Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Selling your home can be a daunting task, however, rolling up your sleeves and doing the home improvement work yourself can have big pay-offs.

Why not stage the property for sale? Home staging, in combination with cleaning and minor improvement upgrades, can maximize the perceived value of your home. Most importantly, it will make it attractive to a wider, more financially diverse group of potential buyers.

1. Do-it-yourself cleaning

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Clean every surface

With glass cooktops, dirt and grease hardens as it accumulates over time. As a result, use specialized cleaners like Affresh Cooktop Cleaner, when dealing with tough situations.

For cleaning high-use appliances like microwaves, consider using Angry Mama Microwave Cleaner. It will remove the accumulation of leftover food. After that, wipe down with diluted white vinegar to remove any cleaning product smell.

Sanitize the Floors

Floors and baseboards are where most debris hides. A good scrub with a safe products helps remove dirt and odors. Consider using Mrs. Meyer’s Multi-Surface Cleaner Spray.

Reduce the Humidity in the air

Reduce the humidity in the air and control moldy conditions with a dehumidifier from hOmeLabs. Most importantly, moldy smells can linger and are not a deal closers. Similarly, running the air conditioning can help keep the humidity low.

Clean the Exterior

Power washing the exteriors of the property for sale is just as important as cleaning the interiors. However, this might require professional help when dealing with multiple stories.

Clean the air ducts

Lastly, if you have an older home or live with pets, you should clean the A/C air handler and ductwork. This home system should be serviced by a specialist. We recommend searching for duct cleaning in google maps and finding someone local to service the unit.

2. Home improvements and repairs

Depending on your skill level and know-how, there are many tasks that you can do yourself when selling your home. However, some tasks require skill or previous experience. When in doubt, consider hiring a handy person to do it for you.

Upgrade the floor tiles

When there are broken tiles, repair them. In other words, anything is better than noticing broken tiles. For this task, consider using MagicEzy Tile Repair Ezy. In short, the #1 turn-off for buyers is dirty grout between the tiles. There are many easy to use products for this unsightly problem. Consider using a grout cleaner like It Just Works!.

If the tile is just worn and old, there are epoxy paints that can help give it a contemporary look. This requires advanced skills, so probably better to leave it to the pros.

Install Floating Floors in a property for sale

When epoxy is not an option and you have a budget, you want to consider installing a floating floor (laminate or vinyl). To clarify, this is a quick and inexpensive home improvement, but don’t go for the cheapest floor. For instance, use a light and neutral stone or wood texture and color. No need for complicated designs or patterns. Consider the Briarwood Water Resistant Laminate.

Prepare the walls to sell your home

Walk alongside the walls of the property for sale and cover up holes using a putty knife and spackling. After covering, go over with a moist sponge and smooth it out flat, so you can avoid sanding it later. Consider using Dap 12328 DryDex Spackling for Interior/Exterior.

Remove textures

That is to say, if the walls have knockdown (texture), consider removing it. Moreover, there are many video tutorials that show you how to do-it-yourself (here’s one from Bethany’s Home Made). Similarly, it might not be a task you want to take on, so hiring someone might be the smarter choice. In general, removing knockdown from walls will give them a cleaner, more contemporary look.

Paint is a cheap upgrade for a property for sale

That said, don’t get the cheapest brand out there and end up working twice as much. Unless your walls are perfectly smooth, you’ll need to apply flat paint to hide mistakes. We recommend Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White. Typically, you would paint doors, baseboards and rails with another sheen, but since we are selling your home fast, that requires a lot of prep work and masking. Instead, use the same flat white paint on every surface.

Cover plates

Swap-out stock light switch cover plates for new and modern ones. Most importantly, avoid the ones with a beveled edges. Try for the square edge for a contemporary look.

Popcorn ceilings should not be present in a property for sale

Popcorn is for movies, not for ceilings. They scream stock installation. That is to say, if you have popcorn in your ceiling (a dated look), it’s a great idea to remove it. Consider using the MAX Strip Popcorn Ceiling Remover. Sometimes it can be as easy as getting it wet and scraping it off. Follow this tutorial from the Nifty Nester or get someone to do it for you.

