If you have ever watched the home staging and makeover shows on HGTV you know that a few dollars invested in your home can improve your chances for a quick sale at the price you want. No doubt there are other homes in your neighborhood on the market, perhaps some with the same floor plan as yours. How do you make your house stand out from the rest? These are things you may want to consider from the time you first buy your home as no doubt you will one day want to sell it.

Provide Home Buyers with INFORMATION - Make a List.

When viewing homes for sale I am offered little information on the house. I find myself looking at serial numbers on A/C units to find out the size and year. Make a list of things you have upgraded and repaired in your home. Run off copies and leave them on the counter for prospective buyers to pick up and take with them. How old is the A/C, what is the tonnage and efficiency rating? Does the gas heater have electric start or a pilot light? Do you have aluminum wiring and if so has it been upgraded? Are your water pipes copper, plastic, or galvanized? How old is the roof? Buyers will find all this out when they hire an inspector, some will crawl around your attic and find out themselves before they spend money to hire an inspector. Giving this information up front can make the buyer feel like they are making a more informed decision. This can result in your home getting the bid instead of another home. Don’t depend on your real estate agent to give out this information. Many different agents will be showing your house and it is important that prospective buyers see this information the first time they see your house.

A home is the biggest investment most people make in their life. You can't really expect people to make a decision after spending 15 minutes walking through your house. I bet it takes most of you longer than that to decide what shoes to buy. The more information you can provide up front the more comfortable prospective buyers will be. Think about what you would want to know about a house you are buying and make a list. Maybe there are some things you would like to point out about the neighborhood. How much are taxes and home owners association fees?

I looked at a house yesterday and I really like the layout. Thing that bothers me is they just put on new Hardiplank. Right before they are ready to sell the place they put up hardiplank. The old siding must have been in bad shape, maybe there were leaks. Could be wet insulation or rotted studs back there. The real estate agent can't even tell me if they removed the old siding, what type of housewrap was used or who the contractor was. Makes me real nervous wondering what is under that brand new siding. They should have taken pictures. I would rather have paid less for the house and had the siding replaced myself. Would have been a good opportunity to improve the insulation and make sure there was no old water damage.

Home sellers really need to make a list!

Which Homes Sell Quickly?

Two things that really sell a home are a great kitchen and a great back yard. I have been browsing the MLS Listings for nearly a year now as I am considering buying a larger home and then selling my current home. Naturally not having my current home sitting on the market for a long time after I buy a new home is a major concern. Part of my browsing is to see which homes are selling the quickest. If you plan to sell your home soon, you should start browsing the MLS listings in your neighborhood now. See which homes are selling, how much they sell for and how long they stay on the market. Go to open houses and see what you like and dislike about the homes. What stands out in your mind the most?

I have noticed that the houses with nice back yards sell more quickly and naturally bring in more money. They are usually sold in less than a month. I have seen many houses that I liked but the backyards were nothing but grass. These homes are immediately crossed off my list. It takes years to grow a good sized tree and I don’t want to start over. My dogs need a shady back yard, I want a shady backyard.

If you are ready to sell your home now it may be too late to do very much about your lack of landscaping. If you are buying your first home keep in mind that you will one day want to sell it. Landscape your backyard! Even a small yard needs at least one good shade tree. You will want shade in the summer and sun in the winter so consider a tree that loses its leaves in the winter like a red oak. Do NOT plant it close to the house where it will eventually wreck havoc with your foundation. Do NOT build up planting beds around your foundation, this invites termites. Instead plant shrubs around your fence line so that eventually you will not even be able to see your neighbors homes. Create a private oasis where you can relax and feel secluded from the outside world. Homes with these types of yards are hard to find and sell fast.

Rotted siding Cover Up

DON’T cover up rotted wood with aluminum or vinyl siding. I looked at a beautifully landscaped home with a great floor plan 6 months ago. The one house that I really liked, the landscaping was just gorgeous. Problem was it had vinyl siding and when I looked under the siding around one of the windows the old wood trim around the window just crumbled. Could be that the window trim is the only problem area, could be it is a termite factory, but I am certainly not going to buy a house not knowing what is under all that vinyl. It would be more expensive to fix now then before they started. Not only will the old siding have to be removed but the vinyl will have to be removed. They should have spent a bit more money and had the old siding removed first. Not surprisingly, this home is still on the market.. Get an edge on other sellers. If you are having your home resided take pictures of the work in progress. Let prospective buyers see what is underneath and DON'T create a termite factory by covering up rotted wood.

Vinyl or Hardiplank?

Many people choose vinyl siding over hardiplank because they are told they will never have to paint again. Vinyl may be a bit cheaper to install because it is placed over the old siding. With Hardiplank your old siding will be removed first. Who wants old rotted wood left on their house? Vinyl siding may not need to be painted but it can crack and eventually break down from exposure to sunlight and the weather. Hardiplank is a termite resistant fiber cement board. Vinyl is installed over your old siding which may be great termite food. Hardiplank doesn’t expand and contract with temperature changes like wood does so a quality paint job will last for 10 or 15 years. Woodperfect makes a semi-transparent coating that makes hardiplank look like real wood. I wish I had known about this when I had my home hardiplanked. If you have used this product please send me pictures and I will post them for others to see. Do a search for “vinyl siding or Hardiplank” to learn about the advantages of Hardiplank before you make up your mind.you make up your mind.

