touch. You have more choices today than ever before when it comes to buying or selling a house in the Cedar Rapids area. Why should you choose to work with a Realtor, specifically me?  Contact
I facilitate a dialogue, sort of like a house therapist. I help you talk about what you want in a home, and I help partners come to an agreement on the perfect house, and I help you prioritize your wishes based on your budget. I don’t sell houses, I help people. When we look at houses together, I don’t see it as my job to sell you that particular house. You might ask me for an opinion, and I’ll tell you about the features and drawbacks of the home, and how it compares to your priorities. We’ll talk about what I see as a fair price for it, and we will work together to determine if it’s the perfect house for YOU. I simplify the process. There’s a lot of negotiating and paperwork that goes into transferring real estate between owners. As your agent (with the backing of an awesome agency like Skogman Realty), I help you navigate the steps so you can only focus on your future home, and we can focus on the best possible offer for it. I follow up. I like checking in on my clients, and finding out if they need anything for the home after they get settled into their new home. Periodically, I deliver updates on their home’s value compared to recent sales in the area, and I’m always available to help home owner’s decide the best way to maintain or add value to their home. Have more questions about the process, or want to find out if I can help you on the journey? Reach out to me through this form, and tell me what’s on your mind! |
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