You’ll be making a lot of checklists when you decide to sell your home. You need to find the perfect new place, decide what you’re taking with you, and donate the things you’ve been meaning to donate. You also have to prepare your home for sale. A few quick repairs will make your home a little more appealing to potential buyers. They don’t cost a lot of money, and they don’t require a lot of work. These quick fixes might even help your home sell faster.
1. Replace Outlet Covers and Switch Plates
Outlet covers and the little plastic plates that cover light switches tend to get dingy with age. If yours have turned yellow, it can make the rest of your home look dirty, even if it’s sparkling clean. New covers and plates are very inexpensive. You can get a bulk pack of them for the same price as a cup of coffee. All you need to do is unscrew the old ones, toss them out, and screw the new ones on in their place. It’s a small touch that anyone can do, and it makes a noticeable difference.
2. Pressure Wash Your House
The outside of your house gets dirty. Every little storm splashes your home with mud. If you pressure wash your home, it will look brand new from the outside. You can rent the equipment to pressure wash your home yourself, or you can hire a professional to do it for you. It’s not difficult, it’s not expensive, and it only takes a little while. It beats scrubbing the whole exterior of your home with a sponge and soapy water!
3. Replace Leaky Faucets
Dripping taps and shower heads can make it look like there’s a problem with your plumbing, even when there isn’t. These little drips also add a lot to your water bill over time. Replacing dripping faucets will keep your kitchen and bathrooms clean and dry. You can purchase a kit that comes with instructions, and it doesn’t take very long to install new faucets. If the drip can be fixed by tightening a few bolts or replacing a seal, that’s even cheaper and easier.
4. Slap on a Fresh Coat of Paint
Your walls are a significant portion of your room. If you plan to take down framed photos and artwork to clear out the space so potential buyers can look around, they’re going to be seeing a lot of your walls. A fresh coat of paint will really wake the place up. Always stick to neutral shades. Bright colors might be off-putting to people who are coming to tour your home. They want to be able to imagine themselves living there. They’ll want your home to be a blank canvas for their personal tastes.
5. Deep Clean the Floors
Taking care of your floors is especially important if you have pets. They leave all kinds of smells and scratch marks behind. Make sure you have your carpets deep cleaned. If you have scratched up hardwood floors, you might want to have them refinished. Make sure the tile is clean and the grout lines have been scrubbed. Your floors are just as important as your walls in the eyes of most buyers. If your flooring is in very bad shape, you might want to replace it.
There are also more expensive repairs you can do that might boost the value of your home. Before you shell out the money, make sure you’ll actually see a return on your investment. If you’re looking to keep your budget low, all of these repairs are safe choices.