ARTICLE GUIDE

 

Quick Steps For Home Imrovement

Front Yard

Interior Impression

Back Yard

More In Depth Projects

High Return Projects

 


Front Yard Home Improvements: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

 

 

Notice in the first picture the plain front yard, compared to the second with just a little WOW factor added

  1. Remove weeds and debris.
  2. Cut back or replace overgrown shrubs
  3. Add rock or fill in any empty and barren spots. (Rocks and river rock accents give a great look and do not kill your pocketbook if you are doing it yourself.)
  4. If your yard looks barren add some evergreen shrubs (non-dormant and bright green).

 

Interior Impression: Creating a Welcoming Environment

  1. Declutter, box up and giveaway
  2. Deep Clean, dust fans, blinds, windowsills, tops of cupboards, shelves and pot shelves.
  3. Check your showers and tubs for water leaks, where the caulking may have not been sealed or has worn out.
  4. Check under the sinks, did you have a prior water leak that left a stain?
  5. Check all your hardware, doors, cabinets and blinds. Fix those little things that are broken or loose.
  6. Clean your carpets
  7. Drywall repairs

 

Nothing can beat a strong 1st impression:  Stand across the street and look up and down the street, how does your home score on appearance in comparison to your neighbors on a scale 1-10.  If you rate your home less than a 7, this would be the 1st step.

Front Yard:

  1. Cut back or replace overgrown shrubs. If they are too overgrown, then cutting them back will make them woody and not green.  These should be replaced with a vibrant green shrub to give color.  Five-gallon shrubs can be purchased at your local nursery from $10 to $30.  The hard work is in the removal of the shrubs.
  2. Add rock or fill in any empty and barren spots. (Rocks and river rock accents give a great look and do not kill your pocketbook if you are doing it yourself.)
  3. If your yard looks barren add some evergreen shrubs (non-dormant and bright green).

 

 

Front Elevation of your home:

  1. Front Door: Evaluate the condition of the paint on the front door;  this is a relatively easy task, here is a link to step by step instructions:  https://www.glidden.com/inspiration/all-articles/how-to-paint-a-metal-exterior-door.   Check to make sure the door handle is tight and operates smoothly.  Also check all locks to make sure they function easily, use a lubricant appropriate for locks.  Is the weather stripping in good shape or does it need to be replaced?
  2. Garage door: Same as the front door, check the paint condition, is there a broken window that needs to be replaced?  If the paint is crackled or discolored, it would make a better 1st impression to repaint.
  3. Check the face of your home for the accent details, is there missing stone/brick, is there wrought iron that is rusted or needs to be reattached? Buyers see the front of the home and immediately decide if the home is worth what you are asking, based upon the maintenance & upkeep.
  4. Exterior Paint: Not everyone is equipped to take on an exterior paint job themselves, especially if you have a two-story home.  So, if your home needs to be painted and you are not up to the challenge or if you are like me and it would turn out bad if I did it myself, then hire a professional painter.  We have professional painters that will paint the exterior of the home for $1.25 to $1.30 sf (example if your home is 1800 sf then it would run around $2250).  Look at your eaves, eaves on the south and west sides may need attention where the rest of the home is fine.  For those of you who have a lovely pink home, sorry but pink has not been popular with buyers, so we do recommend it be repainted to a current color trend.  We have recommended colors for you.   If you live in a community with an HOA, not a landscape maintenance association, you will need HOA approval to change color schemes.

 

Interior Impression: 

Walk in your home with a fresh perspective, what do you see when you 1st walk-in, what is the feel, what do you smell?  Is it an open and welcoming feel or have you collected a lot of personal effects over the years and it’s a little crowded?  Does it have a fresh clean smell or is there another odor?  Here are the steps we suggest:

First the simple:

  1. Declutter, box up and giveaway:

  2. Take this time to box up those treasured items and appreciate the memories as you safely secure them for your next home.     
    1. Box Up: For those items you do not use weekly and will not need until you move to your new home, go ahead and box it up.  Recommend labeling it clearly so when you move, it can be placed where you want at its new location.  Label contents in case you need to easily find it.

 

Fix/Mend:

If you have items that you plan on fixing or repairing, give yourself a healthy dose of reality, at your new location will you really fix and repair?  If not, then donate or discard.  If you love doing projects and will fix, then box up and label fix/repair.


  4. Donate:

  5. Bless someone in nee with the items you do not use.  Donate those items you have not used in over a year, there are several donation centers near your home. Those items that you have 2x and 3x of ,  that you stacked up are going to be a blessing for someone.  A great example are books you have read, if you are not using them for reference material, most people do not read a fiction book twice.  Your local library would appreciate the donation.
  6. Discard: Most of us may have items that are appropriate to dispose of, so take a run to Republic Services and drop off those items that cannot be donated.

