Whether you are looking to put your house on the market or if you just want to spruce your home up a bit, I have a few tips for making sure it is being shown off in the best light. Doing a couple of these improvements is a great way to give you sense of pride in your home as you add your own touches and they do make a difference to buyers if you are going to be selling the property. All of these suggestions are relatively minor but check out our blog post from last week for tips on doing major renovations.
Curb Appeal
We hear a lot about “curb appeal” on home improvement shows and it really does help sell a home. The outside of your house is very first and last thing potential buyers or your visitors will see so it leaves a lasting impression. Painting the outside the house is a great way to freshen up its look, whether you are covering a less than desirable choice of paint colors or are revitalizing an old paint job. Additionally, consider the landscaping around your home. You don’t necessarily need a masterpiece of a garden, but pulling weeds, adding seed and fertilizer to your lawn, and trimming overgrown trees and shrubbery is a great way to better your home’s look. Planting low maintenance bushes and other plants is another good idea if you have the time.
Mirrors
Hanging mirrors in small rooms helps open them up and create the appearance of more space. If you are selling a home, you likely will be removing family pictures and other personal items so putting a mirror up is a nice touch to fill up a blank wall. Keep in mind placement of the mirrors though, you don’t want to place them in an area where direct sunlight will reflect off of them and blind your guests!
Cabinet Pulls and Doorknobs
Replacing the pulls to drawers and cabinets in both kitchens and bathrooms is a fantastic way to give a little face-lift to these rooms. This tends to be a pretty easy DIY project as typically you just need a Phillips head screwdriver and some screws. If you are replacing handles, check that the distance between screw holes on the new and old handles is the same as otherwise you may have to drill another hole. Removing outdated doorknobs and updating with more modern options is also a nice way to update your home, although it is a little more complicated than replacing handles and knobs.
Go Smart
If the rest of your home is updated, think about adding smart fixtures in your homes. Adding Wi-Fi enabled bulbs that sync with Bluetooth speakers is a thoughtful touch that will really wow potential buyers or just make your home that much easier to live in as you can simply say “Alexa, turn off the lights.” We have a whole blog post about other smart appliances if you are interested in learning more.