People often ask me, “Do I need to update my bathrooms or kitchen before I list my house?” The thought can be daunting and frankly might keep people from selling their home and moving to where they would really like to be. The short answer is no. Instead, consider the following…

Years ago when we were contemplating a move, I remember going to see a home that didn’t have enough bedrooms for us, didn’t have the yard we wanted, and really wasn’t even in the area we wanted to live, but we almost put an offer on it anyway. Why? Because it looked so good when we walked through the house and I wanted to live like these people with their art and furniture. I KNEW that they would take all those things with them if I bought the house but it still made me want to live there.

Two recent multiple offer situations reiterated the importance of a home being staged well, including nice decor, meticulously clean, and de-cluttered. Both homes had laminate countertops, dated flooring in parts of the house, and some other odd quirks (one didn’t have an attached bath in the owner’s suite and the other had a tiny kitchen), but both homes had multiple offers and went well over list price. So, what things should you be focused on in case you decide to sell your home?

• Declutter. Even if you don’t sell your home for years, you will enjoy living in it more if you don’t have too much stuff. Donate, sell on Facebook Marketplace, take a load to the trash. I have a spot in my basement that I put anything that I realize I don’t really use. When that spot fills up, I take a load to donate.

• Keep your home clean. I will never forget my mortification when a friend’s baby was crawling up my stairs and had chunks of dog hair in his hands. I was just surviving with twins and a 3 year old and hadn’t vacuumed those stairs in a very long time. If you are in an overwhelming stage of life (lots of littles, aging parents, a demanding job…) ask for help or prioritize budgeting for help. My parents ended up gifting me a professional house cleaning. It wasn’t a lot of money so I paid a babysitter to take my 3 small children with her to go to a playground and I would clean and organize (and be by myself!) every Friday for a few hours. It made all the difference.

• Invest time and a little money in making your spaces beautiful. You don’t have to be Joanna Gaines to have a pretty home. If decorating isn’t your thing, get a friend to help or consider hiring an inexpensive stager or decorator. You can find great deals on places like Facebook Marketplace or some of the amazing vintage shopping we have locally (Lexington Vintage, Junk in the Trunk, Modern South). The best part is that if you do end up selling your home, you get to take all of your beautiful things with you!

There are bigger remodeling projects and home maintenance necessities that should be considered (and I’ll talk about in future blogs) but the encouraging thing is the MOST important things to improve the value of your home also improves the value of your life while you live in your home.