7 Improvements You'll Be Glad You Made

Selling season is upon us! HomeGain was kind enough to do the math for interested sellers and show definitively which chores and upgrades provide the greatest return when your property is on the market. HomeGain is an agent referral site, offering buyers and sellers all kinds of tips for real estate. They offer a particularly useful "Home Sale Maximizer" tool so you can judge which projects are worth the investment of your time and resources.

The top ranked improvement you can perform is surprisingly simple: clean and declutter! Bringing in a professional organizer or cleaning service may run you $300 depending on the size of your home, but the value of this undertaking is nearly $2000! That's a 586% return on your investment.

The other projects that will yield a 100% or better include:

• Lightening and Brightening will cost an average of $375, but add $1550 to your home; a return of 313%

• Home Staging is a great option when you're selling. Calling in a certified stager may run you $550, but it's worth nearly $2200... that's a 299% return!

• Landscaping is another simple way to spruce up your home. We cannot stress enough the power of curb appeal! The process may cost $540, but the value is more than $1900-- a 258% return. Hiring a lawn professional to bring in natural trees and plants, care for the grass, or shape the hedges is going to bolster your presence.

• Updating the kitchen & bathrooms is so important; these are critical areas of the home. $1265 of upgrades translates to $3435 at closing. A 172% return on your investment!

• Paint Interior & Repair Floors are among the easier "fixes" to spruce up your home. Changing your interior paint to a warmer or more neutral palate could cost about $1000, but it will earn you $2100 back. (109% return)  Repairing or refinishing your floors, is about a $930 investment but will command a value of $1920 at closing. (107% return)

Team Gale knows numerous qualified contractors to help address these tasks, and just about any other home project you're looking to do. We give credit where credit is due, recommending outstanding vendors and services who have proven their workmanship and satisfied previous Team Gale clients. Feel free to get in touch with us! Team Gale is happy to answer your real estate and homeowner questions We have a knowledgeable agent on call every day, 910-541-1212

and we also have a weekly call-in radio show, Saturdays at 9am on 107.3fm