You have stayed here for twenty years, and you are eyeing a new home.
You have no intention to keep your existing home, as you wish to sell it off to be part of your funds for the purchase of your new dream home.
Know your price The first thing which you will want to do is to find out how much the houses are worth in your area, or your block of apartment.
You may ask around your neighbours, or seek the advise of a realtor.
You may also wish to engage in the services of an expert to evaluate the price of your property if you sell it just as it is, and ask for ways to improve on your home to bring in higher sale value.
Repaint Knowing the approximate price that you can get for your home in this first evaluation, you will probably need to do several other things to lift its value.
First, consider a new coat of paint.
Painting your home need not be expensive, but it does create a better first impression when your potential buyer comes for a look.
You may wish to consider some bright, neutral colors such as white or yellow that will give clean look to your property instantly.
Lighting You may also want to add some lighting to your home to create a brighter room and more space.
Making your rooms brighter is always a way to create a welcoming atmosphere, as long as it is not excessively bright.
The welcoming atmosphere it creates will actually increase the price of your property, since a potential buyer will definitely want to feel welcome and comfortable when he visits your house for the first time.
Declutter The next thing you will want to do is to show 'space'.
De-clutter your rooms and let your visitor feel that there is a lot of space at your home.
Throw away things that you have not used for the past 20 years (maybe except for antiques) or give them away to charity.
De-cluttering makes your home more comfortable, and be a minimalist for a while as you try to sell your home.
Leave the essentials that will create value to your home, while throw away those that are totally meaningless in value creation.
In Part 2 of this article, we shall see more details to the improvements that will help increase the value of your home.