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You really have to be careful not to over-improve. You want it slightly nicer than the surrounding houses, but not too nice. I see it all the time where people put down expensive hardwood floors with high end kitchen cabinets and countertops, yet none of the other houses in the neighborhood have any of that stuff. When it comes time to sell they barely get any of the money back from those upgrades.
You need to consult with a Realtor- one who has years of experience in your area. That person will know what should be done- regardless of budget to get the most for your home. You'll have to decide what you can afford/give you the best ROI.
First of all, your house needs to look attractive in photographs, and the first photograph that people see is your front exterior, which should look clean and fresh, and if you have lawn, it needs to be neatly trimmed and green. The rest of your landscaping, especially in the front yard, should be trimmed. Your driveway should also look as clean as possible, so you might want to invest in having the driveway pressure-washed. Be sure to put all trash containers behind the fence to your backyard. If you have hoses instead of in-ground sprinklers, remove the hose for the pictures. If you have a screen door, remove it, not only for the pictures, but for the duration of showings. The garage door to your house needs to look good, too. And most importantly, your porch, front door and the hardware on the door, should be new or fresh-as-new. Then cross the threshold into your house as if you were a potential buyer and look around with new eyes.
As far as what you should do inside the house, I would ask several agents what they think. They will disagree with each other. In my area, the main thing that agents agree on and that I see has been done in nearby houses besides fresh paint throughout is interior doors have often been upgraded to white paneled doors and round doorknobs have been replaced with lever handles. Baseboards that were only a couple of inches high and wood-stained, get replaced with thicker white baseboards. In most of the houses for sale, all traces of "popcorn" in the ceilings of at least major rooms has been removed and the ceilings redone, including painting. Many of the houses also sport new white coving between walls and ceilings.
Most of the houses, except for former rentals that will appeal to investors at a lower prices, have bathrooms that have been updated. A lot of the kitchens around here have been updated or completely renovated, but none of the spectacular remodels have had sales prices that cover the prices of the renovations. The houses that have been updated seem to sell faster, unless the sellers price the house higher to recoup what they spent on their fancy kitchen.
I tend to disagree with anyone who suggests putting in the cheapest carpet available. Many of the younger buyers don't appreciate carpeting, and if they do, they want a better grade of carpet. For myself, the sight of inexpensive, new carpet suggests that the seller skimped on other things in the house, too.
Don't remodel for a buyer you do not know what his/her tastes are. You paint the trim white, they like gray, or natural wood. It is a losing game to remodel to try to add value to a house. But people usually like a house that requires zero work to move in and be happy, so definitely fix anything that is inconvenient, like leaky or rusty fixtures.
We sold the old relative's house with the help of a small improvement - I relied very heavily on advice from a trusted real estate agent. We opted for a mixture of cosmetic and structural fixes but made no efforts to "modernize." E.g. we left the 40-year old bathrooms and kitchen alone but replaced the windows, many of which were leaking. We repainted throughout and replaced all carpeting. In the end I think it worked out just like I wanted. We sold quickly with what I considered a reasonably minimal investment in fix-up.
I agree with BayBoomer about the exterior and the yard. That’s what makes the first impression, and when I see a yard that hasn’t been maintained, I automatically assume the house hasn’t kept up either. You can look at the outside of a home and tell if the owner has pride in it.
I think the "painter vs. stained" trim depends on where you live. I was raised in the Midwest but we live out West where no one likes stained trim. I guess my kids can deal with selling this when I'm gone.
Kitchen and baths are a personal choice. If you don't upgrade then price it accordingly because the buyers are going to figure in the cost of remodel when making a bid.
I agree with clean and shiny. Declutter, curb appeal, take the dog and go elsewhere during showings, paint in neutrals if the walls are in bad shape or you have really unique colors.
Right now - at least in our area - houses are selling like hotcakes. We asked a Realtor, they gave us an estimate of how much to sell for and a whole list of things to do to make it better and what they thought absolutely had to be done for it to sell. We skipped the whole use a Realtor idea, added a third again to that number they came up with, did absolutely nothing to the house and it is scheduled to close on the 15th with three back up offers in case the first one falls through.
Try putting a 'for sale' sign out front and listing it on Zillow without a Realtor. If you say 'consideration to buyer's Realtor' in your Zillow listing, then even folks with Realtors will look at it. We have an escrow company an attorney so all the proper paperwork is getting done. We've also bought and sold a few houses, this may not be a good idea for a first time seller.
Just clean and declutter. If something is broken, fix it.
Carpet is probably coming out after it's sold. Walls are probably getting repainted after it's sold.
And -- if you're in a "hot" area, it may not matter at all if a bulldozer pulls up after it's sold. Was shocked the first time I saw that, but it's getting more and more common. You buy the house for the lot.
If the house overall is dated, painting some trim ain't gonna help.
Save your money and buy something you like after moving!
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