4 DIY home improvement ideas for a quicker (and more profitable) sale

When it’s time to sell your house, you know that you need to make it look its best to attract buyers. If you have kids at home it may be difficult to know where to even begin to contain everything that you have going on in your house. The first steps are to get your clutter contained — and don’t be afraid to ask your kids to help by decluttering their own rooms and keeping aside stuff to donate to make packing easier. But once you’ve got a clean slate to work with, you’ll want to do what real estate agents call “staging your home”, giving it a fresh look with the intention to show it to sell. 

This is more than your usual home improvement project because you are getting your house ready so that it will appeal to a wide range of buyers. You could hire a professional stager, but there are plenty of home improvement projects that you can do on your own that can have an impact on potential buyers, even in just one weekend. 

1. Add light

When you think back to open houses that you’ve visited in the past, you might remember that windows and doors are usually wide open. Blinds and curtains might be removed or at least open all the way. That’s because the light is a must when showing off your home to sell, and if your home benefits from natural light, that is definitely a feature to highlight. Other ways to add light are by bringing in floor lamps, or even better replacing overhead lighting with new fixtures. Repainting kitchen cabinet doors white is another way to help your home shine.

2. Get painting

You’ve probably already thought about painting (like those kitchen cabinets mentioned above), but needless to say, a fresh coat of paint anywhere can give your home a fresh and new look. Other painting projects to consider are finding space for an accent wall in a hallway, or even creating an accent wall by hanging a curated selection of framed artwork or mirrors. 

3. Give your decor a refresh

If you can’t seem to find a place for an accent wall, that probably means you need to still get rid of more stuff. As a general rule, personal items like framed family photos should be kept to a minimum when showing your home — that’s so that potential buyers can more easily see themselves living in your home. Instead, you can opt for framed artwork that is tasteful without being too bold, or going for a more minimalist approach and placing one piece on a large wall with the rest empty. Entryways can benefit from a vase of fresh flowers, or a potted plant. 

4. Don’t forget about curb appeal

Everything inside your home matters during an open house, but the outside might be even more important. This is what real estate agents call curb appeal and it’s how your home looks from the curb and is important for attracting potential buyers. Basic yard maintenance is a must, and to take your curb appeal up a notch you can add colourful potted plants by your front door for an easy curb appeal fix. 

With a few DIY home improvement projects you can get your house ready to find that perfect buyer.