Real Estate Panel

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What is the best, low-cost way to improve your home prior to putting it on the market to sell?

Karen Strombotne Inspired Habitats

One of the most important things to consider when selling a home is curb appeal. If a home doesn’t appeal to a prospective buyer from the outside, it’s unlikely they’ll look any further. There are some basics to help make a good first impression and it doesn’t require a large investment. Clear outdoor clutter such as garbage cans, debris, etc.; make sure the lawn, trees and shrubs are well-kept; fill in driveway cracks; be sure the house numbers can be seen from the street. Spruce up shutters, garage doors, and front doors with a fresh coat of paint. Inside, your home should be depersonalized. Be sure to remove sentiment such as family photos, heirlooms, and anything making strong religious or political statements. Colors can have a psychological impact, neutral is best. Add plants and furnishings to bring warmth and life to a home. Pets and their accompanying accessories should be kept low-profile and your home should be free of pet hair and dander. Also, make sure it does not smell of pets (or food that may leave a lingering unpleasant smell, for that matter). Vacant homes don’t need to be filled with furniture, but an empty home can be harder to sell. It’s good practice to have at least one or two pieces in each room to show the size and function of the space.

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I have always thought that cabinets really tie the room together, especially in the kitchen where so much time is spent. For a dramatic upgrade to outdated or worn-out cabinetry in the kitchen or, for that matter, the bath, either re-staining or repainting can be the quickest and most economical solution. That is if the interiors are in decent condition. Stripping old paint in order to stain cabinets is a nasty and time-consuming job. But painting over stained cabinets is fairly easy. If the interiors are unfinished plywood or particleboard, painting or varnishing will seal the surfaces. Adding new doors with invisible European hinges will give a clean, modern look for a complete makeover appearance to your most noticed rooms in the house. Adding a 1½” or 3” crown molding will also give cabinetry a more custom look. Another low cost fix is replacing knobs and pulls to give an updated look. You don’t have to spend a lot of money for hardware. Your local home improvement center usually carries a good variety. Remember simplicity is always best for a future sale because you will want the new buyer to start to imagine themselves living there; something that is highly customized to you may make it harder for them to begin mentally moving into the home. Please visit our website to Empower Seniors to Live Independently

mICHaeL SHIerS Custom Cabinets & millworks by michael Shiers

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