If you are preparing to sell your home, you will want to ensure you get as much for it as possible. However, at the same time, nobody relishes the thought of investing a lot of money into renovations on a home that they will sell immediately afterward! That’s why we have put together the Knoxville home seller’s guide to increase your home’s value on a budget! With these helpful hints, you will be able to maximize your property’s value without wiping out your savings!
1 - It’s Time to Declutter
Let’s start off with one of the most inexpensive tips in our Knoxville home seller’s guide to increasing value on a budget. We are talking about decluttering! We are all guilty of letting our belongings get scattered around the house. If you look around your home right now, you are practically guaranteed to spot at least one or two items that don’t belong in that room - probably more if you have kids! This can be frustrating enough for the homeowner, but if a buyer sees a lot of clutter, it can make them think negatively about the property. While it is true that you would be taking your clutter with you when you move out, the last thing you want to do is make it more difficult for potential buyers to visualize it as their home, so that clutter has got to go! As an added bonus, it will make packing much easier if you eliminate unwanted items now!
Decluttering is something that is best tackled on a room-by-room basis, but you will want to prioritize bathrooms, the kitchen, and the living room as those are your high-value rooms. A good action plan is to categorize items into three categories: Keep, Garbage, and Donate! Then deal with each pile appropriately! Don’t hang on to that donate pile, though! Take it to a charitable organization as soon as you are finished!
Here are a few quick tips to help declutter your home:
- Prioritize removing clutter from the bathroom.
- Tidy the office and hide away paperwork.
- Throw away expired items, including food, medication, paint, and cleaning supplies.
- Remove extra hangers from the closet and throw away or donate unwanted clothes and shoes.
- Set a great first impression in the entryway - put away that pile of discarded mail and odd shoes!
- Remove visual clutter from narrow hallways for a cleaner look.
- Clean and organize shelves and bookcases.
- Put children’s and pet’s toys out of sight for your open house.
- Depersonalize your home by removing kids’ artwork, family photos, and other trinkets to help buyers visualize the space as their own.
Will this really make a difference to your property value? The answer is a resounding yes! Decluttering and organizing your home could increase its overall value by up to 5%!
2 - Deep Cleaning Your Home
Another free tip from our Knoxville home seller’s guide is to deep clean your home. That means really getting into every single corner. You will want to mop or vacuum all of your floors, wipe down every surface, and deep clean your kitchen and bathroom. You can complete this task on your own, but if you are struggling to find the time in your busy schedule, you could look at hiring a professional cleaning company for the best possible finish! It is a worthwhile investment given that a professional deep clean could add up to $5000 value to your property!
3 - A Fresh Paint Job
This is the portion of our Knoxville home seller’s guide where we turn to some of the tips that will require a little bit of an investment, but they can still be done on a budget! It is incredible what a huge difference a fresh coat of paint can make to the overall look and thus, the value of your home. If your paintwork is dull, chipped, or dirty, it will put your potential buyers off. We recommend giving your entire interior a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint. It is also a good idea to paint the exterior of the home as well since this can help to elevate the property’s curb appeal.
4 - Consider a Kitchen Upgrade!
The kitchen is one of the biggest selling points when putting your home on the market. If you want to add value to your home, this feature is well worth investing some money in. If you choose wisely, you should be able to add more value than the cost of your kitchen upgrade. You do not necessarily need to replace the entire kitchen completely. A couple of budget-friendly tips and tricks from our Knoxville home seller’s guide will help kick your kitchen up a few notches. Some of these tricks include:
- Repainting the cabinetry
- Adding a more modern backsplash
- Replacing the sink and/or taps
- Choosing new eco-friendly lighting
All of these tasks can be done without the need for a professional tradesperson as long as you have a little DIY experience.
5 - Tidy Up The Yard
Curb appeal will help increase the value of your home and attract more potential buyers, so the next tip from our Knoxville home seller’s guide to increasing your property value is to spend some time tidying up your yard. You don’t have to hire a professional landscaper. You can do plenty of budget-friendly things to make it look better. These include:
- Repair and paint your fencing
- Add some exterior lighting
- Repaint the front door
- Get rid of any weeds
- Make sure the grass is well kept
- Wash the windows and siding
- Add some planters full of colorful flowers
These are just a few of the suggestions in our Knoxville home seller’s guide that can help you increase your property's value on a budget. Which ones will you try?
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Wright Realty is a full-service real estate concierge with a wholistic approach to buying and selling property in East Tennessee. We are your trusted advisor and keep open communication throughout your entire buying/selling process. Real Estate done "Wright" means more than just a 'transaction'.
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Visit www.realtydonewright.com or call 865-556-8599
