Thinking about selling and wondering what improvements will yield the biggest return on your investment?

Let’s start with the entryway! Curb appeal is the first impression. With the snow gone, now is a great time to walk around the home and see how it fared over the winter season. Does the house need paint or a power wash, is there any window or trim rot, do gutters need to be cleaned or reattached? Trimming bushes and adding plantings, fresh mulch and flowers in planters is a great way to spend a weekend outside in this nice weather. To really make the property pop, adding a fresh coat of paint on the house and deck, replacing rotted trim with Azek materials, replacing garage doors and seal coating the driveway all are great and reasonably priced improvements that will make a big impact.

Kitchens and baths are where you will receive almost 100% return on your investment, within reason.

However, spending $300,000 on a new kitchen or $75,000 on a new primary bath likely will not see a similar return. Replacing appliances that have seen better days, installing new counters, backsplashes and hardware, and sometime updating the cabinetry and/or hardware will make a huge impact. Oh, and floors! There are rare times that we do see timeless floors where we can strip and replace all the grout and the floors will look much newer. Did you know you can sand and poly plastic shower inserts to make them look new again, or glaze a tub to make it shine?

Then there is paint! A $50 can of paint is worth thousands on the wall. Buyers are looking for fresh and neutral paint colors that are in style and are the current trend. I love taking a trip to the local paint store to see the new colors that I know will make a huge impact with bringing a dated home into the new century. Changing a room to a lighter color typically will help it make it feel brighter and bigger. Go grab a few samples and see how they look in different parts of the room, and how they match the furniture and the floors. If the whole house needs to be painted, consider choosing a total of three or four colors, keep them neutral and make sure that they work well together. Neutral sells, as it allows a buyer to picture themselves and their furniture in the home.

Refinishing floors, replacing carpet and replacing window seals also are great ways to achieve a better return on your investment. My rule of thumb is if we can make double the money of your investment, then it’s likely worth the effort!

With spring here, now is a great time to consider decluttering, organizing and donating/selling items you no longer need. Realtors have contractors who can help with all this and have teams of people who can help make this process a breeze.

Contact Kim Foemmel at Foemmel Fine Homes to find out what your home is worth!

Kim Foemmel
Foemmel Fine Homes
1 Lumber Street, Suite 207C
Hopkinton, MA
(508) 808-1149
Kim.Foemmel@gmail.com
FoemmelFineHomes.com

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