5 Ways to Prep Your Home for Listing

5 Ways to Prep Your Home for Listing

by | Aug 1, 2022 | Uncategorized

If you’re getting ready to sell your home, you might be wondering, “What can I do to help my home appeal to potential buyers?” Maybe you’re even thinking about completely overhauling an outdated bathroom or a retro kitchen. Great news: you don’t have to renovate your entire house to make it more desirable. A few simple updates and a bit of preparation can help any home stand out in a competitive market.

Clean

It can be hard for potential buyers to see past dirt and grime. Give your house a good deep clean before putting it on the market. Be sure to focus on areas of the house that might not always get a lot of attention during regular cleaning, such as:

  • Bathroom grout and tile. If your grout is light gray when it’s supposed to be white, it’s probably in need of a deep clean. Bathrooms are important for most buyers, so giving your grout a good scrub to restore it to its former glory can go a long way.
  • Floors and carpets. Maybe your floors have seen better days, but you might not have to go as far as tearing up the carpets or laying new floors. Rent a carpet cleaner or hire someone to deep clean your floors for you, and it’ll make a world of difference.
  • Windows and other details. Take the time to clean not only your window glass, but the sills and the rails and the casing, too. This might seem like a detail most buyers would overlook, but it goes a long way toward making a house feel fresh and new. Keep other small, detailed areas in mind, too, like baseboards, radiators, vents – anything that might have been collecting dust for a while.

Repair

Are there old nail holes on your walls that you’ve become blind to overtime? Do you have a cabinet door that doesn’t hang quite right, or a cracked tile that needs to be replaced? Before you list your home, take care of all those little fixes and projects you’ve been putting off for ages. Especially when it comes to walls, it won’t take you long to spackle and sand before moving on to the next step on our list.

Paint

A coat of paint can make all the difference, especially if the paint colors you chose for your walls aren’t necessarily to everyone’s taste. Before you put your home on the market, give the interior a fresh coat of paint. Choose softer, more neutral colors that can appeal to anyone. You want potential buyers to be able to picture themselves in the space, and they might struggle imagining themselves relaxing in a home with bright orange or green walls.

Unless the exterior of your house is really worn down, you probably don’t need to worry about painting it. Give it a good pressure wash, and if you think it needs refreshing, try painting just the front door to draw the eye and add some curb appeal.

Update

You don’t need to remodel your entire house before you sell it, but there are a few key updates you can make to add significant value and appeal to buyers:

Not sure what to prioritize when it comes to updating your home before you sell? We can help! Check out this inspiration for recommended updates we put together for one of our clients.

  •  Lighting: When it comes to lighting, don’t rely on a single ceiling fixture centered in the room. Consider additional lighting, like wall sconces or lamps, to add depth and dimension to a space. You might also want to switch out your standard, builder-grade light fixtures for pieces with a bit more character. A contemporary chandelier can add a lot of visual interest!
  • Hardware: If you don’t have the time or money to remodel your kitchen or your bathroom, updating the hardware and plumbing fixtures can go a long way. Replace outdated faucets, knobs, hooks, and other small hardware with more contemporary options to give your home an instant facelift.
  • Cabinets and Countertops: If you have a little more wiggle room in your budget and your bathroom and kitchen are in desperate need of a refresh, update the cabinets and countertops along with the hardware, and consider switching out your bathroom vanity.

Stage

We love personal touches, but when you’re trying to sell your house, it’s best to depersonalize as much as possible. Potential buyers should be able to imagine themselves living in the space. Here are a few ways you can help people envision their lives in your home:

  •  Rearrange your furniture. Try to stage your furniture in the best way to maximize the space, and remove any furniture that is too large.
  • Declutter your space. Remove extra knick-knacks and personal photos, and focus on staging your walls and surfaces with neutral decor, art, and greenery.
  • Set the dining table. Even if you don’t eat at the dining table much, set it for a full meal so potential buyers can imagine themselves eating there.

Before you list, try some of these simple solutions and small updates to give your home the refresh it needs to attract buyers. And, if you need inspiration – we can help!

 

Primary Bathroom Reno: A Peek Into Our Design Process

Primary Bathroom Reno: A Peek Into Our Design Process

by | Jul 22, 2022 | Bathroom Renovations

Sometimes people cave to the pressure of having a bathtub in their primary bathroom for the benefit of resale value, even if they aren’t avid bathers, but we’re giving you permission to get rid of that tub! If you aren’t using it, squeezing a bathtub into your primary bathroom might just be a waste of space, and a bit of an eyesore. Take a look at how removing the outdated bathtub helped us transform this master bathroom for our clients in Cary, NC.

