Gulf Shores home improvement ideas usually are reserved for homeowners who want to make their homes bigger, more attractive or more modern. However, many home improvement steps can be taken to prepare your home when it comes time to sell. If you’ve made the decision to sell your home, it’s not just a good idea – sometimes it’s a necessity – to make your home as attractive and presentable as possible for prospective buyers. Here’s how.
Be Ready to Hit the Market Running
Listing your home for sale isn’t a decision to be made lightly. In addition, putting your home on the market before you’re ready or it’s ready can severely hamper your ability to sell it for its full value. Make sure you prepare your home for the real estate marketplace. Follow these Gulf Shores home improvement ideas and make the best impression you can for potential buyers to sell your home quickly and for the best price.
Clean and Declutter Your Home
While it may sound cliche’ to some, we can’t emphasize enough how important it is to make sure your home is clean and free from unsightly clutter. Follow these steps and you’ll be glad you did when you receive an offer that’s at or near your full asking price.
• Remove as much clutter as possible before you start to clean. There’s no better time to get rid of unwanted items and things you’re just tired of staring at each day (we’re talking about objects, not family members!) You can donate unneeded items to a local charity, or have a yard sale if you have larger items. In addition, recycling companies are usually more than happy to come pick up large metal items – often at no charge.
• Give your house a good deep-cleaning. While this step will take the largest investment of time, it will also yield the best results. Try to involve the entire family and assign everybody a task or two. Make sure you give necessary attention to the bathrooms and kitchen – lots of women who will ultimately make the decision on the house purchase will be looking them over closely. Lastly, clean the inside and the outside of your home’s windows. You’ll be surprised how it will make your home sparkle – and buyers will notice!
• Take the time to organize your closets, cabinets and drawers. Don’t just stuff them with things you want to get out of the way. You’ll be surprised at how many prospective buyers will open cabinets and closets so they can get an idea of the amount of storage space they contain. Clean, organized cabinets, drawers and closets will give the buyers the impression that you take care of the home – which may translate into a feeling that the rest of the home and its systems are well-maintained, too.
Make Do-it-Yourself Repairs
One of the next Gulf Shores home improvement ideas – and possibly one of the least expensive – is to perform various repairs to your home you can take care of all by yourself with a little time and know-how.
• Fix leaky faucets and running toilets
• Replace the caulking around showers, tubs and sinks
• Repair or replace grout, if necessary
• Repair cracks, stains, or nail holes in walls and repaint them in a neutral color
• Fix cracked, broken or discolored windows
• Replace or repair damaged or missing window screens
• Replace burned-out light bulbs or fluorescent tubes
Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal
The old adage, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression” is never truer than when you’re showing your home to prospective purchasers. If they don’t like what they see in exterior photos online or in person, chances are they may not look further. And, if your home’s curb appeal is just “average,” most buyers may adopt the feeling the rest of the home is “average,” as well. You want to “wow” your buyers. Make them love what they see on the outside and they will look forward to seeing the rest of the house. Consider these “spruce-up” tips for your home’s outside, too.
• Trim the bushes, shrubs and trees in your yard
• Fix broken downspouts and gutters
• Apply new mulch as needed to give your planted areas a fresh, clean look
• Clean and repair concrete or stone areas such as driveways and walkways. Pay close attention to oil stains and weeds or grass growing through the cracks.
• Add some flowers to give your lawn and garden a little more color. Add a new doormat to your doorstep or front porch area. Ensure that the house numbers are clean and easy to see.
As you can see, with a relatively small amount of time, attention and expense to your home, these and a few of your own Gulf Shores home improvement ideas will help you give it a renewed appearance – making it more attractive inside and out to prospective home shoppers.
You can find more articles pertaining to Gulf Shores home improvement ideas in the Gulf Shores Home Improvements section of our site below Gulf Shores Real Estate Categories in the column to your right. We also post tips daily on Twitter and Facebook and would love for you to follow us there as well.