Don’t Paint the Interior White!

Another thing I often see in homes for sale is freshly painted white walls. It’s nice that they took the time to paint but I am still going to have to repaint because who wants a house with all white walls? I might as well pay a lower price for a home that needs a paint job. If you are going to take the time to repaint your home inside at least try to add some warmth and character. Use warm shades of beige, browns or greens and stay away from loud colors and the stark white that everyone else uses. First time home buyers coming from apartments with white walls will not appreciate your efforts. Don't be afraid to use some color, give your house some character and stand out from the rest. Taking the time to paint your trim a different color from the walls will also make details stand out and create a good impression. Again most people use white here, but be brave and try a nice beige instead.

Kitchen Remodeling Doesn't Have to Cost a Fortune

I hate white cabinets, I think it is a major crime to cover up wood grain with paint. Many people decide they need to brighten up their kitchen and they paint their old cabinets and or paneling white. Any home with white cabinets is also crossed off my list. Alas, some people do like white cabinets but there is nothing quite like the warmth of wood. So instead of painting those old cabinets you could strip and bleach them to lighten them up. A lot more work than paint but well worth the effort if you want your house to stand out from the rest. Consider replacing your old cabinets with a lighter wood like Maple or Birch.

Remodeling your kitchen is one of the best things you can do to increase the price of your home and make it stand out from the rest. Looking on the Internet they claim a kitchen remodel costs $15,000 on up. Well I think they must be using very expensive contractors and working on very large homes. You can upgrade your kitchen for much less than this if you are a bit handy. They say half that cost is for kitchen cabinets. I have seen some homes where they put expensive granite countertops on old cabinets. DON’T do this! Granite countertops are very heavy and it is going to make it much harder to replace the cabinets later. Start at the bottom and work your way up.

My house had builder grade pressed wood cabinets with some rot under the sink from various leaks. I replaced them myself with solid wood RTA maple cabinets ordered online from U.S. Building products. They come packed flat and ready to assemble which meant they were easy to move by myself. Wood cabinets are much lighter weight and easier to work with than particle board which is very heavy. The cost to replace my existing cabinets was. $626.00 for my 3 base cabinets and $786.00 for my 5 wall cabinets. That is a total cost of $1412. to replace all the existing cabinets. I decided to add a new cabinet over the refrigerator, a pantry cabinet and two base cabinets on the other side of the kitchen where there were none previously. The addition of the extra base cabinets also increased my countertop space. I ordered a 21’ wide 3 drawer base for $293.00 and a 30” base with 2 drawers and a drawer for $257.00 The pantry cabinet was the most expensive at a cost of $522.00. The over the fridge cabinet cost $142.00 My little additions added another $1214.00 to the cost of my cabinets for a total of $2626.00 As you can see just replacing the existing cabinets was not very expensive and probably well worth doing if you want to set your home apart from other homes on the market. The extra additions I made increased my storage space and counter space. An important consideration for a small home.

I installed a $200.00 granite sink from the local hardware store, had a laminate countertop installed and put in all new appliances. I also tiled the floor and backsplash myself. You can see pictures and read the whole story here, but the main point is replacing your basic cabinets in a small house does not have to be expensive. If the new owners want to upgrade to a granite countertop they have a good base to build on.

Home Staging

There are many companies now that help you stage your home for a sale. It has been proven that furnished houses sell faster than unfurnished homes.. If you plan to move before you put your home on the market you may want to de clutter it and take photos of it furnished to use for your MLS listing. This may help people imagine how their own furniture will fit in the space and give them some design ideas. You may even want to take photos with your furniture in different arrangements. Renting furniture is another option. Builders use furnished model homes for a reason.

A professional home stager may be able to get you a higher price for your home. Houston has many home stagers ready to help you. Search Google for Houston Home Staging or search for Home Staging in general to learn more about how staging your home can get you top dollar when you sell.

Infrared Home Inspections – You Can’t Hide Moisture!

You may want to have your home inspected before you sell it. The buyers will most certainly want the home inspected but you might be more likely to get an offer if you have it done first and offer the report to the buyers. This can also save you unpleasant surprises later and give you a chance to fix any defects before you put your home on the market.

Many home inspectors now have infrared cameras that let you see inside of walls. They can detect termite activity, moisture problems, and insulation problems. Search “infrared camera home inspection" for more details on how infrared cameras are being used for home inspections and to find inspectors that use this technology.

Citi® Home Rebate Platinum Select® MasterCard® Card rebates are applied directly to your mortgage principal. Even if you don't have a mortgage yet you can get the card and starting saving for your new home. Paying extra principal every month on your home mortgage will reduce the amount of interest you pay on the home loan. Use this card for things you pay for in full every month like your utilities, cable and food bills. I can see no reason why anyone would not want to take advantage of an offer that helps pay off your mortgage! Every little bit helps so you need to learn to spend smarter.

For larger purchases that you don't pay in full every month you need a 0% interest credit card. Chase Platinum

offers 0% interest for up to 15 months. If you are buying a new home and you have good credit you can really take advantage of this card offer.

Getting Top Dollar When You Sell Your Home.