5. Curb appeal starts on the outside, not the inside
All the energy you spend on interior renovations will be pointless if you neglect your home’s exterior. Now is the time to get rid of all the bikes your kids have outgrown, re-seed those patches of lawn where the grass is yellow and create an approach to your home that’s welcoming. If you’re going to invest in something other than landscaping for the exterior, make it something like new patio furniture that you can take to your new home.
6. Clean is more important than new
There’s nothing more off-putting than the sight of someone else’s dirt or evidence of hard usage. Grubby walls, scratched floors, torn carpet, cracked tiles, appliances with fingerprints and ratty towels are small things that unpleasantly remind prospective buyers that other people are using a home. You want them to see themselves in the space. If you really can’t bear to paint over the door frame where you marked your children’s heights over the years, replace it and take the old one with you. Selling your major life investment is about being pragmatic, not sentimental.
7. Keep up with the Joneses, but don’t be the Joneses
While it may be your dream to own a home with a hot tub or a pool, it’s not necessarily someone else’s. The same goes for a home theater, game room or built-in bar. Those renovations may have no appeal whatsoever for an outdoorsy family that spends every weekend off-roading, running marathons or hiking in the mountains. Don’t be the house that’s too much for the neighborhood, or you’ll end up being the house that’s priced way too high. You could end up taking a huge loss as a result.