4 BudgetFriendly Fixes for Your For-Sale Property

If you're selling your property, doing some light, budget-friendly repairs can help you sell it better. To learn what areas of your property you should look after, read this post that Land Title in Minnesota has put together for you. 

'El amor entra por los ojos.' This is a saying in Spanish that literally translates to 'love enters through the eyes.' Basically, this means that visual cues are important when deeming something loveable or appealing. And these are crucial words to live by when selling a real estate property. You need to make your property as attractive as possible to catch the eye of potential buyers. Unfortunately, increasing your property's appeal can require a big financial investment. If you don't have the money, time, or interest in completely remodeling your place only to sell it, there are a few budget-friendly repairs you can do. Learn what you can spruce-up on your own to help your property sell better and faster.

Are you selling a property? Call Land Title at 651-697-1900 for all of your title services needs, including title insurance in Minnesota.

How to Fix Your Property's Appeal on a Budget

Work on the Property's Exterior

Your property's exterior holds more weight on the buyer's decision-making process than you know. After all, it's the first thing they will see, and it can set a precedent as to how the rest of your property will be. To work on it:

• Get rid of any dead leaves, fallen branches, unsightly or broken ornaments, misplaced items, seasonal items, or things that shouldn't be there.
• Taking care of the lawn is imperative to portray a clean, safe, and well-kept place, so mow it and keep it looking fresh.
• It's also important that you remove any dead flowers or shrubs in your house. Replant new, fresh ones in their place.
• If you have any furniture outside (like chairs, the door, etc.), make sure to dust it off and wash it.
• Sweep the entryway thoroughly to keep the buyer from thinking that your place is filthy and disheveled.

Take Care of the Lighting

Easily the quickest, cheapest, and most impactful thing you can do to improve your property's appeal is to take care of the lighting around it. To that end:

• Go looking for burnt-out lightbulbs around the place and change them out.
• Notice and fix any flickering lights around the property.
• Be consistent with your choices: either go all white or all yellow lightbulbs.
• Illuminate corners to make your place appear larger.
• Use lights on the exterior (for instance, at the door or near the house number) to make the place more inviting.

Whether you're buying or selling real estate, title services can help you do it safely. Call Land Title at 651-697-1900 for title insurance in Minnesota.

Fix Chipped Wood and Paint

If you were to step into a property where the paint on the walls and the wooden furniture are chipping away, what impression would you get from it? Allowing your walls and furniture to look old and unkempt will definitely put potential buyers off of investing in your property. To fix these issues:

• If there's peeling wallpaper, remove it completely.
• Do light restoration projects on chipped or unhealthy wood (on furniture, doors, and window frames): sand them down, smooth them out, and repaint them.
• If your walls are dull, bubbling, or chipping away, repaint them to give your place a fresher look.

You may put in as much effort and money as you want into this project. However, if a complete restoration is too expensive, choose strategic spots that you can take care of to improve your property's appeal.

Repair Stuck Windows and Creaking Doors

Finally, you'll want your windows and doors to open and shut safely, effectively, smoothly, and quietly before you show your estate to potential buyers. If your doors creak, if your windows get stuck, or if they don't close all the way, here's what you can do:

• Go to every cabinet, closet, front door, window, cupboard, or another door/window around the house and try it out.
• If they present any problem (they creak, get stuck, or don't work properly), check if there are any loose screws.
• If you find them, tighten them up to fix the problem.
• If the door or window keeps creaking, use a lubricant on its hinges to make the noise go away.

If you want to have a safe and successful closing process for your real estate ventures, get the title services you need. Call Land Title at 651-697-1900 to learn more about how they can assist you, or to purchase title insurance in Minnesota.