Sellers should focus on these to get more bang for the buck

When it’s time to sell your home, everyone wants to get the best offer that they can. However, many people who start trying to renovate their homes are looking in the wrong place. Maybe dropping $20,000 on your kitchen is not your best bet to get the money back, and sell your home. Now, it’s possible that you fancy new kitchen will help, but if you have a faulty roof, good luck trying to get a good appraisal from the bank!

So, when it’s time to sell your house, here are the top things that you need to consider fixing up, before selling your house.

(1) Structural

A house may look gorgeous, but be sitting on some structural issues. When it comes to big structural pieces, you need to make sure that they are brought up to speed. Whether it’s roofing, electrical paneling, conduit, or your HVAC, these pieces may not be the most attractive features, but they will be deal breakers if you do not take care of them. So, just because they aren’t seen every day, don’t forget that they matter.

If a roof hasn’t been looked at in a while, maybe that is your best place to start. Any savvy homebuyer will have an eye on big-ticked items that are coming their way.

(2) External Appeal

This may be obvious, but when someone is coming to see a home, the first thing they see is going to be the exterior. It’s the first impression of the house, and it could be make or break. Some pieces will be easier to take care of than others. A home made of brick may just need a quick power washing to bring back the color, and the clean the joints. Some other pieces may not be quiet as easy.

For stucco, a cracked stucco look is not going to sell. People are going to look at that and get scared about what other cracks might be hiding. You’ll want to make sure that you give these pieces your attention up front.

Even something as simple as giving old shutters a fresh coat of paint, will give your house a more pleasant appeal.

(3) Kitchen

Now, I know that we picked on kitchen fix ups earlier, but once the major structural pieces are fixed up, and the curb appeal is restored, you can look at those remodels.

Kitchens are always a major choke point in any house. People cook, entertain, and show off

all in the kitchen. A gourmet kitchen will help people feel more at home. If they feel like they could come home to a kitchen they’d be proud to entertain in, they will immediately move that house up a few notches.

(4) Bathrooms

Maybe this is just my weird quirk, but I like a nice master bathroom. So long as the house doesn’t look like it’s going to crumble around me, I will be looking at the master bath. Not every price point can afford having a premium master bath, but everyone can do some cheaper clean ups that will make the bathroom look better.

Recently, I was showing someone a home and I was shocked when we walked into the bathroom. The entire house was beautiful, but the caulking around the tub was old and needed some work. When it comes to lighting, caulking, and mirrors in the bathroom, a little love can go a long way.

(5) Flooring

A little while back, I had a friend that was looking at a house. She found a house that had great bones, but needed a little work. She was able to get the house at a deal, because the owner didn’t put in the little bit of effort to make it look good.

In her case, the house had old ratty carpets. Hardly what everyone dreams of, but the home owner informed her that there was hardwood flooring underneath the carpeting. Had the previous owner put in the little bit of work to rip up the old carpets and expose the beautiful hardwood, the price would have gone up significantly.

•••

When it comes to getting your house ready to sell, make sure that you don’t skip the things that matter.

If you can get these five things in line, you can get the maximum value for your home without spending money where it doesn’t help.

IMAGE FROM MAUREEN HIGHES