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Selling Your Home? 5 Tips to Boost Resale

As the housing market starts to stabilize and interest rates remain at historically low levels, more and more homebuyers and sellers are deciding to take action.

If you're planning to sell your home, it's important to be aware of structural and cosmetic flaws in your home and neighborhood that could undermine your asking price, or could keep your property languishing on the market for months.

So how can you boost your resale value? Keep reading for 5 practical tips.

Selling Your Home? 5 Tips to Boost Resale

There are many relatively minor changes that may boost your home's marketability. For example:

1. Paint: If your interior or exterior walls are painted with bold colors or textures, it might be worth toning it down with a more neutral palette. Check out HGTV's helpful guide on selecting interior paint colors.

2. Stage: If you can afford it, have your home professionally staged, since these experts know how to maximize space and show off a home's strong points (while minimizing the weaker ones.) If you're using your own furnishings, thin them out. If you're on a tighter budget and you have a friend with a good eye for design, you could always ask for staging advice. Again, HGTV offers their helpful advice here.

3. Update: Outdated appliances, cabinetry and plumbing fixtures stand out like sore thumbs. The same goes for worn floors or carpeting. Discuss with your realtor which improvements might be worth the investment.

4. Landscape: Overgrown weeds and abandoned junk won't help your curb appeal, so make sure your yard is well-tended and has, at the very least, basic landscaping. Something as small as a few potted plants or flowers can quickly liven up a porch or patio. For a little basic lawn maintenance info, check out this article from This Old House.

5. Finish: If you've started remodeling and didn't complete the job, take the time to complete unfinished projects. Many people won't want to take improvement projects on, even with a significant reduction in price. Better Homes & Gardens offers advice for numerous remodeling projects here.

A few more pointers:

If there's a foreclosed home in your neighborhood, chances are it's not being well-maintained. There are a few things you can do to help, so check out Bankrate's article for ideas on how you can mend your neighborhood foreclosure.
Lastly, if you've never sold a home before, or maybe it's been a few years - check out this helpful article on How Selling a House Works.

Mortgage rates are still at historical lows, so you still have time to reap the benefits of a lower interest rate or a reduced term. Click here to read a little more about some of our home loan options.

Whether you're ready to buy or interested in refinancing, our Home Loan Department can answer your questions. Make an appointment by calling 417.887.1983.