Five Ways to Improve Your Odds of Selling Your Home

Wrangling a rough market

Up your curb appeal with a brand new mailbox.

I do not envy anyone who is trying to sell a house right now. Though the housing market has picked up slightly over the past couple of months, it’s still pretty tough out there.

If you want to keep your house but feel you have to sell it because of high mortgage payments or a devalued home, you should look into mortgage loan modification before you stick a “for sale” sign in the yard. Loan modification can lower your payments and interest rate.

However, if you must sell your home because you are relocating, here are some ways to make your house more sellable.

1. Curb appeal

Everyone knows that curb appeal is king when it comes to selling a house. Some easy, quick, inexpensive fixes can improve your curb appeal in a jiffy. First, upgrade your mailbox. The yard can add or take away a lot from your curb appeal. Use nitrogen-rich fertilizer to get the grass its greenest, and get new mulch for beds.

Get rid of that old, rusty mailbox with a squeaky flag. Or, if your mailbox is in OK shape, slap a coat of paint on it. Replace hardware such as your doorbell, house numbers and door knocker. Never underestimate the power of shiny objects. No need to take out payday loans, the whole venture should only cost you about $200, according to CNN Money.

2. Bathroom appeal

Speaking of shiny objects, you can update bathroom faucets with brand-new, more stylish, modern fixtures for a few hundred bucks. Cleanliness is of utmost importance in the bathroom, so re-grout tile floors or showers so they’re sparkly white. Or better yet, slap some beadboard paneling over dingy, chipped tile walls.

3. All-over interior

The least expensive and most effective way to give the inside of your home a like-new feel is to paint the walls. It’ll cost less than $100 per room and add thousands in value to your house. After your walls look brand new and flawless, you’ll need to update some interior hardware to match. Get new light switch and outlet covers. replace light fixtures with “statement pieces” to contribute to the like-new, modern feel of your transforming home.

4. Put some care into your kitchen

If you have dark oak cabinets, brighten them up with white paint. You can modernize and brighten up your kitchen with new hardware by replacing cabinet handles and drawer knobs. You can also get stone tile counter tops installed right on top of Formica.

5. Cleanliness is next to selling price

Make sure your house is spic and span for potential buyers. Get the carpets cleaned and makes sure the house is dust-free. Check windowsills, blinds, baseboards and windows for smudges. For an added touch, make sure the place smells good. Don’t use overpowering air freshener or heavily perfumed candles. A little squirt of a linen scented air freshener or other clean scents like soap and drier sheets won’t turn away potential buyers who are sensetive to perfumes.