Maximize Your Home’s Value with these Simple Updates

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Getting your home ready to sell can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to decide what’s actually worth fixing. With so many potential updates competing for your time and budget, it’s easy to overdo it—or spend in the wrong places. You don’t need to do everything to prepare your home for the market, just focus on making the right improvements. Read below for tips on changes you can do to create maximum impact for buyers.

First Impressions Matter: Start with Curb Appeal

Before buyers even step inside, they’re already forming an opinion. The exterior of your home sets the tone, and fortunately, it doesn’t take a huge investment to make a strong impact.

Simple upgrades can greatly impact your home’s appearance. Refreshing mulch and tidying up landscaping are good starts. Painting the front door and updating house numbers are also effective. Updating light fixtures and power washing the driveway and siding can go a long way. These improvements signal that the home has been well cared for—which instantly builds buyer confidence.

Kitchen Updates: Think Small, Win Big

You don’t need a full kitchen remodel to impress buyers. In fact, smaller, cosmetic upgrades often deliver a better return on investment.

Consider painting cabinets, swapping out old hardware, upgrading light fixtures, or installing new countertops if the current ones feel dated. These targeted updates can make the entire space feel modern and inviting—without the cost of a full renovation.

Bathroom Refreshes: Clean Beats Luxury

Bathrooms are one of the most scrutinized spaces in a home. But buyers aren’t necessarily looking for spa-level luxury—they want clean, bright, and fresh.

Focus on re-caulking tubs and sinks and cleaning grout within existing tiles. For a more modern look, replace outdated faucets and mirrors and install new lighting. New paint also goes a long way – consider painting wood vanities if they are dated and apply neutral paint to the walls. These small changes can dramatically elevate how the space feels without draining your budget.

Paint: The Highest ROI You’ll Find

If you do only one thing before listing, make it paint – both inside & out.

For the interior, a fresh coat in light neutrals—think warm whites or soft grays—can transform your home. It makes rooms feel bigger, brighter, and cleaner, while also helping buyers envision themselves living there. It’s one of the most affordable upgrades with the biggest visual impact.

For the exterior, you don’t need to completely repaint your home but sanding & repainting peeling paint will help the home show its best. Do a walk around to see which areas could use a little work.

Flooring Fixes That Actually Pay Off

New flooring isn’t always necessary. In many cases, restoring what you already have is the smarter move.

Refinishing hardwood floors, professionally cleaning carpets, or replacing only heavily worn areas can make a home feel refreshed without the cost of full replacement. Buyers tend to care more about condition than whether materials are brand new.

What to Skip: Upgrades That Don’t Deliver

Before you invest heavily, take a step back. Some projects rarely return their full cost—and can even hurt your chances if they’re too personalized.

It’s usually best to avoid:

  • Full luxury remodels
  • Highly customized design choices
  • Expensive, elaborate landscaping
  • Converting rooms into niche spaces like wine cellars or home gyms

If the upgrade reflects your personal taste more than broad buyer appeal, it’s probably not worth doing before you sell.

The Golden Rule: Improve for the Market, Not Yourself

One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is renovating based on what they like, rather than what buyers want.

The smartest move? Talk to a real estate professional before making updates. A quick walk-through can help you prioritize improvements that actually increase your home’s value so you don’t spend money where it won’t count.

The Bottom Line

The best pre-sale improvements are simple, clean, and neutral. Focus on updates that make your home feel fresh, bright, and move-in ready. Because at the end of the day, buyers are willing to pay more for a home that feels effortless.

When it comes to preparing your home for sale, it’s not about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things.

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If you have any questions for preparing your home for sale, please reach out. I’d be happy to help!

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Hottest Home Trends of 2019

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With this post, I am not trying to pretend like I am a design expert, but being a REALTOR® and someone who is interested in “all things home”, I do read a lot of home articles, posts, and blogs.  Lately, I feel like one after another is about the hottest trends to expect for 2019 – from paint colors to interior design, furniture design, and overall home. If you have plans for redecorating or want to refresh some of your spaces, it can’t hurt to know what experts believe will be resonating in 2019.  I have gathered together some of the more valuable articles I have read and pulled out a few consistent points I am seeing across sources.

Predictions for what will be hot in 2019:

  • More bold, vivid, high-contrast patterns and more vibrant accent colors
  • Pantone declares Living Coral is the color of the year. What it conveys: Life-affirming, optimism, joy.
  • Earth tones: all versions of sand and earthy colors like ochre, burnt gold, and terracotta like Sherwin-Williams’ 2019 color Cavern Clay
  • Art Deco influence to become more prominent in the coming year
  • Ornate & textured walls and wallpaper
  • Antiques and handmade, custom pieces – return to handcrafted authenticity
  • Live Greenery and biophilia (the innate tendency in human beings to focus on life and lifelike process)
  • Innovative uses and mixing of metals 
  • Matte Black

If you have some time to read more for yourself, here are a few of the best articles I have read for 2019 predictions: 

All in all, I believe what is most important is that you make design decisions that resonate well with you & your family.  If you aren’t a fan of a certain style, don’t try to force it because some people say it is “in style.”  And lastly, I still stand by the importance of timeless design decisions for major renovations if you want to maximize the resale value of your home which I touch upon in my last blog post:  Home Renovation Projects that Boost Resale Value of Your Home.

