Free Real Estate Articles by Damian Lanfranchi and Done-For-You Deals

In last month’s article, we spoke about how important it is for your house to appeal to all the 5 senses, not just SIGHT.

We covered SOUND, so now let’s take a swing at another sense.

Consider this… when someone is at your door, before their eyes can see inside, before their ears can hear inside, and even before they can feel how comfortable it is inside – what’s the first sense that gets to sample your house?

Answer – SMELL. That’s right, have you ever thought about how the smell of your house can either add or in most cases take away from the value of your property?

Cigarettes, mothballs and pet smells are a huge turn-off. Even harsh cleaners like ammonia can make a house seem cold and sterile like a doctor’s office. Even worse smells like mold and mildew lead potential buyers to suspect there are much more serious problems in your home.

So why not take a crack of making your house smell like a $1,000,000?

Step 1 – Ditch the stink. If nothing else – you want your house to smell totally plain and neutral. Even cooking spicy ethnic food or say fish will leave a harsh stench that can turn folks away. So find those odors and eliminate them – whether it’s by washing, cleaning or just throwing the guilty parties away!

Step 2 – Don’t be afraid to add good smells too! Nice natural smells like apples and cinnamon add a nice warmth and feeling of luxury to your house. But you don’t want your home to reek of cheap perfume. So remember – when it comes to smells – play it safe. Just because you love cherry blossoms, doesn’t mean everyone else does too. In fact they might even make some folks sick!

When it comes to increasing the value of your house, you usually think it terms of “looks”.

Does it “look” nice and new?
What “looks” like it needs to be replaced?
How can I make my house “look” its very best?

While “looks” certainly matter, there is more to it…

Consider this:

“Looks” may be the first thing a person notices – but you were created with five different senses.

For this tip of the month – lets take “hearing”.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Does my house sound like a good house?”

You might not realize it but an unusual or unpleasant sound can turn off a potential buyer or appraiser just as quickly as a broken window.

Buyers are naturally skeptical – if they “hear” something unusual, like a metal whirring in the boiler room, they will assume the worst!

A clanking exhaust fan in the bathroom…
A squeaky door or floor board…
Even a harmless drip inside of your septic tank can send buyers running scared!

The solution?

Shut off all the TVs and radios in the house. Then walk from room to room and just listen.

(Do this preferably during the day since not all the same utilities run at night and folks will be visiting your property during daytime hours).

Hear anything unusual or strange?

Do not just see if you can GUESS what it is. Knowing that a weird rattling sound is just the loose bolt on your furnace does not make it better. Fix it!

The neat part is – most repairs to get rid of these wacky noises in your house cost little to nothing. It is the method of addition by subtraction (of those unhealthy little noises) and can certainly value to your house.

Weather worn fences…

Soiled siding…

Crummy concrete…

They all have TWO things in common. They’re MAJOR eyesores, And MAJORLY expensive to replace.

Have you ever thought about bringing your old fence, concrete or siding back to life with a good power washing?

Power washing costs a fraction of what a new replacement will. Best of all, nowadays you can even rent the gear to do it yourself from a Home Deport or Lowe’s for less than $100/day.

Power washing certainly isn’t the answer if you’re dealing with actual structural problems. But if all you’re in need of is a cosmetic facelift – power washing can work wonders! So give it a shot today and power wash your way to profits!

Nothing boosts value like nice big open rooms in a home.

But what do you do when even after you remove the clutter your rooms still look small and cramped?

While knocking down walls is always an option – it’s expensive and not really a do-it-yourself kind of job.

Instead, a fantastic way to make your rooms appear bigger is to use a common colored wall paint and/or flooring.

You see, when you have a different flooring or wall color in two spaces, it serves to visually break them up.

Great idea when you have huge spacious rooms.

But when you have a small cramped bathroom or undersized bedroom, breaking up the space makes a tiny space seem even tinier!

The quick fix is to use the same paint color on all the walls. This creates the illusion that your home is all one big space. You may not believe it, but even painting a small bathroom the same color as the hallway (light, bright colors, of course) adds visual square footage to that little old bathroom!

The same goes for flooring. If you can, use the same flooring, especially wood or tile, throughout multiple rooms and hallways to make everything seem a whole lot bigger.

And while it might not change your square footage on paper, people buy and value houses by the way they “feel”. And this is a fast and simple way for your home to feel bigger without taking out the sledgehammer.

So let’s say you’re sprucing up the homestead, but you got these bland old, cheap press-wood doors everywhere!

Thinking about refinishing them?

Think again! Unless you have antique or Victorian doors, which can’t be replaced, refinishing doors is a huge pain in the butt! The cost of materials and labor alone make it a poor investment. You can often buy a new door for the same price! Plus, refinished doors tend to still look cheap.

Why not replace those old doors??

Replacing interior doors is a great way to add value to your home and doesn’t require advanced craftsman skills. But don’t replace the old shabby doors with new bland ones. Did you know the difference in price from a plain boring door to a terrific looking 6-panel door is usually only $15? So if you have 10 doors in your home – just an extra $150 takes you from new boring replacement doors to doors that will really stand out! Many even come pre-painted!!

Tip – Be sure to measure the size of your doorframe. While most doors are standard – some aren’t – especially in older houses. Do the same when changing out your doorknobs.