Add value before you sell

The housing market has aligned with your budget and you’ve decided to sell. This is an incredibly exciting time, but also stressful as working towards getting your home in tip top shape for maximum return may leave you with more questions than answers:

Where do I start? What should I fix? And, can I do it myself?

CREB® interviewed master appraiser Greg MacDonald from Sage Appraisals to share his best advice on how to get your property in prime selling condition before listing.

A home appraiser assesses the value of your home—not too shocking. But that’s only the surface level explanation of how they help you add even more value.

Here are Greg’s top three go-to tips:

1) Get rid of the mess

Make it your primary purpose to ensure prospective buyers aren’t overwhelmed by the state of your untidy home—there’s nothing more important. Decluttering opens up the space, makes a home feel bigger and allows buyers to envision the space as their home. So straighten up that laundry room and put away your children’s toys. It’s a quick, low cost, high impact step that can result in big value.

2) Know thy neighbourhood…

…and your market! When considering how much money to put into your home improvements, do your research on the market value of not only your home, but your surrounding area. Over or under improvements may be detrimental to ROI and could hinder the chances of your sale. So if you live in a starter neighbourhood or a super executive market, remember who you’re prospective buyers might be and keep your renos consistent with their expectations.

3) Trust the professionals

The DIY network may be your favourite television channel, but if you decide to take on a painting project, you may risk devaluing your home by hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Consider hiring a professional instead to make sure you meet the high quality standards potential buyers expect. Not in your budget? Totally understandable, but before you grab that paint brush, visit a couple paint stores and ask to speak to one of their paint specialists.These folks know their stuff and can give you some great advice on what colours/paint schemes to use when preparing your home for resale.

Tagged: CREB® | Ideas