I often get asked the age old question, “Will I get more money for my home if I renovate?”  So, what is the answer? Would you really get more money for the sale of your home if you renovate first?  Do you have the money to invest to do that?

Curbio.com has an interesting concept. They say: We renovate homes so they sell for the best possible price and the sellers pay at closing. No interest, no fees, no time limits – no catch. Only pay when you close. We offer 58% fewer days on market, $50K average profit increase, 60% faster renovation. An easy & painless process.

I personally think this would have to be researched further and numbers would have to be crunched carefully.

I am a Realtor as well as an interior designer, and I have found that many times, based on numbers, it does not make sense to renovate before the sale.  Other times, once we received quotes and planned the changes, the sellers actually made more than they spent to fix up their home.  That, of course, is the goal. Here is what I suggest…

 1. Make Major Repairs and Sensible Upgrades

I’ve experienced helping homeowners sell a very dated home. A simple paint job and countertop change made a major difference in the price of the home sale. In the end, it was much more profitable to do it.  Other times, it just cost too much to make the cosmetic upgrades.  There have also been some surprising times when the buyer loved the home as is. The best strategy is to work with a designer or Realtor, that would be me, (email me at shereerealtorstager@gmail.com) who can help you crunch the numbers and make the smart choice.

 2. Focus Only the Square Footage You Have

Do NOT tack on home additions.  More liveable space is always desirable but the payout is not what one would expect.  Funds would be much better spent modernizing the current space instead of adding space.

3. Modernize Outdated Finishes

There are some aspects of a home that will date it very, very quickly.  Some of these items are lighting, hardware, honey oak cabinets, backsplashes from the ‘80s, and tile countertops, to name a few.  Fortunately, there are simple ways to update these elements to make the home look far newer than it actually is.  It truly is amazing what a difference some of these changes can make in the sale of the home.

4. Stage Your Home

Even in this fast-selling market, staging really is a must, especially if you want to get lots of showings and even, perhaps, multiple offers. A home I recently sold was on the market for 3 days and received 30 offers far above asking price. How was this possible?

I looked at what else was available in the area. Photos of the other homes for sale were not nearly as nice.  Many were not staged.  This matters tremendously.  Staging can update old furnishings and make the home look bigger, brighter, lighter and much more beautiful. It is important to not have a dated look that differs from the up-to-date homes of the area.

Even if you will not be selling your home for a while, it’s also a great idea to find out now what updates you’d need to make.

If you are unsure of what you need to do to prepare your home for a sale, I would love to help you.  A quick consultation would be a great investment and give you plenty of time to update slowly instead of all at once and in a hurry.

Have a question about our home staging services? We’d be happy to help! Reach out to us here.

Xoxo,
Sheree