Our Room by Room series is all about getting the most out of your rooms when selling your home.
Work What You’ve Got!
- Clean. The laundry room is probably one of the most neglected rooms of a home, because it’s where a lot of stuff gets dumped – dirty clothes, muddy shoes, mops, buckets, cleaning liquids – you name it! Probably the best place to start is pulling everything out and giving the floor and walls a good wash down. Really get into the cracks and corners, so the shell of the room looks its best.
- Organize. If you have cabinets in your laundry room, organizing shouldn’t be too hard. If you don’t, you may want to invest in some sort of organizer to help make the room look tidy. A plastic Rubbermaid drawer set doesn’t cost very much money and can make a world of difference. Now is the time to get rid of any old cleaning supplies. You want the room and cabinets to look as spacious as possible.
- Highlight the best parts. The laundry room is a “functional” room. The best part is going to be whatever makes it the easiest for working – preparing cleaning tools, doing the dirty jobs, and washing, sorting, and folding laundry. Is the laundry room nicely sized? Minimialize so buyers can see that. Do you have cabinets and/or a drying rack? Put up a couple of hangers and shine up the cabinets with wood polish. Is the sink deep? Make sure it’s cleaned out. Just don’t use your dirty laundry as an accent piece.
- Add a Little Style. Just because the laundry room is where you wash all your dirty clothes doesn’t mean it can’t have some style. Add some color to the cabinets or walls. Accent with an interesting light fixture. Put up a cute “Laundry” sign. Small features like this can make laundry time much more enjoyable and buyers will notice that.
Upgrades That Pay
The best upgrades you can make to a laundry room are those that improve organization. Cabinets, racks, shelves, hooks…any of these will provide a return if you do not already have them. A working surface, like a countertop, and a deep sink are also worth the money if you have room for them. Otherwise, you should just focus on maintaining what is already there, like flooring, closet doors, etc. Make sure they’re in good condition and replace them if they aren’t.
Remember to 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.