  8. Deep Clean

    1. Deep Clean, dust fans, blinds, windowsills, tops of cupboards, shelves and pot shelves. Give your home a good old fashion scrub down.  Many of those doors, baseboards and jambs will look great once they are cleaned.
  9. Water Leaks
    1. Check your showers and tubs for water leaks, where the caulking may have not been sealed or has worn out. Remove the old caulking, clean back to white (or color of shower/tub), repair the drywall where water may have damaged and repaint.
    2. Check under the sinks, did you have a prior water leak that left a stain? You can lightly sand if needed and repaint the surface (if white, white Kilz Primer would be excellent).  If the cupboard floor is rippled or rotted, you can replace the floor of the cabinet or add new overlay available at both Home Depot and Lowes.   Here is a link to a helpful YouTube video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9voFRb7OVY.  If you take good measurements, measure twice is the rule, Home Depot and Lowes will both cut your materials for you.

  10. Clean your carpets:

    1. I suggest a professional service, one with a high suction system. They can get floors cleaner than you think. If you have a lot of stained, damaged or worn carpet then I would recommend replacement.  We have vendors who will install the carpet at a very reasonable price if your budget allows.

 

 

  1. Drywall repairs:

    1. For small repairs, like where pictures were hung, do not use a putty knife and spackle, as it will leave a flat spot and stand out like a sore thumb. Take a pencil with an eraser and lightly dab the spackle on the hole, once dry lightly hit one time with sandpaper, and then with an art paintbrush dab the spot.  For larger repairs, you can take a stab at learning the art of texture perfection or hire a drywaller to make those repairs.

 

Backyards

  1. Declutter:
    1. For many of us we see through the clutter that has collected over the years. Unused planters, old toys, half started projects.  Most of us have these in our backyards. Same as decluttering the inside, declutter in the backyard: Organize, box, donate and discard.
  2. Landscaping:
    1. Same as the front, remove weeds, trim bushes, replace overgrown bushes and trim trees. If your backyard has not been installed, the best course is to have some landscaping but knowing most of us to have tight budgets consider adding landscape rock.

Fix all those minor broken items, a light not working, handles that are loose, etc.

 

For the more in-depth Projects:

  1. Paint:
    1. If your home has multiple different colors that are bold and shows lots of artistic flair, it’s time to bring it neutral. If you are an artist or creative it is going to make you cringe, but the objective is to bring the color scheme to meet the masses.   If your home needs a complete repaint interior, and again, that project is beyond what you want to take on, our vendors' charge around $1.80 for walls and baseboards for occupied homes and $1.60 for unoccupied homes (est. 1800 sq ft = $2880).
  2. New flooring
    1. Flooring is in high demand with buyers seeking no carpet in the primary living and master areas. They desire wood laminate/vinyl planks, wood or stone simulated tiles.  This is a pricey modification and one that we suggest you contact us for a value assessment before you take this project on.  We want to make sure you will receive the right reward for not only your financial investment but for the time you are investing as well. If you have multiple flooring surfaces throughout then flooring replacement is a higher priority. Consistent flooring surface is currently what Buyers are looking for so be careful about doing only one room.

 

What Remodel Projects bring the most value?

  1. Interior Paint & Exterior Front Door | Exterior only if home is in poor condition
  2. Flooring: Laminate wood plank flooring is the most cost-effective option.  Buyers are looking for hard surfaces in all living areas, masters and master bath.  Carpet in secondary bedrooms is still common.  Use the same material throughout, do not mix and match.  One continuous surface makes spaces more open feeling and reduces limitations.  Make sure you select a material that is designed for wet areas.
  3. Remodeling kitchen, paint cabinets vs. replace (if they are in poor shape). Quartz or upgraded finish granite (example leather finish) counters and decorative backsplashes.
  4. Remodeling master bath: New counters and painted cabinets. If your master only has one sink and there is room to add a second, install two prefab free-standing vanities available at reasonable prices at Home Depot & Lowes. The most costly upgrade, but brings a huge wow factor, is a new walk-in shower.  Unless you are very handy and know how to properly seal and waterproof, we do no suggest you tackle this project yourself.

 

If you would like our team to provide you with a courtesy evaluation of the home improvements that will bring the best value to your home, we provide this service at NO cost & NO obligation. We simply want to be a real estate resource for our community.  To schedule your Home Improvement Evaluation, e-mail us  GrahamTeam@cprnv.com  or call 702.930.9551.  During the COVID-19 Stay Home Nevada, we offer virtual consultations,  no need to have someone at your home we can see your home remotely and provide you with recommendations for your home improvements that will bring you the greatest return.

 

If you are planning or considering selling your home in the upcoming months and Home Improvement Projects are not your thing or you do not have extra money for these projects, then our 10X Your Home Program may be perfect for you.  Through our 10X Your Home Program, we provide the expertise, the remodel, the funds for the remodel and our Sellers gain the benefits of increased profits on the sale of their home.  For further details on our 10X Program, please visit our website: 10Xyourhome.com for more details.

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