Home Renovation Blog

A Checklist for Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

We often hear the terms “curb appeal” and “staging the home” thrown around in the real estate world. These are shortcut terms used by real estate agents that basically summarize the steps homeowners should take to make their houses attractive to home buyers both inside (staging) and outside (curb appeal).

At M&K Renovations, we help homeowners in the Main Line area and throughout Philadelphia and nearby NJ make the most important upgrades to their houses in order to prepare them for sale at the best price possible. We understand that the money invested in a house needs to be justified by a likely return in the sale price. Therefore, we’ve made our suggestions below from the least expensive to the most expensive. We can help you find just the right balance for your particular needs.

Easy and free or inexpensive
• Declutter and depersonalize (remove personal, religious, and political knickknacks and design elements from the home)
• Do a deep clean – have carpets and windows professionally cleaned, walls scrubbed, bathroom grout cleaned, etc.
• Paint your rooms, hang new drapes
• Plant flowers, edge your lawn, change external hardware
• Improve lighting and upgrade light fixtures
• Move out pets and eliminate odors
• Power wash the exterior
• Add special touches to create warmth – a welcome mat and flowers by the front door, appealing throw pillows on the couch, fresh flowers in the living room or kitchen
• Hire a professional photographer to take pictures inside and out

Modest cost
• Do minor repairs: Fill and repaint all those nicks on the door trim and baseboards; make sure all railings on steps – inside, outside, and down to the basement – are up to code; fix damaged flooring or water stains (assuming the cause of the water stains has been repaired!)
• Refinish the driveway
• Hang a new front door
• Upgrade your landscaping, improve your lawn
• Make basic kitchen upgrades: Update kitchen appliances, replace or reface kitchen cabinets, improve kitchen lighting, replace older hardware, upgrade your sink and faucet, add a backsplash, replace worn counters
Update the bathroom: install new fixtures, improve lighting, add attractive design elements, improve functionality (ex. handrail near toilet or sink)

Bigger projects that pay great dividends
• Replace old flooring in the kitchen and walkways with durable, high-quality surfaces that fit the design scheme, lighten the room, and require minimal upkeep
• Upgrade your master bath. This is the most popular renovation for home buyers and can significantly increase the value of your home.
• Add another bathroom or powder room. If your home has only 1 ½ baths, this is a very important upgrade. We can help you determine if this would be feasible for your home and, if it is, where the best location is.
• Finish the basement. A finished basement adds significant living space, especially in a smaller home, and it adds a great deal to your home value.
• Add a deck or improve your existing one. Here in southeast PA, a deck is an extension of the home, a place for friends and family to congregate and celebrate outside. If you don’t have a deck, consider adding one. If you do, consider refurbishing or restaining the wood to make it look new. Add a deck roof, over at least part of the deck, to provide shade from sun or cover from rain so you can enjoy your deck whatever the weather.

Contact us at M&K Renovations for any of these projects. Our professionals will go over your needs and goals with you, walk through your property and evaluate what repairs or upgrades may be best, and work with our designers and building experts to develop a plan to help you get your house ready for resale.

Jeff Schiller

Jeff’s experience in Operations Management and Organizational Leadership in the mortgage, manufacturing, and finance industries allows him to bring 15+ years of corporate expertise to the M&K team. His motto is: “Quality is paramount – Process should be simple.