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it’s a goodlife
Getting the best bang for your buck—
top 5 fix ups for your money
down this list.
spend a little…
1. painting
get a lot many experts rate painting the house in-
side and out right up there with cleaning on
• a new door mat will spruce the importance scale. usually the cost of
up a clean entryway. the paint is lower than the value a paint job
adds to the house
• use mirrors to make small
this even holds true if you opt to hire a
areas of the house appear
professional to do it, which may be a good
larger.
idea since it would get done more quickly
and with less mess. either way, opt for
• replace old discolored or
moldy shower curtains it is easy to get overwhelmed when light, neutral colors such as white or beige
with an inexpensive new getting your home ready to go on the and paint every room the same color.
one in a neutral or coordi- real estate market. the list of im- these colors appeal to more people, en-
nating color. provements and recommended to-dos hance the light in the rooms, make space
can be intimidating, even to the most seem larger and give continuity to the
• when your house is on the organized seller. we hope that the rec- house. use a flat finish on walls and a wash-
market, turn on exterior ommendations in the previous 11 news- able high gloss finish in a complimentary
and interior lights that can letters provided some clarity on what color for the doors and woodwork. don't for-
be seen from the street. to do and what not to do in getting get to paint the ceilings, which get dirty and
keep one light on in each your home ready. in this final newslet- appear darker over time. a painted room
room that faces the street ter, we provide the five repairs or will still look dreary if the ceiling is ne-
from sunset to bedtime to renovations that most experts agree glected. after deep cleaning your house,
make the house look invit- are relatively inexpensive and will help painting is the next step in preparing your
ing to potential buyers who you sell your home for top dollar. home for the scrutiny of potential buyers.
may be driving by at night. before you pick up the first paint 2. replacing carpet
brush, carpet swatch, or bag of mulch,
think your carpet looks okay and needn’t
reach for the scrub brush and cleaning
be replaced? think again. most experts
solution - or hire a cleaning service.
agree that carpet should be replaced if it is
the first order of business is to give
over a year old. take out worn, dated or
your house an in-depth cleaning. this
outlandish colored carpet and replace it
means scrubbing ceilings, floors and
with a tight weave in a neutral color like
everything in-between them - inside
white or beige. lighter colors will make the
and out. a trip to your local discount
room appear larger. carpet needn’t be ex-
store can yield adequate cleaning solu-
pensive to improve the look of the house,
tions, scrub brushes, sponges, mops
be attractive to a buyer and pay for itself
and anything else you need to make
with a higher selling price.
your home sparkle. and once it is spar-
kling, you are all set to work your way (continued on reverse)
512.892.9473 • www.goodlifeteam.com
1114 east cesar chavez • austin, tx 78702

2. top 5 fix ups for your money (continued)
3. landscaping putting down a new coat of tar or resealing the
black top gives it a clean look. brick driveways
putting some time and effort into land-
should be carefully examined for loose and bro-
scaping your property goes a long way to-
ken bricks, replace any that are broken, make
wards improving the home's curb appeal, or
sure all the bricks are in alignment and spray
the first impression a prospective buyer has
weed killer between them.
when he pulls up to the house. with land-
scaping there is a direct trade off between 5. enhancing the front door area
time and money. you get more for your the front door is the entrance into what could
money when you have the time to plant grass be the prospective buyers new home, so it needs
seed instead of sod or purchase smaller to be clean, in good repair and inviting in appear-
plants and let them grow into maturity. sod ance. often, a new hardwood door, which can run
costs more but is instantly green. seeds cost between $1,000 to $2,000, can upgrade the en-
less but take more time. an inexpensive way tire appearance of the entry way, giving it a
to add color to the yard is to clear out dead stately look. however, if nothing else, give the
foliage or grass and replace it with flowering door a good scrubbing and a couple coats of
plants. make sure you add some fresh topsoil paint.
and mulch around the flower beds. don't for-
fix squeaky or sticky hinges, make sure door
get to prune shrubs so they stay healthy and
knobs work well, double check the doorbell and
mulch around them to stave off weeds. after
replace light bulbs. it doesn’t hurt to put out a
putting effort into improving the landscaping,
new welcome mat and add a potted plant for
remember to maintain it with regular water-
color—you want to beckon visitors to come inside
ing, fertilizer and edging.
your sparkling clean home!
4. driveway repair
while we are talking about curb appeal, it
thinking about selling your home in the
is time to mention the importance of your
driveway. it is, after all, what buyers will see next 6 months?
when they first arrive! while a good driveway
consider the following 5 strategies, mentioned in a
isn't likely to evoke exclamations of joy, a
bad driveway creates an initial bad impres- recent article on the goodlife team blog:
sion that will have to be reversed. buyers will
1. understand what “market value” means.
see oil and rust stains, broken pieces and
cracks, so it is best to clean and repair as 2. invest in your home, as outlined in this and
much as possible. previous newsletters.
commercial cleaners and bleach work well 3. hire a top performer.
on cement driveways and are readily avail- 4. use the internet.
able at discount or home improvement 5. use different strategies to entice buyers.
stores. areas that are cracked can be cut
away and re-poured without replacing the for the full blog article, and to stay current on the real
entire driveway. if your driveway is asphalt, estate market, visit blog.goodlifeteam.com.
512.892.9473 • www.goodlifeteam.com
1114 east cesar chavez • austin, tx 78702