Preparing a house to sell, especially to "sell my house myself," is on the minds of lots of people these days. But what, beyond staging can you reasonably do?
Well, if you're willing to put in some time and a little money, here are a few tips on what the buying market is looking for and what you can do to attract more of that market's interest.
This is about being able to advertise the things buyers want that your home may not have right now. More money in your pocket is the goal.
So, if you're thinking "I want to sell my house myself" and you're willing to do the work, here are seven things that really should be in the ads and fliers in order to attract the largest number of buyers and produce the highest dollar property value. There are more of course, like a media room, hot tub, koi pond, etc., but when you're advertising or preparing your house to sell, the more of these seven your house has, the better.
NEW OR NEWER ROOF
If you have a wood roof that looks old and has moss and fungi growing out of the shingles, go rent a pressure washer. Get a professional model with 2500 psi or higher. I once owned a home with cedar shingles that were mossy, grey and ugly with the edges actually curling up. I wanted to sell my house myself, but couldn't afford a complete re-roof. A thorough pressure wash and treatment with 15 gallons of an oil based roofing oil was all it required. The process took about three days, but the roof looked bright, smooth and nearly new! Cost: about $180.
If you have asphalt shingles, and only one course, you may be able to simply shingle over. Ask your city building department. Whether shingling over or not, though, you need to pressure wash. You may, however, discover you don't really need to shingle at all after cleaning. If your roof is so bad you absolutely need a new one, decide if you want to be prepared to offer a discount to the buyer (get 3 written estimates) or replace the roof yourself and advertise it as "New Roof!!"
FENCED YARD
Lack of a fenced yard is a deal breaker to some. I have had to discount a house in the amount of what a professional fence company estimated to install a fence (the high-end one the buyer wanted) in order to close the deal. Obviously, it would have been much more profitable to put in a fence myself. Look in your classifieds for used fence materials or discount fence materials or search these terms adding "your town" (ie. used fence materials dallas tx) using the Google Search Box (right). A six-foot cedar fence is easy to build, offers privacy and you don't have to treat it.
If you already have a wood fence that just looks tired and old, grab your hammer and pressure washer and block out next weekend.
As to the other five "buyer attractors" a full page is needed to present doable remodel ideas for each. You may be able to do much more than you think in regard to each of these potential projects, so if the summary is something you're interested in, just click the link for a more in-depth look. Keep that "I want to sell my house myself" attitude.
MORE THAN ONE BEDROOM
Adding a room to create a second or third bedroom is a serious remodel. The good news is that a bedroom is the easiest addition to do. No plumbing. By code, a bedroom must have a ceiling height of 8' (7' 6" in some states), a window large enough for a person to get out of and a closet. You must also install wall outlets spaced according to your jurisdiction's code, usually 8' apart. A ceiling light is generally not required. Click home remodeling addition for more info.
MORE THAN ONE BATH
Is your single bathroom one that has wasted space, a separate shower and bathtub or is next to something that can be altered? This is a "sell my house myself" idea that could really pay off. Check out bath room remodel and see if you can create a half bath, guest bath or even another full bathroom without increasing your home's footprint!
TWO CAR GARAGE
Adding a car bay to your existing one car garage is a serious remodel, too. The roof itself can prohibit an easy solution. But there may be several things you can do. Carport additions and tandem parking garages are two. See remodel garage. With this, as with the other remodels, ask yourself "Just how much am I willing to put into this to sell my house myself?"
GREAT MASTER BEDROOM
If you don't have a knock-out Master bedroom, why not? Even if yours doesn't have its own bath, you can still do many things to increase the value. The idea—to sell my house myself—is about staging, decorating and remodeling smartly. If you can make a potential buying couple gasp in delight when they step in to your master bedroom ... ka-ching! Look at your options at master bedroom plans.
GREAT KITCHEN
There are quite a few things you can do to turn even your small kitchen into the room that sells your home. An outdated or inefficient kitchen has potential buyers seeing money flying out the window and their family life disrupted for weeks or months after closing. Not really great selling points. A few weekends and a small amount of cash could change everything. Click small kitchen remodel tips to find out what is necessary.
The idea is to get as much money as you can out of your property. I want to remodel myself and sell my house myself is a one-two punch that will make that possible. If a few weekends and a little money can return a much higher profit, you really should consider it.
But, talk to a couple of real estate agents about your particular location, be honest about how your house stacks up and then do an estimate of materials costs. You don't want to overdo for your neighborhood. After a bit of research, however, you may even find that a few good home staging ideas, combined with one or two of the ideas above is all you really need!
For a little extra help, check out the DIY books on the Amazon Book Carousel below. Mouse over any book for customer ratings and price. Click for details.
Preparing a house to sell, especially to "sell my house myself," is on the minds of lots of people these days. But what, beyond staging can you reasonably do? 
