10 Ways to Get Your Home Ready to Sell on a Budget
To attract the most buyers, you should clear things out, fix the dings and clean, clean, clean
Laura Gaskill
April 14, 2018
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
From minor repairs (fixing a broken doorbell) to major upgrades (replacing the heating system), the list of home projects you could undertake in the name of preparing your home to sell probably seems endless. But with a limited budget and time line, it’s important to zero in on which fixes will give you the most bang for your buck — and, more important, will make the biggest impact on potential buyers. Concentrate your efforts on 10 worth-every-penny areas and you’ll be off to a good start.
1. Get a pro consult. As part of the sale process, your home’s future buyers will undoubtedly get a home inspection. I can say from experience that it’s not fun to run into surprises during this phase, just when you thought the sale was set to go through. Hiring your own home inspector before you put your house on the market can give you a solid grasp of any potential issues that might come up — and the opportunity to fix them if you feel it’s worth doing so.
Have a conversation with your real estate agent early on too. A savvy agent should be knowledgeable about what buyers in the area are looking for and be able to suggest improvements and staging ideas that fit your budget.
Hiring a Home Inspector? Ask These 10 Questions
Have a conversation with your real estate agent early on too. A savvy agent should be knowledgeable about what buyers in the area are looking for and be able to suggest improvements and staging ideas that fit your budget.
Hiring a Home Inspector? Ask These 10 Questions
2. Remove way more of your stuff than you thought possible. There’s a reason that “Declutter!” is the battle cry of stagers everywhere. A house packed with stuff looks smaller, and it might make it harder for potential buyers to see themselves living there. If you’re moving because you’ve outgrown your current home, you may need to pack up boxes and stack them in the garage, or even rent a small storage unit temporarily. It’s not convenient, but at least decluttering is cheap — even if you do end up renting storage for a few months.
And remember, your goal is to help your house put its best foot forward. As awkward and inconvenient as it may feel, it’s important to understand that your home’s purpose is no longer to support your family’s lifestyle. You and your home are parting ways, and it’s time for your house to get all dressed up and ready for a few blind dates.
Top 5 Areas to Declutter Before You Move
And remember, your goal is to help your house put its best foot forward. As awkward and inconvenient as it may feel, it’s important to understand that your home’s purpose is no longer to support your family’s lifestyle. You and your home are parting ways, and it’s time for your house to get all dressed up and ready for a few blind dates.
Top 5 Areas to Declutter Before You Move
3. Completely clean out storage areas too. Yep, potential buyers will be looking in your garage, storage shed and closets, and the less that’s in them, the more spacious those areas will seem. Ideally, aim to leave about two-thirds of your storage areas empty, with nothing stacked or piled on the floor. Use shelving, wall-mounted storage and matching storage containers to keep what’s left neat and orderly.
Garage Cleaning Tips for the Overwhelmed | Find garage storage supplies
Garage Cleaning Tips for the Overwhelmed | Find garage storage supplies
4. Hire a handyman for a day. Details add up. If a potential buyer walks through your home and notices one or two little things wrong, no biggie. But 10 or 11? That might begin to raise some red flags. Work up a list of all the little things you’ve been meaning to fix around the house (leaky faucet, dings in the walls) and hire a handyman to knock out a bunch of tasks in a single day.
Fix It or Not? What to Ask When Prepping Your Home for Sale
Fix It or Not? What to Ask When Prepping Your Home for Sale
5. Make low-cost, big-impact curb appeal tweaks. Give potential buyers driving by a good first impression of your home with a neat, well-lit, attractive front yard and porch.
Little things like new house numbers, a fresh mailbox, porch lights, planters and door mat don’t require a big investment, but they add up to make a positive impression that just might win over your home’s next owner.
Curb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider
Little things like new house numbers, a fresh mailbox, porch lights, planters and door mat don’t require a big investment, but they add up to make a positive impression that just might win over your home’s next owner.
Curb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider
6. Touch up paint. If you’ve painted a room within the last few years and it still looks good, a quick touch-up could be all it needs. If you do feel you need to repaint, take it on a room-by-room basis. For instance, when preparing to sell my own house, we opted to repaint the bedrooms but only touch up the kitchen and living room — two spaces that already had relatively fresh, neutral paint.
Crowd-Pleasing Paint Colors for Staging Your Home
Crowd-Pleasing Paint Colors for Staging Your Home
7. Consider small but mighty upgrades. Upgrading items such as light fixtures, cabinet knobs, shower heads and faucets is a budget-friendly, relatively quick move that can have a big impact. Walk through your home and make a list of small upgrades to consider. And don’t limit your list to fixtures — anything that would make a big difference in your space counts, including a crisp white slipcover for an old sofa or a fresh pot of succulents for the dining table.
