+

Our Top Tricks for getting your home ready for market

While you are living in your home, you want to make it yours but when the time has come to sell, it’s an important change in mindset to look at your home as the large and important investment that it is. Like any investment, the goal when you sell is to maximize it. Maximizing the ROI means investing in upgrades that will make a difference. Our general focus in on minor cosmetic renovations that significantly enhance the appeal of a home.

We've spent years creating a network of vendors and contractors who do extremely high quality work at the best prices. While you'll spend some money, making your home look amazing does not have to break the bank. We are experts at creating and sticking to a budget that is based on tried and true upgrades. Whether you are ready to sell now or in the future, we can meet with you to discuss what you can do to your home to make it look like a designer property that buyers will love. We’ve put together our top tricks for refreshing your home for today’s market. Check out our before and afters on the following pages to see how we use these simple yet effective methods to truly transform homes. We hope you find it helpful!

2

• Refinish floors Huge bang for your buck! Many floors can actually just be buffed and coated for $1-2 sq/ft. if they are in good shape. Make sure you decide on a design direction first. Dark floors+white walls is one of the sharpest and modern looks right now.

• Replace carpet Dirty carpet makes a home feel neglected. Replace carpet especially in high traffic and first impression areas like the stairs.

• Change light fixtures The number one way to make a space feel new and modern. Great fixture provide good lighting and also function almost like an art piece. There are so many great companies making gorgeous relatively inexpensive fixtures these days that this is an affordable and HUGE impact way to change the look of a room.

3

• Paint Simple and again makes all the difference in the world. Stick to light colors (or hire a color consultant). Color can be brought in with furnishings but overall you want the space to feel as sunny and bright as possible, especially in our foggy city.

• Remove old window coverings Get rid of old window coverings completely and make sure current coverings don't block the light.

• Wash windows Obvious but a step many forget. Have windows washed inside and out to let in the light!

• Paint facade Costs vary a lot depending on the intricacy of details. If your home needs scaffolding it bumps up the cost quite a bit. For homes not requiring scaffolding, this can be surprisingly affordable.

• Decluttering landscaping: adding mulch, adding flagstone or similar to create special outdoor spaces. Outdoor spaces are much coveted!

4

Kitchen The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home and investing the right money here can pay big dividends. Most kitchens can be all or partially updated even with just a few relatively minor touches. Changing an outdated countertop to a modern and clean caesarstone or marble, painting or refacing cabinets and even just changing hardware can give your kitchen a whole new feel.

• Paint cabinets (make sure you hire a great painter to do this right!) • Reface cabinets and make your kitchen look brand new. More

appropriate for a higher end kitchen • Change hardware New cabinet and drawer pulls are inexpensive

and high impact • Change countertops This makes a HUGE impact and is one of the

most immediate ways to make your kitchen feel modern. Stick to something beautiful but neutral, probably in lighter shades

• Replace really old appliances Not always necessary but important if they are very old or outdated colors

• Change flooring Old tile or outdated flooring can be replaced with hardwood or similar for much less than you think

• Change lighting Brighten dark kitchens with modern track lighting or dramatic pendants

5

Bathroom Bathrooms are another area to really invest in minor changes. An outdated bathroom feels hard to change to many buyers. This is particularly important is there is only one bathroom.

• Paint cabinets (again make sure a painter does it right! • Change hardware • Change countertops • Change easy to change cabinetry Bathrooms are on the small side.

Changing out really dated cabinetry makes a room feel brand new for not much money.

• Remove bulky items/cabinetry Bathrooms can have big bulky storage cabinets. For marketing, an open feel is much more inviting

• Finish tubs Porcelain tubs that are old and stained can be finished to look almost brand new.

Furniture Lastly, furniture. Many people make the mistake of thinking less is more when it comes to staging. While *of course* we don't want clutter, showing what can fit makes a room actually makes it feel much bigger. Whenever possible we add a sitting area, stylish office space or maximize seating to showcase how large a room really is. Make sure furniture is chosen to go with the overall design direction.