Our Room by Room series is all about getting the most out of your rooms when selling your home.
Work What You’ve Got!
- Minimize. Remove as many personal items as you can, including photos and tokens. Don’t leave any clothes lying on the floor: hang up everything or conceal it in a drawer if you need it often. Only leave out the necessities, like your alarm clock, but don’t just stuff everything in the closet. Pack it in boxes, because buyers will likely look at the closet space. The bedroom can be a very personal room and buyers viewing your home want to imagine themselves living in the house. It’s difficult to do that if there are too many personal touches.
- Clean. Wipe down everything. Really get into the crevices. If you have a ceiling fan and/or blinds, don’t forget to wipe them down. If you have curtains, wash them. Even wipe down the ceiling doors and molding. It’s little things like this that give rooms their sparkle, because they are details that are easily forgotten when you’re used to seeing a room every day.
- Highlight the best parts. Have a large master bedroom with a nice big window? Set up a sitting area. Have a private balcony? Make sure the door is accessible, the blinds open, and the glass clean. Do the same to the windows if you have a great view.
- Add color. Take a look around the room. Are things looking a little dull? Add a colored candle to the nightstand or a colorful landscape to the wall. Adding color can really bring a room together. Just make sure you stick to a similar palette and make it generic (remember, nothing personal!).
- ALWAYS make the bed. Just get in the habit of doing it every morning, because you never know when you’ll need to show the home.
Upgrades That Pay
There aren’t many cost-effective upgrades that sellers can make to master bedrooms that will give a high return. It really depends on the age of the home, because the two biggest complaints for master bedrooms are 1) a lack of closet space and 2) no private bathroom. But these can be costly to add and can potentially be reconciled with the right listing price. However, if you’re looking for low-cost upgrades to catch a buyer’s eye, consider painting the walls with a neutral color and updating the light fixtures. If you have a ceiling fan and have hardwood flooring, try matching the fan to the flooring (see the picture). Otherwise, stick with plain white. If you have outdated flush mount fixtures (like the 90’s brass dome), upgrade them to an antique style finish or brushed nickel. Or, try something like this DIY project.
The next best choice in upgrades for a master bedroom is adding hardwood or wood style laminate flooring. Only do this if the rest of the home already has this style of flooring. Most buyers would like to have wood flooring throughout their home, but would rather have it in the main living room over the master bedroom. So, don’t waste your money on it if it hasn’t been installed elsewhere.
Remember to always do your homework before completing any upgrades. You could potentially over-improve the home pricing it outside of the potential selling range. Melanie is always happy to stop by to take a look at your home and give you an idea on what improvements, if any, you should complete. Choosing which improvements to make before listing your home depends a lot on how other homes in the neighborhood are selling and she constantly has her eye on the market. Feel free to give Melanie a call at 910.202.2546 or send us an email at [email protected]
Have tips to share? We welcome comments below.
