By: Mary Genson | C&G Newspapers | Published November 1, 2024
METRO DETROIT — Before putting a house on the market, a little work can go a long way when it comes to attracting buyers.
However, these improvements do not necessarily have to be expensive projects. Local real estate agents shared recommendations for high-impact, low-cost projects that sellers can do to impress potential buyers.
Polishing the exterior
Buyers often make judgments on a home they are looking at before they even walk through the door. That is why it is important to make sure the exterior of a home is well-maintained before trying to sell. This can mean working on the landscaping, power washing dirty walkways and fixing up exterior paint.
“The curb appeal is the first thing people notice when they are walking up to the home,” said Rebecca Gulyas, of Gulyas Group Realtors in Birmingham.
While landscaping is important, there are some months in Michigan where certain outdoor projects are not realistic. If this is the case, it is still important to make sure the outside of the home looks clean and polished. For example, sellers should assess their exterior paint and address any spots that are peeling.
John Farhat, a Royal Oak realtor at Keller Williams, said, “A lot of people touch up paint inside, but very few people do that on the outside and I do think it’s equally as important.”
A fresh coat of paint
When it comes to the inside, there are several things sellers can do to make their home more attractive to buyers. In many cases, improvement begins with a can of paint.
“I think paint is one department where you can stretch your money quite a bit,” Farhat said.
Rather than a project that costs a lot of money for a small area, paint can brighten the whole house.
When putting fresh paint on the walls, it is important to consider what buyers might be looking for in a home. For this purpose, neutral colors are usually the best option.
“Keep in mind that what your style has been while you’ve lived there may not be what everybody’s style is that is looking to make your home theirs,” Farhat said.
Farhat added that a fresh coat of paint can improve unexpected areas of the house such as an unfinished basement, garage or storage areas.
“A coat of paint could be the difference between someone getting excited about a room or wanting to stay away from it,” Farhat said.
If painting the house is not in the budget, Gulyas said sellers at the bare minimum should wash their walls before putting their house on the market.
Appliances
Many people notice the little things when buying a home. When sellers fine-tune the details of their home before putting it on the market, they might impress prospective buyers.
Farhat said that adding new appliances to a kitchen is a quick way to make an improvement. This might not necessarily fall under the category of a cheap fix, but he said there are typically good deals on appliances around the holidays.
“Fresh new appliances can make a kitchen feel so much newer in a day by literally changing nothing up except appliances,” Farhat said.
Smell
Looks are not the only factor buyers consider when searching for a home. While it is important for the space to look nice, it also needs to smell good — or at least not have any concerning scents.
Gulyas said sellers with pets should make sure they are paying attention to how their house smells. She said buyers can know within a minute of walking into a home if they want to live in it, which is why it is important to make sure that the first thing they smell is not the pets.
However, the answer to covering up smells is not through an excess of air fresheners. Gulyas said this can lead buyers to jump to the conclusion that the seller is hiding something that would be causing the house to smell bad. To make their home as compelling as possible to buyers, sellers should make their home look and smell as clean and updated as possible.