10 Cheap and Simple ways to Improve your home’s appeal to buyers

10 Cheap and Simple ways to Improve your home’s appeal to buyers includes:

Declutter – Not enough can ever be said about this issue in every house across America. My blog will talk about this all the time and this is the number one issue that impacts a home’s value. You have made the commitment to move, start packing your non essentials, donating the things you are not taking with you and throwing away old obsolete things even Goodwill does not want.

Paint – Paint is cheap super cheap and just about anyone can touch up paint around their home. Chipped and worn paint makes your home look tired to potential home buyers. Consider heading to your home improvement store and picking up some paint to freshen up the look of your home.

Update recessed lighting to LEDs – This is simple and overlooked by many home owners. The retrofit kits for standard Recessed Can lights are very inexpensive and can be found for as little as $10, per fixture. The light is more evenly distributed, the look is much cleaner/newer and they are more energy efficient sealing up any drafts that come through the older cans from your attic.

Replace your Thermostat with a Smart Thermostat – This is approximately a $250 item if you can install it yourself, but smart thermostats are worth the upgrade. Buyer today see these items as a benefit and the old ugly thermostats certainly make your home look dated causing buyers to question the condition of you home. These devices can be voice controlled with Amazon’s Alexa and Google Voice Assistant. They can help lower your energy costs. You can remotely turn on the heating or AC just before arriving home for a comfortable house.

Clean and/or Paint your front door – Your Front door is going to set a first impression with any potential home buyer. Typically this is the most used door in most home.  When was the last time you cleaned the door.  If you have a family with kids, I can almost guarantee that there are scuff marks on the door.  If you front door gets a lot of direct sunlight, then the paint most likely is going to be faded and/or peeling.  Consider hiring a painter for the front door and front door trim.  It will make a huge difference in the initial  impression on any buyer walking up to your home.

If your door needs cleaning and not painting, one of the best tools that is inexpensive and easy to use is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. After using the Magic Eraser on your front door, you will find that it is useful on amny other areas of your home. 

Replace Switch Plates and Outlet Cover plates – These can be purchased for under 50 cents each if you buy the 10 packs.  They come in oversized options that tend to look better than the standard size.  Over the years as people repaint rooms, these plates get dirty and have paint on them.  The plastic on the older plates can start to change color,  This is a quick freshen up to any room and takes just minutes.

Replace Window Coverings – Blinds can be replaced at a very low cost.  Most home improvement stores will cut blinds to order so you can custom fit your windows.  They will give you instructions on how to measure.  Any damaged, dirty any faded window covers should be replaced.  

Upgrade your mailbox – If you live in a neighborhood where the post office still delivers to a mailbox in front of your house, it may be time to replace and upgrade this overlooked item.  Rusted, faded worn out mailboxes sitting on rotting wood or metal posts can be found in every neighborhood, but they are also found at many houses for sale.  Kits can be purchased at your local home improvement store and it only take a couple hours on a Saturday to install a new mailbox.

Replace Plumbing Fixtures – California has some strict rules for Low Flow plumbing devices.  Some cities in the state require you to certify that low flow faucets, shower heads and toilets are installed at the time you sell your home.  Replacing these items now before going on the market will give your bathrooms and kitchen an updated look,  While this might be a higher cost item, it will save you the headache of having to do this at the last minute as part of closing an escrow with your buyer.