Smoke detectors

Replacing old smoke detectors and ceiling mounted lights is an easy upgrade. However, if you don’t feel comfortable doing it, hire a handy person instead.

Lights can be a statement piece in a property for sale

Hire an electrician to replace the stock ceiling lights in your property for sale, but avoid the big-box hardware stores. That is to say, try using warm ceiling lights and fixtures from specialty stores. When possible, avoid white light because it creates a cold, office-like feel.

• In the kitchen, consider using Skurup spotlights.
• Within the living room, consider using Grindfallet pendant lamp.
• For hallways and bathrooms, consider using Kambomba ceiling lamp.

3. Refresh the property for sale

Hardware upgrades

Consider replacing standard door hardware for more contemporary looks. In other words, square, sleek and flat black is trending and buyers look for these visual details. Consider this list of bathroom hardware items:

• Door handles
• Door Hinges
• Bathroom
• Bathroom Modern Tub & Shower trim

4. Tech upgrades

If you have the extra budget, adding technology to the property for sale can be perceived as a valuable upgrade. Smart-home-ready, is a great sales pitch for the discerning tech crowd. However, seller beware, it can get expensive. When you don’t feel comfortable installing it yourself, hire an electrician for the job. Here’s a list of tech upgrades to consider:

• Smoke alarm & Carbon dioxide monitor: Google Nest Protect
• Video security system: Google Nest Cam
• Doorbell & camera: Google Nest Doorbell
• Smart thermometer: Google Nest Thermostat
• Keyless entry: Google Nest x Yale Lock
• Wifi upgrade: Kasa Smart Light Switch

5. Home staging to sell your home by property surveyor Miami

Home staging is how you bring all of your do-it-yourself efforts together. But, it can also be overwhelming, so we’ll share the downsides as well.

Do-it-yourself–Dos

Decluttering creates open spaces
Simple but extremely effective idea. This home improvement technique is about how your space flows and how much space is available. As a result, the less stuff there is in space, the more space there is!

Depersonalize by removing personal items
We understand this is your home, but don’t lose track of what you are trying to do, which is to sell my property at the highest possible price… Most importantly, avoid including personal items such as family pictures, flags, logos or family names.

Make it green with plants
Everyone loves the idea of plants in a home, so make sure to include several leafy examples. For instance, they can be real or fake, but big and lush plants are preferred.

Neutralize the colors
Realistically, you can’t cater to everyone’s style preference. Therefore, use neutral and light grey colors throughout the home. When painting walls, stick to light grays and whites for brightness and neutrality.

Sell your home by staging it
Think of home staging as a sales tool, not a guide to furnishing a home. Above all, what’s important is to make your space look bigger, brighter and newer. After that, use rugs to cover dated floors, appropriately sized beds for smaller rooms and hang artwork to cover up bare walls.

Do-it-yourself–Don’ts

Color palette
Maybe you’ve stayed at a funky hotel in the Caribbean and liked the colorful palette. But this won’t work for a lot of buyers, so keep it simple.

Faking it
Tablescaping plants on the kitchen counter and calling it a day, is not what is consider home staging. While this is a great do-it-yourself technique, attention to detail always matters. Buyers will notice the lack of effort in your presentation, when they assess your property for sale.

Shopping for furniture & storage
Avoid spending money trying to furnish the entire property. After the sale goes through, you’ll be stuck with a lot of furniture. In the worst cases, you’ll have to pay for storage or give it away at a loss.

Staging is hard work
There’s a lot of lifting and repositioning furniture when preparing the property for sale. Do you see yourself carrying dressers or king sized beds to a second floor? Seller beware, it can become back-breaking work. Consider asking friends for help or directly hiring people to handle this task.

Destaging is also hard work
Once the property sells, that same dresser and king size bed will need to be removed. Save yourself the hassles of home improvements and consider home staging services instead.