In this economy, getting a house sold can be the most painful experience of your life. It certainly has been for a number of families I know. However, if you know just what to renovate and spice up, then that experience can be a lot less painless. In this article, you will learn five aspects of your home that you need to focus on in order to sell it.
1. The Kitchen is the Main Seller
Your kitchen is basically your home. This is one of the highest selling points of a house. You could have the most beautiful furniture or patio or anything, but if you have a horrible kitchen, your chances of sales fall drastically. One of the best things for a kitchen is marble. If you can afford it, marble tops are high in demand, as are dark cupboards. Keep your kitchen classic and simple, but beautiful.
2. Bathrooms Know Best
The bathrooms may be just as important as the kitchen when selling a home. If they’re not as important, they are certainly a close second. Keep your bathrooms light, with white tile and off white countertops. The showers should also be a natural kind of light color, and have the shower curtain any earthy or beige tone to match. Light bathrooms are what draw people into them, especially the shower. The shower is where they are “purifying” themselves, so keep your showers clean and simple and light colored. That is the emphasis of the bathroom.
3. De-Furnish
You want your buyers to be able to see the house for what it is, not for the furniture, because when they buy, they’re buying the house, not the furniture. Take off as many paintings as you can from the walls, and try to keep things as simple as possible as far as furniture is concerned. Also, doing this will make the interior of your home appear bigger, which will make buyers more inclined to purchase.
4. Repainting is a Key Driver
If you have any color in your house that is not earthy or neutral, then repaint immediately. Repaint in light colors, to make your home appear more spacious. However, do not paint every wall the same color. Rather, focus on colors that are similar, but still different enough to be noticeable. For example, off-white in one room, and beige in the other. They are two very similar colors, but also very different. Keep to the same color zone.
If you decide to do earthy colors, which are big for houses right now, then I would suggest sticking with browns and greens. Avoid reds, because they make the room appear smaller.
5. Know Where to Carpet or Tile
Not only should you recarpet your home, but focus on where carpet should be. Carpets should be in rooms, but anywhere else, I would suggest tile. Tile is more versatile- the buyer could choose to place a large rug over the tile or not. Tile is also easier to clean, which the buyer will highly appreciate. Kitchens and bathrooms should have tile in them, no debate there. But I would also suggest tile in the Family and Living rooms. This gives the buyer more creativity to practice when they buy your house.
Carpeting in the rooms should be off white or darker. Never go white for carpet, because it is easy to stain. A beige is the best color for carpet. It is dark enough that it won’t pick up every scrap of dirt off your shoes, but it is light enough to still make the house appear larger.
When selling a house, keep these thoughts in mind. Focus on the kitchen and bathroom because they are your main selling points. As for everything else: keep your furnishings simple and your colors light.