How to Maximize ROI When Prepping Your Miami Home for Sale

Preparing your home for sale doesn’t have to be expensive. But when it comes to achieving a quick and lucrative sale, certain expenses related to improving your home’s appearance are undeniably worth the price. That’s the key to achieving a high ROI in this process: knowing when certain expenses do and don’t make sense. These expenses can not only raise the value of your home, but also make your life significantly less stressful throughout this life-changing journey. 

Here are a few tips for maximizing ROI when preparing your home for sale: 

Hire a Professional Cleaning Crew

If you want the highest possible price, your home must look nothing short of pristine. That means a deep clean of each room, from inside out. Yes, you could theoretically do this yourself, but a professional cleaning crew will accomplish in a few hours what would take you and your family several days, at the very least. Your crew will also make sure to focus on commonly overlooked areas like corners, baseboards, windowsills, etc. 

In addition to cleaning your home, you’ll also have to declutter it, removing unnecessary items from each room and deciding what you want to donate, sell, or throw out. While there are people you can hire to declutter, most of the time our clients opt to do it themselves. 

Upgrade Kitchen and Bathroom

Upgrading your kitchen and bathrooms is a common one people think they need to do before they list. In our experience, these are the two spaces that matter the most to potential buyers after location and size of the home. But that doesn’t mean you should head out and spend $50,000 to update your kitchens and bathrooms – often, the ROI just isn’t there on the sale. 

It comes down to how we ought to market your home and who the potential buyer is going to be. In certain neighborhoods, buyers are going to want to build their own custom kitchen and bathrooms, so you spending the money to do it before you list doesn’t affect how they view the home. Other homes, if they are the entry home to a very nice neighborhood, would price out potential buyers but not entire the buyers that want to renovate before they move in.

If you are thinking of bringing your kitchen and bathroom up to date before you list, we would encourage you to get a market analysis from us before you move forward with it. That way we can share the best strategies to market your home and whether that money would have a ROI for you.  

Maximize Lighting 

Upgrading lighting fixtures changes how people perceive the house. A dark room isn’t so dark and other rooms feel more light and airy. 

Updating fixtures and fans is a smaller investment that can change the entire feel of a room. Again, depending on the particulars of your home, they could be a good investment. 

Fresh Coat of Paint

Another small project that’s often worth your time and money is giving your home a fresh coat of paint. No one wants to see chipped or peeling paint, and a new coat can make your home look surprisingly new. 

As for colors, we recommend using light, neutral tones (e.g. beige, grey, white) to make rooms feel larger and more inviting. You’ll also appeal to a wider range of buyers. 

Make Minor Repairs

Small issues can add up, leaving a bad taste in a buyer’s mouth. So, if you need to spend a little more money to fix a leaky faucet, replace a piece of baseboard, repair a crack in your wall, or ensure that all your doors open and close smoothly, go for it. Potential buyers will be impressed when they test your doors, shower, sinks, and windows and find that everything is working properly. 

The Roof

Depending on the roof’s age, it is a strong option for the best ROI you can get on repairs. No one ever wants to redo their roof and people like having that already taken care of. If you don’t do it, and it’s getting close to the end of its life, you’ll likely need to take the price of the roof off your asking price anyway. 

Are you ready to list your home for sale? If so, the Kern Team is happy to help. No matter your budget, we can develop a plan for raising your home’s value without breaking the bank. Contact us today and let’s start this life-changing journey together.