Happy planning and decorating!

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If you or someone you know has any real estate needs within Colorado, I would love to help!  I support buyers and sellers primarily in the Denver-Boulder areas. Please reach out via the contact form below to start a conversation about how I can help you:

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Home Renovation Projects that Boost Resale Value of Your Home

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Many home buyers that are considering home renovation projects usually want to make sure they are investing in something that will raise home values and appeal to home buyers. Even if there are no plans to sell soon, it is wise to keep resale in mind for home renovation projects.  Prioritizing your spending into areas of the home that will help boost resale values is a smart approach.  Read more for tips on how to help with your planning:

  • Kitchens.  Nearly every buyer is pleased when they see a beautiful kitchen, even buyers that aren’t afraid of projects.  Kitchen remodels can be expensive so even if the rest of the house needs work, buyers are happy to see that one project checked off the list.  If you are planning any home project, starting with a kitchen update really should pay off in the end.   Overall make sure the layout is functional – does the flow work for cooking & entertaining?  Know that plenty of counterspace & storage is important to buyers and many will be pleased with an island in the kitchen as long as it doesn’t make the space too cramped.  New energy-efficient appliances will benefit you as a homeowner and look appealing to future buyers.  Finally, if you are going to update things like cabinets, countertops, the backsplash, and lighting try to stay with design decisions that are timeless.  Any unique features that only appeal to a certain type of audience will narrow the pool of buyers that appreciate the work put into the kitchen.
  • Bathrooms.  After the kitchen is done, move onto the bathrooms.  Same rule applies with keeping the updates appealing to a broad audience.  You want to create an attractive space that has a clean and updated feel.   You can still have fun with your updates – maybe consider an accent wall behind the vanity or toilet or new, modern mirrors & lighting.  Keep in mind that many buyers still want at least one tub in their home so don’t plan to get rid of all bathtubs in your house, no matter how trendy those stand-alone showers are.
  • Energy efficiency.  The next item that will pay off for both you as a homeowner & for resale is how efficient the home is.  Check the age of the furnace or boiler, hot water heater, & A/C units – consider updating with new models that work more efficiently. Leaky doors and windows affect your heating and cooling bills and is something buyers will notice.  If you don’t want to replace your windows & doors, you can update weather-stripping or reseal the windows to see if that helps.  If you have poor insulation in the house, you can improve the quality of the insulation.
  • Exterior.  First impression makes a difference so investing in exterior updates will be beneficial as well.  Consider an exterior paint refresh, especially if you have chipping or fading paint. If you are looking for a change, but don’t want to repaint the whole house, choose a fresh new color for the front door.  For an affordable update that makes a big difference, swap out any exterior lights that may not be working or are outdated and replace with a fresh, modern look.  Lastly, investing in your yard and garden will help you better enjoy your home & have buyers see that you not only have a great house, but a great property.  Be careful with adding unique additions that may turn away future buyers such as an elaborate water feature.  A koi pond, for example, may look beautiful to some, but to others it may just look like a lot of work or even a dangerous hazard to a buyer like a family with young children.
  • Look at your floors.  If you have carpet, tiling, or wood floors that have seen better days, investing in an upgrade or refresh for the floors will be a smart decision. Flooring can really stand out — making the whole house feel clean & inviting or put off the opposite effect if the floors are in bad shape.   Focus on what you can afford – making sure to at least to update the flooring in the rooms you renovate (such as the kitchen & bathrooms) and expect to have to price the house accordingly if the floors in other areas of the home really need work.

If resale value is a major concern of yours, talking to a local REALTOR® to get their advice before starting the project can be very beneficial.  If you are in the Boulder/Denver area, I would love to help!  Please reach out via the contact information below or email me at beth@goodacreproperties.com.

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Refresh Your Bedroom

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As the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler, a cozy bedroom is something many of us can really appreciate. If you have extra money to put towards updating a bedroom in your home, you may wonder where to start. I really enjoyed this article from Houzz: “How to refresh your bedroom on any budget.” From a budget of $100 to $10,000, there are great tips on where to prioritize spending your money. I love the focus on a new set of bedding in the article – I cannot agree more because if anything, it’ll help you sleep better. My go-to for bedding is The Company Store – I have never been disappointed in one of their products. Check out their Cloud Blanket & Throw – that was our most recent purchase and I cannot begin to tell you how soft it is.

If you make any of these updates, please leave a comment and let me know how it went!

