Whether you’re looking to sell your home or refinance, a home appraisal is necessary.

 

Here’s a few ways to quickly and affordably boost its value.

 

The housing market is still strong in South Florida and selling your home may be a consideration for 2021. Many other homeowners are looking to refinance their home at lower rates, to shorten their mortgage term and to tap into the equity earned.  Regardless of your intention, a home appraisal will be necessary to determine the true value of your home.

If this is part of your plan, your goal should be to have your home appraised at its highest potential value. But to do that, you may need to improve a few areas in your home. When you need your home to be in the best possible condition, you don’t necessarily have to invest in expensive renovations.

Here’s a few smaller projects you can work on to effectively raise the market value of your home:

 

Spackle & Paint

Anyone who has lived in their home for any length of time probably has a few holes from hanging items, scratch marks and other blemishes on their walls. Using some spackle to fill in the holes will help make your walls look like new. After the spackle, a fresh coat of paint will provide a fresh look that will boost curb appeal and help avoid any deductions for wall blemishes and/or damage.  You can also step outside and touch up the trim around the windows, doors and any other area you notice pain peeling or chipping.

 

Hire Professional Cleaners

It can be worth the investment to hire a professional cleaning company to go through your home top to bottom with a deep cleaning method. Strong odors and scuffed floors that have become unnoticeable to you may be the first thing your appraiser notices. Be sure to wax the floors, shampoo carpets and clean out all nooks and crannies from any collected dust and other debris.  If you have young children and pets, it is especially recommended to hire a professional cleaner to have your home sparkling!

 

Address Smaller Repairs

Are there any smaller repairs and projects you have been avoiding for the past year or two? Perhaps there are a few ‘inconveniences’ in your home you have learned to live with such as a leaky faucet, loose toilet handle or electrical outlets not functioning. It is important to address these before your appraisal. Such repairs may not be as expensive as replacing an AC or water heater, but if not addressed, they will significantly decrease the value of your home just as much.

 

Take a tour around your home from the eyes of a potential homebuyer and point out anything that would be of concern to you if you were purchasing this as a ‘new’ home.  I have provided these few suggestions as a good head start, but if you need additional help or have any questions, I’m here to help!