10 Quick Tips for Increasing Home Value in North Vancouver

For many buyers looking to purchase North and West Vancouver real estate, they need to be able to visualize themselves in that home. Many people can’t look past the clutter, paint, landscaping, etc., and could be discouraged by what their first impression is telling them. These are some quick ways to help encourage people to see your home and improve your chances for a quick sale.  The first impression can often be established while viewing the home on the MLS or in person at a private viewing or open house. Having a home professionally staged will showcase it very well online and more than likely account for 20-30% more visitors requesting to see your home. Jim Pilkington of REMAX in North Vancouver has 10 tips to improve things, there’s no need to have potential buyers being discouraged by things that can be easily fixed or replaced!

1. Kitchen.

For many potential North and West Vancouver home buyers, the kitchen is the heart of the house. Potential home buyers quickly flock to this room when they first view a home for sale, so make sure your kitchen looks clean and reasonably updated.

For a few hundred dollars, you can replace the kitchen faucet set, add new cabinet door handles and update old lighting fixtures with brighter, more energy-efficient ones.

If you’re working with a slightly larger budget, you can give the cabinets a makeover. Rather than replace your kitchen cabinets, there are some excellent refinishing companies that can give your kitchen an amazing refresh for a fraction of the price of replacing.

2. Paint.

On the North Shore the exterior of your home can get a fair amount of rain and weathering of the paint. Nothing can instantly transform the outside or the interior of a room like a new coat of paint. That’s especially true if you’re going from something dark to something light, bright, and white. Painting is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to change and improve a room’s appearance. Anyone can do it.

3. Clean and de-clutter

Cleaning seems quite obvious, but often overlooked. Clutter is another matter. Step back and try to look at your home the way someone else would for the very first time. Buyer’s often see or interpret a bunch of clutter and debris for the home being neglected or not taking care of by the owners. Simply de-cluttering can remove that thought from a buyer’s mindset.

What about the garage? If you use it to store everything but your car, clean it out so a prospective buyer can imagine pulling their own vehicle in there.

4. Create rooms

Substituting one room’s use for another is a cheap way to transform a three-bedroom home with a den into a four-bedroom home. If it doesn’t have a closet, add an armoire.

5. Lighting

Ceiling fixtures tend to get hung, then forgotten, which means they look dated before long. Inexpensive replacements from a home improvement store can brighten up the interior and make a room look more current. Not enough lighting can give the impression that the home does not get enough natural light. Let’s remove that thought and add a standing lamp or a side table with a lamp.

6. Add Storage

New homebuyers in North and West Vancouver are always looking for storage space. Maximize what you have by adding a closet storage system, incorporating shelves, two-tiered hangers, and the like. Storage doesn’t have to be deep to be useful. Open up a space between studs and walls, install shelving, and you’ve got the perfect place for a series of small shelves

7. Staging

Potentially this could be the most expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Staging a home is just about making it more like an uncluttered luxury hotel suite and less like your family’s home. Do it on the inside and outside and your home will probably sell faster and for more. Staging will open the door to the biggest broadest group of buyers possible, as it showcases the home similar to what the majority of buyers are wanting to see. Similar to the same strategy a developer uses when setting up a presentation centre.

8. Curb Appeal

Mow the lawn. Trim the shrubs. Buy a new welcome mat. Add a hanging plant next to your entrance, or some large terra-cotta pots filled with colorful blooms. This is crucial – online pictures of your front door will likely be the introduction to prospective buyers.

What buyers see when they first drive by your home is tremendously important.

9. Clean Carpets

Carpeting is another detail that can quickly update a home and make it look cleaner. A professional carpet cleaning is an inexpensive investment, especially if your rugs are in good shape and are neutral colors.

10. Shine the bathroom

Buff up the bath. Next to the kitchen, bathrooms are often the most important rooms to update. They, too, can be improved without a lot of cash.