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Should You Remodel Before You Sell? Here Are the Home Renovations That Matter

Should I fix up my house or sell as is - SWAN Agency Real Estate - Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor & Sullivan, METhinking about selling and considering new flooring in the bedrooms or painting the front door? If you're going to put some time, energy and money into updating your home before putting it on the market, make sure you're making the improvements that will pay off and add value to your home.

Using a step-by-step, home renovation checklist before you list your home is a great idea and should include maintenance items as well as aesthetic improvements. If you are thinking about selling, we recommend reaching out to your broker early in the process to get an expert opinion about improvements specific to your property.

Here are our suggestions of renovations most likely to improve your final sale price.

Should I Fix Up My House or Sell As Is?

You're not alone in asking: Is it worth renovating a house before selling? The truth is, when putting your home on the market, specific fixes will almost always increase the final sale price.

What's more, the best home renovations to add value will cost you little to no money. Yet, they can dramatically change how buyers see your home — and how much they're willing to pay.

So, what should you remodel before selling? To get the highest ROI, complete these low-cost home fixes.

Step-by-Step Home Renovation Checklist

1. Declutter, Clean and Stage

Decluttering the home allows potential buyers to see themselves in the space. If you're not moving completely out before selling, it's a good idea to minimize, organize and clean for this reason.

This will also allow you to effectively stage the living room, bedrooms, back deck, and other spaces to entice more — and better — offers.

2. Paint the Interior With Neutral Colors

If you do it yourself, painting is a high-impact, low-cost renovation. But even if you choose to pay someone, you'll likely recoup your cost — and more.

Additionally, the outside of the home and front door may need a new coat of paint. Power washing the home's exterior and driveway is also a good idea. Both of these are generally smart investments in your home's value.

3. Fix and Seal Creaking Doors and Windows

This may seem minor to you. But when potential homebuyers experience creaking doors and windows, they wonder about the bigger problems they don't notice.

Often sanding, using WD40, installing new screens, and applying caulk can take care of windows and doors that are creaking or drafty.

If your budget allows, replacing your windows can freshen the look of your home from the inside as well as increase the curb appeal. Most homebuyers are energy conscious, so adding new, energy-efficient windows is a big draw.

4. Make the Right Updates to Kitchens and Bathrooms

Everyone wants to know: Should I remodel my kitchen before selling? After all, it's true that kitchens and bathrooms sell houses. But contrary to popular belief, you don't have to renovate the whole kitchen or bathroom.

Updating faucets and light fixtures in kitchens and bathrooms is enough to completely transform the space — assuming you already took our advice about painting.

If the living rooms and bedrooms have fans and fixtures that are last century, these are also high ROI updates.

5. Know What Decreases the Value of a Home

As you make sure your home is ready to sell, keep in mind that some things will decrease the value of your home. Correct anything that you are able to, and rely on your broker to help buyers see past those things that you can't.

  • An unsightly yard
  • Exterior siding or paint that is cracked or not a neutral shade
  • Moss growing on the roof
  • Broken boards on steps or hand railings of porches and decks

Every home and every market is different. So, to make sure you are investing in renovations that will increase your ROI, we can offer personalized recommendations for your property based on our years of experience selling homes in Midcoast Maine. Reach out to a Swan Agency broker today.

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