Old Home Ideas That Deserve a Comeback

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I recently read an article titled: “15 Old House Features We Were Wrong to Abandon.” The point of the article being there are many home features that we were probably right to leave behind (at least as of today), but there are some really cool features that deserve a comeback.  Clicking through the list, I was surprised and excited to see that our home already has four of the fifteen and two more that I have planned to add to our home.   Funny thing is, those four features are some of my favorite features of our house.  They include:

  1. Transom windows.  We have them over interior and exterior facing windows and doors in our house and it makes the house seem so much more open, airy, and bright. Plus, its such an unexpected feature – we get positive comments on them all the time.
  2. Laundry Chute.  I cannot begin to tell you how helpful it is to push a load of dirty laundry down our chute, straight into our laundry room vs. carrying it down the stairs, through the family room, then kitchen, and into the laundry room.  You know you’re guaranteed to lose at least one sock on a trip like that!  It has been such a great element to our home that when my parents were doing a full remodel on their home in CT, I suggested they add in a laundry chute to the plans and they did!
  3. Intercoms.  I’ll be honest, ours is pretty outdated and a bit of an eye-sore in our house (we’ll get to replacing it eventually) but trying to get someone’s attention upstairs or in the garage without yelling does come in handy.
  4. Ceiling Medallions.  We have a ceiling medallion in our kitchen and I thought it was such an interesting feature.  We replaced the original light fixture that was hanging there and kept the medallion.  I never would have thought to add it, but I am happy it’s there and adds a little personality to our kitchen.

And the two I hope to add to our home:

  1. Dutch Doors. It will be so wonderful to be able to open the top door to talk to the delivery man without our huge dog running out to bark at them.
  2. Clawfoot Tub. This is my dream tub for our master bathroom remodel if it fits within the space & budget.  Stay tuned on that one – work to start in Fall 2017.

So, there are six of the fifteen that I clearly agree society was wrong to abandon.  Below is the remainder of the list from the article I read.  I don’t see an immediate need for them at our house, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fit for another family.  Hope this starts to get you thinking during your next home remodel or search.

  1. Sleeping porches
  2. Boot scrapers for your front stoop
  3. Pocket shutters
  4. Phone nook
  5. Dumbwaiter
  6. Mail slot on your front door
  7. Root cellar
  8. Rumford fireplaces
  9. Picture Rail Moulding

 

Decor Decision Making

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This January, I finally pulled the trigger on a purchase that I had been researching for months.  I was scouring my go-to sites daily for affordable decor (Joss & Main, Wayfair, & Zulily) and after weeks of no luck, I expanded my search to my more expensive favorite retailers (Pottery Barn, Serena & Lily, and Crate & Barrel).  I found TONS of options, but I just could not for the life of me make a decision.  Believe it or not, my big decision was 2 decorative pillows for our family room couch. Crazy – I know.  Why are the small purchases sometimes the hardest!?  It took me months to decide on 2 pillows and literally 2 days to decide on a 12′ x 15′ rug for our family room.  Believe me, the rug was a lot more expensive than the 2 pillows 🙂

I think my hang-up was that the colors of our family room are so comfortable to me.  A lot of grays, blue, and white and that is something I have always decorated with.  However, I wanted to take a little chance with the pillows and put a splash of unexpected color in the room.  Our beautiful rug has a touch of mustard yellow, salmon pink, and mint green – all colors I like but wasn’t sure I wanted to highlight.  I finally decided to pull out that salmon pink and purchased 2 really cozy, cotton cable knit sweater pillows in a Paprika color.  I had gone back and forth on whether to purchase a pillow with a design or keep it simple.  In the end, I decided that the rug had such a strong pattern that simple, classic pillows would look best.  The faded “pink” turned out to fit in perfectly and I’m really pleased that the pillows made the room even a touch more comfortable. Yellow lab approved.

A Passion for Homes

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Nearly a year ago, October 2016, I was a new mom home on maternity leave and I found myself doing a lot of soul searching.  The days were long but filled with tremendous love for this new little boy that joined our family.  Nearly every day, I would pack up the baby & harness up the dog and we would venture out on a long walk. I would find myself daydreaming on these walks. “What are my dreams?”  “What are my passions?” “What do I get excited about?”  These are questions I have asked myself a million times before but, I could never really come up with an answer that I believed was true.

Finally, after countless strolls through neighborhoods in Boulder, CO, things started to click.   I realized that I was checking out each and every home I passed with curiousity.  I realized that I dream about future homes for my family.  I constantly envision our next house project to continue to make our home comfortable, yet beautiful. I get excited seeing what other people have done with their homes.  I spend free time perusing real estate sites.

Fast forward to Fall 2017.  I’m excited to announce that I’ve made a major career shift from marketing & selling in Corporate America to marketing & selling a new product, something I’m passionate about: Homes.