Are you an Atlanta home seller who has some, but not unlimited, cash for upgrades? Whatever your budget, remember that this market is a beauty contest and in a beauty contest, the “prettiest one” always wins.

According to Realtor Magazine, there are ten (10) big-impact, low-cost remodeling projects you can do to enhance your home and make it stand out in the beauty contest:

1. Tidy up the kitchen cabinets and the closets. Buyers do open up cabinets and closets to look inside. They want to feel that there is room for their things.
2. Add or replace tile.  Go for low-cost tile. Retiling will make a kitchen backsplash or bathroom look clean and updated.
3. Add a breakfast Bar. When a wall separates the kitchen from the family room, think about cutting out an opening to create a breakfast bar. On top of the new cut-out/opening, place a large slab of granite and add chairs in front of it. You’ll only have spent $400-600 and can now claim an “open-to-the-family-room look”.
4. Install granite tiles instead of a granite slab. Everyone wants the look of granite, but a granite slab can cost thousands of dollars, depending of the size of your kitchen and the type(level) of granite you select. Using granite tiles will give you the look of an expensive countertop, but the labor and materials will be a fraction of the cost of a granite slab.
5. Refresh a bathroom without retiling. Exchange dated mirrors, vanities and  ”jewelry” (plumbing and lighting fixtures). Also consider scraping and regrouting the existing tile, which after buffing, will make the tile look brand new. Installing glass shower doors adds elegance and people will notice the doors, not old tile.
6. Freshen up the Basement. The basement may not be finished, but it shouldn’t show as a damp dungeon. Have a contractor fill in the cracks with hydraulic cement and then paint the cracks with a waterproofing paint. Sellers can also paint a basement floor with floor paint to add color.
7. Add a “room”. Look for large spaces that can be enclosed to create a new bedroom or sunroom, for just the price of a wall. Sometimes a $400 procedure can add an increase of $15-40,000 onto the sales price.
8. Spruce up a kitchen or bathroom cabinet front.  Reconditioning is the most inexpensive way to do this. If the wood is starting to look shabby from use or contaminants in the air, recondition it with oil and put on new jewelry (hardware) on the doors. Or replace the cabinet doors and drawer-fronts. It’s like putting a new skin on the boxes, for a fraction of what new cabinets would cost.
9. Replace light fixtures. Replacing light fixtures in the foyer and bathrooms provides a lot of pop for a little money. Or, if you have dated track lighting in the kitchen, spend $500-700 for an electrician to replace it with recessed canned lights, with a dimmer switch for added ambience. You can also add pendant lights over a kitchen island or peninsula.
10. Tech-up the Garage. Replace the opener with a remote touchpad entry system. Another low-cost idea is to install built-ins for more storage space.

The averge cost of every remodeling project has gone up, though at a slower rate than in the previous year. According to Remodeling Magazine, one surprise is the common misconception that contractors are hungry for work and therefore, are willing to wheel and deal.

To get to the finish line (the closing table), you need to get your home ready for the market. If you need help getting your home ready in this highly competitive market, call or email me for more suggestions. Experience TRUE Experience!

This entry was posted on Friday, January 1st, 2010 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Atlanta Homes for Sale, Atlanta Real Estate Investments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.