9 Ways to Boost Your Home’s Appeal for Less Than $75
9 Ways to Boost Your Home’s Appeal for Less Than $75
8. Have a clear purpose for each room (and nook). If you have a “spare” room that’s currently filled with a mishmash of exercise equipment and filing cabinets, or an awkward little nook you’ve never quite been sure what to do with, now is the time to get some clarity.
As a rule of thumb, each room (or nook) should have one main purpose that’s clearly defined by the furnishings in the space. So make that spare room a guest room or an office or a workout space — but not all three.
Carve Out a Neat Little Nook
As a rule of thumb, each room (or nook) should have one main purpose that’s clearly defined by the furnishings in the space. So make that spare room a guest room or an office or a workout space — but not all three.
Carve Out a Neat Little Nook
9. Get new soft accessories. Think fresh pillows, throws and fluffy white towels. Updating these soft accessories can instantly make your home look cleaner, fresher and more current.
And there’s no need to spend a fortune. For a cohesive, well-styled look, choose just one or two main colors and repeat these in accessories throughout the house.
Home Staging to Sell: The Latest Techniques That Really Work
Find pillows and throws
And there’s no need to spend a fortune. For a cohesive, well-styled look, choose just one or two main colors and repeat these in accessories throughout the house.
Home Staging to Sell: The Latest Techniques That Really Work
Find pillows and throws
10. Get every surface shiny-clean. The importance of a thorough, deep clean when selling your home cannot be overstated. If you don’t want to (or don’t have time to) put in the elbow grease, hire a good cleaning service to get your house ultraclean. Sparkling windows, shiny floors, a spotless kitchen and bath — even a clean exterior — will show off your home in the best possible light.
Tell us: Do you have any tips for getting a home ready to sell on a budget? Share your ideas in the Comments.
More
Help for Selling Your Home Faster — and Maybe for More
9 Tips for Living a (Semi-)Normal Life While Your Home Is Being Shown
How to clean everything in your house
Find a home stager near you
Tell us: Do you have any tips for getting a home ready to sell on a budget? Share your ideas in the Comments.
More
Help for Selling Your Home Faster — and Maybe for More
9 Tips for Living a (Semi-)Normal Life While Your Home Is Being Shown
How to clean everything in your house
Find a home stager near you
We care about your home construction project needs as much as you do. We believe in conducting business with... Read More
Related Products
Related Stories
Moving
How to Style Your Home for an Open House
By Patricia Lee
Our room-by-room overview explains how to make your home more appealing to potential buyers
Full Story
Most Popular
5 Remodels That Make Good Resale Value Sense — and 5 That Don’t
By Matt Clawson
Find out which projects offer the best return on your investment dollars
Full Story
Selling Your House
8 Smart Styling Tips to Help You Sell Your Home Quickly
Follow this expert advice to help make your home irresistible to potential buyers
Full Story
Moving
A Designer’s Top 10 Tips for Increasing Home Value
These suggestions for decorating, remodeling and adding storage will help your home stand out on the market
Full Story
Most Popular
Fix It or Not? What to Know When Prepping Your Home for Sale
Find out whether a repair is worth making before you put your house on the market
Full Story
Working With Pros
The Case for Hiring a Home Stager When You’re Selling
This pro can help your home look its best — potentially resulting in a faster sale with more profit
Full Story
Most Popular
A Small Fixer-Upper Offers a Guide for Flippers
By Becky Harris
A designer shares a dozen ways to make an older house more appealing to buyers
Full Story
Selling Your House
10 Ways to Dazzle Homebuyers This Spring
By Helen Winter
Planning to sell your home in the coming months? Improve your chances by making your house attractive to potential buyers
Full Story
Most Popular
The Real Scents That Will Help Sell Your House
By Neila Deen
Ditch the potpourri and baked cookies. Follow these guidelines on scents to use and avoid to help sell your home
Full Story
I think a lot depends on the area in which you live. I use to live in a desirable area that was close to really good amenities, and my house needed a lot of repairs, and new landscaping. However, I did nothing to it, but still got top dollar for it.
I started preparing for an eventual downsizing about 2 years ago. First, I made a list of what I wanted to accomplish, then I jumped in. I went room by room and after each room was "staged" I took quick pictures. It's amazing how much you can gain from looking at these pictures - like does a pillow need more plumping up, or do lamp chords look bad, etc. It's kind of fun to spend a few hours prepping a room and then seeing the results of your labor. We will sell our home ourself, and moving forward I will use these photos in our sale information. It's just the two of us these days so our home always looks sparkly clean and neat - in pretty much ready to sell condition. I also did this while cleaning our front porch and patio areas after the winter and after staging them.