If you’re thinking of putting your house on the market in California and you want to list it for as much money as possible, then you’ll want to make sure it’s in top condition. There are some known home improvements that add value – and you can try them. There are even some home improvements that decrease value! Improvements may make an impact on how much potential buyers are willing to pay for your home in a traditional sale but no matter what they will always cost you time and effort.
At the end of the day, home improvements can be a headache, and while they will help the home look nicer, there is a much faster way to sell your home that won’t require you to make any improvements at all. Enter: Osborne Homes. We buy homes all over California in any condition. We pay all cash and close fast. So, be sure and check with us first before you get yourself into any big laborious or expensive repairs.
Here are the two best home improvements to increase value:
1. Paint your inner and outer walls
If you’re hoping for easy home improvement projects, this might be the one. Because the easiest and most cost-effective way to increase your home’s value and up your potential to get a fast offer is to invest in a few cans of paint. That’s right, give your home a fresh coat of paint, inside and out, and you immediately have the chance to increase how much you ask for your place. This is, after all, the first thing that buyers will notice and gives them a feeling of a ‘new slate,’ just for them.
Though it will take time and a bit of money, this one is the least expensive home improvement that adds value and is the one that offers the greatest return. As an example of a common value-increase scenario… typically, if painting the interior and exterior costs you around $2,000, it could reasonably add around $4,000 more to your sales price.
Since the exterior is the buyer’s first impression this part really needs to be done well. As a general rule of thumb, using only up to three colors on the exterior seems to keep the home from looking smaller or simply too loud or unsettling.
You might even want to follow the 60-30-10 percentage decorating rule. 60 percent is the body of the home – the walls. 30 percent are the doors (including garage door) and 10 percent is the trim and shutters where adding a pop of color is most appealing. One of our favorite color schemes for a home exterior is a charcoal gray body, white trim and natural brown or stained brown wood doors.
Remember: that, if at any time during your time reading this article you feel like you’re in much too much of a hurry to deal with even the easy home improvement projects and you just need to sell your house now, please know that, at Osborne Homes, we buy houses in any condition. And that we would love to hear what you have and get you started today!
Tips for choosing specific types of paint:
The right color scheme is just one part of a nice paint job. You also want the right finish for each environment, on the inside and outside of your home.
For instance, satin paint tends to show unevenness in broad walls, as well as making any nail head sticking up, glaringly obvious. Here’s a secret: the best way to hide unevenness and blemishes is with eggshell sheens.
In the kitchen and bathroom, you might go with satin or semi-gloss as they are best for stain resistance and durability. Semi-gloss is also great for doors and trim, which tend to get handprints on them, as this type of paint can be easily wiped down.
Cheap paint usually needs more coats to look good so it’s worth it to spend a little more on high-quality paint, or at least something mid-grade. High-quality brushes and rollers add to the effect by giving an even and flawless finish. The saying stands true – you get what you pay for. This isn’t an area you want to skimp on.
2. Replace your flooring
The second-best home improvement to increase value is flooring. We have all seen it – tired, faded, warped and stained old linoleum. Or pressure-caused cracked tiles. If these eye sores are anywhere within the home you want to sell, they will not be the cause of any buyer rushing to make you an offer. So, the next biggest improvement after a nice and thorough paint job is getting some solid and beautiful floors put in. But what are some replacement flooring options that will really make a big impression?
Hardwood
New home buyers will almost always gush when they see a home with hardwood floors, so if you want an offer fast, this can be a nice way to make that happen.
Luxury Vinyl
Incredibly durable and easy to clean, luxury vinyl has become more popular with its variety of styles and colors.
Tile Flooring
Really great for the high-traffic areas of a home, like entryways and hallways, tile flooring takes heavy use with ease and is a wonderful way to add new life to a home.
Laminate Flooring
Lasting upwards of 30 years, laminate flooring is a great way to assure new homeowners that they won’t have to replace this flooring for a long time.
So, yes, since new flooring can make a big impact on home value, be sure and add it to your top list of easy home improvement projects. Each of these flooring options will make a big difference but hardwood is known to be the one that increases home value the most.
However, before going out and buying a stack of heavy floor tiles, consider if investing in any of this is worth your time and money. You might prefer to start by hearing more about how we buy houses in California in any condition, and how we pay all cash.
Be selective: Here are some home improvements that decrease value
When selling your house or trying to increase the homes value, it’s also important to stray away from these home improvements that decrease value:
Home office conversions
This is an interesting one because for some, you might expect to see an increase in value for those looking for a home with an office but most modern house buyers don’t need an office, in fact, they want as many rooms as possible.
Combining rooms to alter a rooms size
Seeing a house with a lot of square feet might sound great, but it can seriously limit the amount of people looking for a house like yours. You might have everything the buyer needs except the extra bedroom you’ve removed.
Texture on Walls and Ceiling
Texture is a challenge to remove, so if a buyer comes in and doesn;t like the texture, all they see is an unpleasant item on their to do list down the road. A buyer like this will likely come in with a lower offer for the work they have ahead of them.
Built in Aquarium
Hey, some people like fish and they think everyone else does too, but if you go breaking down walls to install a 1,000 gallon fish tank you will be kicking yourself later when this very feature is exactly what buyers don’t like about the house and won’t budge on their low offer.
Don’t make ANY Improvements – sell your house the Easy Way!
While these are the two best home improvements to increase value there are a few other things you can do, like installing new windows and doors for energy efficiency, updating your kitchen cabinets and appliances or adding a patio or deck to your backyard. But, as you can see, it takes money to make money. It also takes time. And while you may want to sell for as much as possible, we all know that time is money, also.
You may be one of the California home sellers who are in a hurry to sell and you just need to get the home sold fast so that you can move on with your life. That’s where Osborne Homes comes in. We don’t want you to make ANY improvements. Even if you find some easy home improvement projects to do. Save yourself the headache. We want to buy your home in any condition that it is currently in – and we will pay you all cash for it. We can start today and we always close fast. We buy more California homes than anyone and we want to buy yours! Sell your home to us; we make the whole process easy for you. Call today!
