Kalamazoo Real Estate Marketing Guru Joel Nelson Gives You 7 Great Tips on

How to Get Every Dollar You Deserve When Selling Your Kalamazoo Home

The ability to reap additional profits on the sale of your Kalamazoo area homecan be accomplished easily enough if you make the right improvements. Many changes can provide the prospective buyer with enhanced feelings about your home, feelings of more space, more light, more rooms, more closet space, greater privacy, warmth and security and of course more value.  Keep in mind, many people buy houses with emotion supported by logic. 

Basic, simple and inexpensive improvements on your Kalamazoo area home can provide an improved emotional response in a potential buyer, and that is your goal. 

An example could be something as small as a crack in the paint on a wall. Simply by applying some plaster and touch up paint, you eliminated what may be an unstated concern that your home was poorly maintained.

Though the feeling may be unconscious, it’s just as important that the potential buyer feel an overall desire for your home.

Even iff you are working with a small budget these simple techniques will work absolute wonders:

The Magic of Mirrors! - Mirrors can provide a greater sense of space and elegance when properly placed.  When placed properly throughout your home, each area will seem larger to the potential home buyer.  But don't get carried away and overdo it.

Try looking in your attic or basement for any old mirrors, but be sure they have a nice frame or at least give the frame a new coat of paint. You may also want to visit a local flea market or garage sale; you can almost always get a great deal on an old mirror or two.

Putting one foot square mirrors on a closet door in the master bedroom is always an attractive touch.

Adding Additional Closet Space - One of the biggest complaints heard from potential buyers is that there just isn’t enough closet space!  Simply purchasing an inexpensive closet organizer and installing it in any or all of your closets can make all the difference.

You can also try putting a rod across one corner of a bedroom for hanging clothes. Also you could try hanging a screen made from a variety of materials. The screen could match the material of the bedspread, drapes etc. The idea here is to be creative so that the "fake closet" looks as though it was a part of the room.

Make a Bare Wall Beautiful - Wallpaper is inexpensive, quick and easy to do! The right wallpaper can brighten the room or hallway and bring it back to life. Be careful to choose something with a neutral design or pattern. Remember, you’re trying to move out.  Again, don't overdo it.  Wallpaper is often a personal choice and the chances of your choice being the buyers choice is slim.  Consider neutral colored paint too.

Bring Old Floors Back to Life! - Nothing turns off a potential buyer quicker than dull, dingy, disgusting looking floors. Whether you have vinyl, carpeted, wooden or tiled floors, do whatever you can to make them shine again!  Either rent a floor machine and do it yourself, or if it’s in your budget, hire a professional.

Have a professional to give you an estimate and explain exactly what they would do to bring your floors back to life. If you have them explain what they would do, it may be just as easy to do it yourself.

If you have carpeted floors, you should either have the carpet steam cleaned or install new carpeting. This may sound expensive but new carpeting can add thousands of dollars to the value of your home.  Trying to sell a house that needs carpet or paint is NEVER a good idea.  You don't want to look like a Kalamazoo area foreclosure for sale.

Add Attractive Plants - Having plants in the house is not only healthy for you but you create a warm feeling with them. Many indoor plants are far less expensive than you might imagine.

Attractive pots such as ceramic, brass or even designer plastic will add a designer flair to your home. Hanging plants such as Boston ferns are inexpensive, easy to care for and would go great in your new home whenever you move.  Once again, don't overdo it.  Plants are great but too many in front of the windows will block the light and restrict the view.

Adding a Room Without Calling in the Kalamazoo area Contractor! - This simple but seldom used technique, can give a buyer the feeling there are more actual rooms in your house. Floor to ceiling room dividers are inexpensive and simple to install.

When a buyer walks through your home, they will generally count the rooms in a subconscious manner. Each room will present an emotional response as they walk through your home.

By dividing and designing each side of your room, you create a "separate room" feeling in the potential buyer. It may sound crazy, but it works in some Kalamazoo area homes!

Clean Up the Bathroom - We’ve probably all heard that phrase a hundred times growing up! Well, guess what? It’s still valid. Give your bathroom a face-lift if needed; fresh paint, decorative moldings, tile grout, new designer faucets are all attractive eye catchers.  If you only have enough budget to fix up part of the home, focus on the bathroom and the Kitchen.

What is That Smell? - Though people don’t like to admit it, everyone's home has a certain smell to it. We just never notice it because we live with it day in, day out. Strategically placing fresh scent devices throughout the home will be pleasant to the nose of any potential buyer.  The biggest offenders are pets and smoke.  Do the best you can but if you smoke in your house you will have to sell for less.  It's just a fact of life.  I probably don't need to say it, but I will.  Be careful, don't overdo the air fresheners,

As a matter of fact, an old Kalamazoo Realtor trick is to pop some cinnamon rolls in an oven 5 minutes before a showing. I bet you thought all Kalamazoo area Realtors just had a sweet-tooth!

For more information about Kalamazoo real estate, homes for sale Kalamazoo, or Kalamazoo homes in general, visit our website devoted specifically to all things Kalamazoo MI real estate, http://HomesofSWMichigan.com

If you are considering selling your Kalamazoo area home, one of the best first steps you can take is to ask me to send to you a FREE online market price evaluation.  Simply complete the form below and I will send to you via email a market value analysis using comparable homes in your neighborhood that are currently for sale and those that have recently sold.

Never a hassle.  Never an obligation.

Just complete the form below, provide your correct street address as well as your correct email address and I will provide the evaluation to you within a day or so.

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 Tags: Kalamazoo homes for sale, kalamazoo real estate, kalamazoo homes, kalamazoo Realtors, Joel Nelson

Article's Author

Joel Nelson
Keller Williams Realty - Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, MI

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