What Are the Best Ways to Add Value to Your Grand Rapids Home?

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Today, our expert stager, Julie Stone, joins us to discuss the top three questions homeowners ask when she is on a consultation.

1. What color do I paint my walls? The color you paint your walls really depends on your hard finishes, including your carpet, your wood floors, and your countertops. If possible, we suggest using gray, as it is a color that is still "in" at the moment and works as a neutralizing force in your home. It makes your home look very updated when compared with the boring beige color that was "in" years ago.
2. How can I get the biggest bang for my buck? Whether you’re simply renovating your home or you’re trying to get your money back, everyone wants to know what they can do to add value to their home. Believe it or not, light fixtures will get you the biggest bang for your buck. You need to change out your brass fixtures to update and upgrade your home. Cabinet hardware is another inexpensive thing you can do to add value.
3. What big design trends are in right now? As mentioned earlier, gray walls are still huge. Surprisingly, another color that is hot right now is orange, especially in accessories such as rugs and pillows. Gunmetal finishes are also quite popular for appliances, silverware, and light fixtures, among other things.

When you do a walkthrough consultation with Julie, she will make a list of recommendations of items to do that will appeal to the majority of home buyers in every room. Whether it’s painting, carpet, light fixtures, or just rearranging furniture, she will identify all the things you need to change to make your home appeal to the largest number of buyers. Depending on the size of the home, the consultation typically takes about an hour and a half to complete.

If you would like to set up a consultation with Julie, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

The Grand Rapids Market Today

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

I’m excited to let you know the Grand Rapids real estate market is booming right now! Sellers are actively listing their homes and within two weeks, they’re already earning top dollar from a sale. It’s an excellent time for buyers and sellers alike.

If you hire our office, we’ll first visit your home and examine the property. We’ll let you know the true value and share staging tips. We want to add value to your home with simple fixes. Additionally, if you’ve attempted to sell your home before and it was unsuccessful, I can help you sell your home this time around! I might even be able to help you earn more money for your property compared to the previous agent.

Give me a call or send me an email today! Let’s work together. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have.

Why Is 2016 Going to Be an Amazing Year?

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

We are really excited about 2016 here in Grand Rapids. All signs are showing that it's going to be another amazing year. Our team had a record year in 2015, as we were able to help over 200 families get into homes. We also ended the year highly ranked on Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com. 

We are very thankful for all the business and referrals we've gotten over the year. Thanks to all of you! Today we are going to talk about a few things that you should keep in mind if you are thinking about taking advantage of the conditions in our real estate market this year. 

The most important thing you can do in this market is plan ahead. You'll need to do some research on what homes in your area are selling for, and what price yours could possibly fetch. We would love to come out to your home and do a thorough market analysis, giving you the most accurate value possible. Give us a call and we can schedule an appointment.

One thing I also wanted to mention was to be wary of using automated home value estimators. Even ones like ours are prone to mistakes, as recently it valued a client's home at $125,000, when it was actually worth four times that amount. We apologize for that, but it's important to remember these estimates are just estimates. Having us come out to give you an accurate assessment by looking at your home in person is the best way to know your home value.

Another thing to keep in mind is that interest rates are incredibly low right now. I just talked to a loan officer, who told me you can get a 15-year mortgage for 3.75% interest right now. Rates have actually come down a little bit lately, but they are only going to go up from here on out. 

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!