Spruce Up Your Home without Spending Big Bucks

If you’ve checked out HGTV on-line or on television, it may seem like you can’t sell a home today without putting in granite counters, stainless appliances and hardwood floors. I  talk to homeowners daily who sat tight for the past 5 years, waiting for the real estate market to turn. They’re  now eager to sell their homes and take advantage of what is fast becoming a seller’s market.  But for many homeowners who struggled to stay afloat during the recession, the cost of getting their house ready for sale to appeal to today’s buyers, seems out of reach.

Getting your home ready for sale doesn’t have to break the bank. A good, spring cleaning will take you a long way. In addition, here are 6 things you can do today to make your home attractive to today’s buyers without spending big bucks.    

1)  Plant flowers It amazes me how many people have professional landscaping around their homes but fail to plant a single flower. Trees and shrubs help to soften the hard lines of a house but individual flowers add color, drama and visual interest to a landscape. They also  say that someone cared enough to make things pretty. You don’t have to spend a fortune or days digging in the dirt to make this happen. Sometimes all it takes is adding a hanging plant near the front door.

2)  Declutter  This means getting rid of everything you don’t want, don’t use and will not take to your new home. Clear kitchen and bathroom counters of everything you don’t use daily. Get rid of all but the current issues of magazines and newspapers. For those items you just can’t part with but don’t use regularly, box them up and store them in one area of your home, out of sight, if possible.  May and June are great months for garage sales so you could actually make  money on all that unwanted stuff. You know the old saying, “One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure”. What doesn’t sell at the garage sale can find a home with the Salvation Army in Sandusky, Firelands Habitat for Humanity in Huron or Goodwill in Huron, Sandusky and Vermilion.

3)  Wash Windows  Clean windows speak volumes. They let in light. They let people see the world outside clearly. They give the impression that your home is well-tended.  If you get in your car or someone else’s and the windshield is covered with dirt, dead bugs and dust, what do you want to do? Enough said.