We started this project with a bathroom that was stuck in the ’90s, featuring a built in garden tub, a tiny gold-framed shower, a low vanity, and outdated lighting. Our clients wanted us to transform their retro bathroom into a spa-like oasis.

Our first step was removing the garden tub, allowing us to expand the shower, add floating shelves, and open the area in front of the window to give the entire space a brighter, more airy feel. We chose a ceramic tile that mimics the appearance of marble to keep the bathroom looking luxe while still being easy to maintain, and we embellished with real marble hexagon tile in the shower pan and niche. An additional handheld showerhead, a bench, and a custom glass enclosure completed this gorgeous shower. The tub won’t be missed!

We enhanced the spa vibes with a brand new vanity with a Carrera marble top and polished nickel fixtures. Simple but beautiful wainscotting, tall mirrors, and new wall lighting pulled everything together, and a contrasting chandelier globe served as a focal point to finish off this updated oasis.

Of course, these design decisions aren’t made spur-of-the-moment. What the before and after photos don’t usually show is all the planning that happens long before demo starts, from layout renderings to tile selection to installation specifications and more. Take a look at the carousel below for a peek at all the decisions that have to be made before a renovation begins.

Our clients were thrilled with their new spa-inspired, tub-free master bathroom. If you’ve been thinking of bidding farewell to your bathtub, here are a few more gorgeous before and after photos that might help you take the leap.

Before

After

Full Kitchen Reno: Before & After at Lakeside

Full Kitchen Reno: Before & After at Lakeside

by | May 2, 2022 | Kitchen Renovations

Not all homebuyers can see the potential in an outdated space, but Matt and Mary purchased their home knowing they would eventually want to update the kitchen. The original layout of Matt and Mary’s kitchen was claustrophobic, the workflow funky. The fridge was adjacent to the side door off the driveway — their primary entrance to their home — the oven was in a cramped corner, they lacked counter space, and the peninsula made the room feel closed off. Along with the awkward layout, everything was old, musty, sagging, and in desperate need of replacement.

At Spotted, we start every project by sitting down with the client to discuss the current state of their space, digging deep to pinpoint what’s working and what needs to change, and then we put together a preliminary quote and budget. There are plenty of options for financing home projects, from personal loans to HELOCs — but Matt and Mary wanted to pay for their kitchen remodel without a loan, so we set their project aside while they saved up. A few months later, we circled back and got started on their new kitchen. Matt and Mary didn’t mind waiting a bit longer; the anticipation is half the fun of a big project.

We had a few main goals with this remodel:

  • Improve the workflow of the kitchen
  • Create more open space to enlarge the room
  • Optimize the kitchen for a homeowner who loves to cook and bake!

A design board and renderings help us visualize the finished product.

kitchen hardware

A huge thank you to Wayfair for sponsoring the beautiful hardware in this space.

Serene Lily 7 9/16″ Center to Center Bar Pull

1 1/4″ Diameter Mushroom Knob Multipack

With Matt and Mary’s needs and wants in mind, we started preparing design renderings, revising until we’d found the perfect solution for the kitchen’s odd layout. At the same time, we pulled design inspiration from Matt and Mary’s Pinterest boards, and started sourcing everything we needed — tile, plumbing, countertops, and more — from local suppliers.

A few weeks later, after plenty of revisions and lots of fine-tuning, we were ready to start ordering materials. Behind the scenes, our design team was busy creating construction plans, meeting with our contractors, tracking our sourced items, and double-checking everything to ensure it arrived on site — on time and intact.

With everything reviewed, approved, and accounted for, construction finally began. The Spotted team conducted regular site visits to ensure everything was being installed to spec, and we handled any issues that arose during construction, acting as the liaison between the clients and the construction team. Our goal is to make the renovation process as easy and stress-free as possible for every client. As is the nature of construction, things will go wrong and issues will arise – but we stay on top of things with a solutions-first approach.

Take a look at the before and after of this gorgeous kitchen remodel! We optimized aesthetic and function to create a beautiful, livable space, perfect for cooking, baking, and gathering. Maybe these results can even provide some ideas and inspiration for your own future kitchen remodel, or help you see the potential in an outdated space during your homebuying journey.

Before

After