JESSICA SHAMBAUGH
Daily Reporter
No matter what the housing market looks like, local Realtors know that to get the most value out of a home it has to look nice.
Whether you’ve got the handyman capabilities of Bob Villa or Tim Taylor, there are things you can do to your home to make it seem more inviting to buyers and to help preserve home value.
Those things range from neutralizing colors and updating light fixtures to tackling those lawn projects that you’ve been putting off for years.
Brandon Prewitt, broker for RE/MAX Metro Plus in German Village, said making the front of a house look nice is one of the most important elements when making small home-improvement investments.
“Curb appeal is very important,” he said. “You have probably 30 seconds to capture the buyer’s attention and obviously the front of the home is the first thing that they see, so you want to have perceived value.”
Prewitt mentioned painting a front door that may be cracked or peeling and removing weeds from all front landscaping.
Michael Mahon, broker and executive vice president at HER Realtors in Clintonville, said curb appeal is the foremost thing he would recommend working on.
“The front landscaping of the house kind of tells the story of what people can anticipate in coming into the house. So invest in a landscaper to have the shrubs trimmed and fresh mulch,” Mahon said.
Mahon said chipped-wood is the most common type of mulch used in Central Ohio but that the color of that mulch may vary based on personal taste.
He recommended using the color that best compliments the exterior of the home.
Another way to spruce up the front of a home is to seal any blacktop driveways.
This can prevent cracking that lets grass grow up through the driveway and damages the look of the home.
When the buyers do enter the home, the first thing they’re likely to notice is the floor they see in front of the door.
Mahon suggested replacing any dated tile in a foyer with laminate hardwood, which he said is popular in the Columbus area and snaps together, making it less labor intensive to install.
“You could do something like that for about $750,” he said. “And you’ll make it back all day long.”
Another area of focus in the house is fixtures. Prewitt said replacing things like light fixtures and installing new faucets on bathroom and kitchen sinks may depend on how handy you are, but recommended making the investment if it was within your skill range.
When choosing new fixtures, Prewitt said to steer away from brass, which can date a home, and go more toward brushed metals like nickel, which he said is “really popular.”
Updating all of the fixtures in a home can cost a few hundred dollars, but Prewitt estimated that a seller could get up to $3,000 to 4,000 in return.
For upgrades on a smaller scale, Mahon suggesting updating a lighting fixture in an eat-in kitchen.
He said it may only cost $50, but the impact will be much greater.
No matter how handy you are, or perhaps are not, a fresh coat of paint can go a long way.
Mahon said to avoid big, bold colors that may only appeal to a select audience, and go for something more neutral that will appease everyone.
Prewitt added that neutral colors are preferable because they can seem less personal.
“Depersonalizing the house can really increase the value in my opinion,” he said, adding that sometimes that means more than just painting.
“Remove personal photos, toys, pet bows, pet beds, pet toys, that type of thing. You really want your home to be staged like a model so when people walk in they ask themselves, ‘Does someone live here?’”
It’s also important to know where to draw the line.
While some upgrades or remodels may be beneficial, not everything is worth the investment.
“While adding a deck or finishing a basement is going to add value, you’re going to spend more money doing it than you’re going to receive in return when you go to sell, especially if you have it done professionally,” Prewitt said.
Any large capital investments should be carefully considered. While creating an extra bedroom may seem beneficial at the time, Mahon said it’s impossible to know the needs of a buyer.
When it comes to things like adding new carpet or doing a complete remodel, it may be best to hold off until negotiating the sale.
Knowing your limitations is also crucial when doing home improvement projects.
New windows may make the front of a house pop, but getting halfway through the project and realizing you don’t know how to finish may only make it look worse.
Sticking to small projects and focusing on curb appeal are sure ways to help increase and preserve the value of a home, just stick with what you’re comfortable doing and seek a professional for things outside your skill set.