Boost Your Home’s Value Ahead of Your Appraisal

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appraisal, DIY, property appraisal, real estate, real estate tips, seller tips, Selling a home, selling your home, The best real estate agent in Jacksonville

 

 

Whether you’re planning to sell or refinance, a home appraisal is a necessary step in determining the true value of your home. This means your home should be in the best possible condition, so it will be appraised at the highest potential value. While it may be tempting to swing for the fences with big-ticket renovations, there are smaller things you can do to efficiently raise the market value of your home.

Start Small with a Little Spackle
If you’ve lived in your home for any length of time, you’ve probably hung things on the walls, put up shelves, or simply had accidents that resulted in minor damage. Now is the time to repair those blemishes. Filling these holes and crevices with a little spackle and painting over the area will leave your walls looking like new. While this may not boost the value of your home, it will keep the appraiser from deducting for the damage.

As Long as You’re Painting…
After you’ve touched up your walls, you might want to consider freshening up the paint. Repainting worn trim and moldings around the home can give it a fresh look. Venture outside and touch up the trim around the windows and doors too. This will boost curb appeal and help you add value to the home. Any area where the paint is peeling, chipping, or simply has lost its luster should be retouched with a fresh coat.

Update Your Crawl Spaces
An upgrade that’s growing in popularity (and will grow your home value) is crawl space encapsulation. Crawl spaces are essential for providing homeowners and contractors with access to important systems of the home. However, these spaces are vulnerable to moisture and water damage caused by humidity and harsh weather conditions. In drier climates, dust and insects can interfere with HVAC systems. To protect crawl spaces, homeowners have started sealing these spaces with polyethylene barriers to keep out moisture, dust, and pests.

Do a Deep Clean
This is also the time to really clean your home from top to bottom. If you have young children and pets, there may be odors and damage that might not be noticeable to you, but strong odors and scuffed hardwood floors will be the first things your appraiser notices. Consider hiring professionals to wax the floors, shampoo the carpets, and conduct an intensive cleaning of the entire home.

Conduct Other Repairs
At some point, you should tour your home with the mindset of a home buyer. This will help you identify problems that you live with every day but just don’t notice anymore. Look for things that need to be repaired, such as a loose handrail, a leaky faucet, or a shorted electrical outlet. Repairing these problems ahead of time will ensure you won’t lose money on the appraisal.

By taking the time to spruce up the home ahead of the appraisal, you may be able to increase the value by thousands of dollars. The suggestions offered here should give you a head start, but if you have additional questions on how to add more value to your home, please don’t hesitate to reach out us – Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS, The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com 904-515-2479

WHAT TO REPAIR BEFORE YOU LIST

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When you’re getting ready to list your home, it’s of the upmost importance to ensure you are showing it in the best light. Taking time to highlight its strengths and fix up some of its possible weaknesses can make a big difference in how fast it sells. Here are our top five recommended repairs to make before selling your home.

Repaint walls.

Giving your home a fresh coat of paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to spruce it up, and generally, it can be a do-it-yourself project. Make sure cover any walls with scratches and chips and consider updating any accent walls with a more neutral coat.

Repair floors.

Hardwood floors are a very desirable feature in a home, so you want to ensure they look their best by fixing scratches or dull areas. If your carpet is worn or stained, consider replacing them. And don’t forget the tile in your kitchen or bathrooms. Re-grouting can go a long way in making dingy tile work look brand new!

Refresh the landscaping.

Show buyers your home is the full package by dressing up the outside as well as the in. Clean walkways and driveways, plant seasonal flowers and plants, trim hedges and trees, install outdoor décor pieces and fill in mulch and gravel.

Fix your fixtures.

Leaky faucet? Rusted drains? Loose drawer handle? Making these small fixes can make a big difference to potential buyers with detailed-orientated minds. Improve your kitchen. An outdated kitchen can be a real eyesore in a home. Updating cabinetry, repairing or replacing countertops, and installing new faucets and sinks may be worth the investment.

Have any questions or are you ready to sell your new home in 2019? Give us a call today!  Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com

6 Pre-Inspection Tips for Sellers

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Everyone wants a smooth home inspection. Sellers, buyers, agents… everyone’s rooting that this high-stakes moment passes without a hitch. Add to that list the home inspector, too! Save time, save money. If you’re selling, there are things you can do to make the home inspector’s job easier and help ensure the most accurate report possible.

1. Declutter your appliances. Get the pots off the stove, remove pans stored in the oven, take that bowl out of the microwave, and check the washer and dryer bins for clothes. While all of these appliances need to be tested, you don’t want an inspector rummaging through your laundry or scorching a pot to get the job done.

2. Replace burned-out lightbulbs. If a light switch doesn’t work, the inspector will need to determine if it’s a problem with the fixture itself. Take the time to hunt down those lightbulbs that might be out-of-the way, too… (Closets, attics, basements, guest rooms, etc.)

3. Keep access doors clear. You might have furniture blocking seldom-used crawlspace entrances, or the space for the pull-down stairs up to the attic may be obstructed. Make these entryways clear to the inspector and save them the time and hassle of getting into hidden areas.

4. Be honest about what doesn’t work. Don’t deceive your home inspector or hope they’ll overlook something. It’s bound to come out, and failure to disclose home defects can be a legal hassle down the line. Know the garbage disposal is broken? Say so. Leave notes for the inspector or prepare them in advance with an email message, etc.

5. Point out pumps and septic tank locations. If you have your own well and septic system, make sure the location of these is clearly described for the inspector. Annotate a photo or draw a simple map if need be.

6. Check your smoke detectors. People forget to change batteries in smoke detectors, and if you’ve neglected yours (or taken them down to change batteries and left them in the garage!) double-check to make sure they’re in place and functioning.

Naturally, this list assumes you’ve made any pre-inspection repairs you want to address. Want a more information about the home inspection process? Get in touch with us today: Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com