When you and your seller are preparing to list a home, managing costs is an important conversation—so we want to help you both feel less stress by sharing the most cost-effective, small changes that make a BIG impact for your house sale!
Many people think they’ll have to make a huge investment in order to get their house ready to list—but it’s just not always necessary.
The average home seller in North Carolina spends roughly $4000 on improvements and renovations in order to prepare their home for sale—$2000 for interior improvements, and another $2000 for landscaping. What’s actually needed varies widely of course, with some of the main influencing factors being:
- Age of your house
- How recently you’ve made updates
- Overall quality of maintenance
- How your home’s condition compares to others in your area
- How well you guide buyers’ eyes through effective staging
Improvements that draw offers don’t have to be renovations
As staging professionals, our goal isn’t to get people to make costly updates and improvements. Our goal is to help our clients get the best return on investment. And that means helping them spend the least amount needed to get great offers.
Certainly, there are times when making a big investment may make sense: that 30-yr old bathroom or kitchen, massive trees obstructing the curbside view, or seedy, smelly carpeting, (to name a few) may just be worth it.
But often Triangle-area sellers can be very successful without making massive investments.
The secret to cost-effectiveness is selecting changes that will make a home look well maintained, bright, and full of potential. So before you schedule those listing photos or showings, consider these…
Here are the top 7 most cost-effective SMALL changes that make a BIG impact:
Edit!. When we say “edit” we mean reduce virtually all personal effects, decorative items, collectibles, and large wall displays. Instead of using decorations to create a home-y feeling, instead choose pillows and apple pie scent. (For some visual examples, follow our Instagram feed.)
- Remove window screens. Add daylight! Remove window screens to allow for more light to come in and make the windows look cleaner. You’ll also want to pull any window treatments up and/or away from the windows.
- Create open space. Less is more when it comes to furniture… and wall hangings as well.
- Use fresh white towels. It’s simply amazing what a set of fresh white towels does to change the look of a bathroom. In terms of ROI, this is one of those small changes that makes a BIG impact for your house.
- Update switches, outlets and plates. While it may seem like something that people will never notice, it’s a detail that—when fresh and bright—our eyes are absolutely drawn to. And it successfully adds a halo implying yours is a “clean-and-cared-for“ home.
- Add fresh mulch to flower beds. Of all the landscaping you could invest in, the one element most likely to add curb appeal is fresh mulch. It creates a beautiful first impression, much like a stylish coat or tie. Mulch helps your home’s foundation shrubs and plantings (even if they’re nothing fancy) pop, and you home look well-tended.
- Paint. Remember, the effect you always want to create is that of a well-maintained, bright home—and when it comes to home prep, paint is money in a can. Go for lighter neutral colors that help make rooms feel larger, and brightens spaces.
As you’re creating your home selling strategy, be sure to put these 7 small changes that make a big impact for your house sale on your to-do list.
And if you want to really knock it out of the park, schedule a consultation—virtual or in-person. Because when it comes to room layouts, accessories and furniture choices, we always have our eye on your ROI.
