Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, December is a fun time of year. With parties, festive lights & rumors of snow days (I heard it might snow on 12/23!), the holidays are a good time. Plus the week between Christmas & NYE is a great time to rest & start planning for the year ahead. Refresh, recharge & start 2023 with a game plan! For many, this means either buying a new house or getting their house on the market. It can be tempting to start making elaborate purchases & renovations with the hope it will earn your a large return on your investment, but I’m here to ask you to pump the brakes on a few items. 
1- going solar. I see way too many homeowners spend tens of thousands on solar panels with the hope of increasing profit when they sell. Here’s the truth, unless you are living in that home for the next several decades, that money can be better used elsewhere. It takes a lot of time to earn back your investment. And no one wants to take over payments on the panels and solar doesn’t increase the homes value enough to justify the cost. If you want to reduce your environmental impact, invest in energy efficient appliances (donate old,useable ones to organizations that can re-use them), landscape with VA native plants, & make sure your home is air tight by caulking around the windows & seams. 
2- investing in water treatment systems. Just like Solar Panels, water systems are not a worthy investment if you plan on selling anytime soon. The average buyer is not going to pay more for it. The water in our area is well regulated & most folks that wants extra filtration will invest in a sink attachment filter or a refrigerator that filters the water. Save your money & don’t purchase a huge water cleaning system unless this is your forever home & it’s important to you. 
3- embarking on large scale diy projects. Ever rewire a house? No? Then don’t start off practicing in your own. Never laid tile before? Now is not the time to try. Inspired by a website to hang your own cabinets? Please don’t. Hire a contractor. They know how to do it, what to expect & will pull permits as required. I have been in A LOT of homes where homeowners did their own work and it cost them b/c they made mistakes without knowing it. I’ve seen inspectors flag a doggy door because the owners cut through a fire wall to install it (thereby rendering the fire wall useless). Or bathroom/kitchen renovations that don’t use gfci outlets next to the sink. Or carpet that was installed without all the proper tools, so now there are lumps and bumps. We don’t know what we don’t know. Contractors will save you the money of doing it twice & provide you with quality upgrades that WILL increase your home’s value & price. 

Have I rained on your parade? I’m sorry! Look, there are plenty of actions you can take today that will yield you a higher return. 
1- de-clutter. Clutter costs sellers money. The less clutter, the better. Grab two bags. One for trash & one for the donation box and go room to room, closet to closet. This costs nothing and WILL increase your home’s value. 
2- paint. IF you are able to do it neatly & pick neutral colors, this will help you. If you are a tad on the messy side or drawn to loud, taste-specific colors, put the paint brush down and back away slowly. Dark or loud colors can turn off buyers by making it hard for them to envision themselves living in the home & are hard to cover over. 
3- swap out outdated drawer pulls and/or light switch covers. We touch these a lot and they can get worn down & grimy. By replacing them with something fresh & contemporary, you are updating your home in an inexpensive way. 

I hope these tips have helped you. The Real Estate market is predicted to be active next year with more competition for sellers. The choices you make today can impact the profit you earn when you sell. For more specific advice, call or text 757.289.5353 or 757.749.6035

Take care! Cheers! 

written by Basia Stansbury, REALTOR Exit Realty Professionals & partner at South East Virginia Homes along with Jeremy Stansbury