How to Amp Up the Resale Value of Your Mammoth Lakes Home

Whether you’re putting your home on the market this year or several years from now, you should start thinking about resale value now. Here are a few easy tips that can put more money in your bank account on closing day.

Do Regular Maintenance and Repairs

Staying on top of small chores and house repairs will make a big difference. See our suggestions for seasonal home maintenance to make a plan for the year ahead. Regular maintenance can actually boost your home’s value by one percent per year. An added bonus to regular maintenance is that if you decide you need to sell sooner, you’ll be in a better position to do so.

Don’t Ignore Landscaping and Snow Removal

Owning a home in Mammoth Lakes is a bit different than in other places. With at least six months of winter each year, your landscaping plan has to be very thoughtful. Any landscaping you do should be done with snow removal in mind — don’t make it more difficult on yourself or your snow removal service to get the snow out of your driveway quickly. And with a short summer season, prioritizing hardy high alpine plants is key. Curb appeal is huge in selling a home, so make sure your year-round outdoor appearance is in good shape.

Replace Entry Doors

Many front doors in Mammoth Lakes homes are wood. This can definitely contribute to the cozy cabin feel, but switching them out for steel or fiberglass doors can add both security and insulation. Fiberglass doors can even be designed to look like wood doors. Fiberglass doors will give you the best insulation, but either one is a good upgrade. Regardless of material, a modern door will do a better job insulating your home than one from a decade or two ago.

Replace Your Garage Door

A private garage is a major selling point for a Mammoth Lakes home. If you have shared underground parking, your HOA will likely take care of any garage door improvements. But if you own a home, you can up your resale value by replacing the garage door. Bold colors that complement your home, faux wood fiberglass or steel, and large windows can all improve the curb appeal of your garage door and home overall and can boost resale value.

Insulate Your Attic

If you live in a house in Mammoth Lakes, you know how important good insulation is. While it’s not the sexiest selling point of a home, installing fiberglass attic insulation can save energy and garner a big payback on your investment.

Replace Double Pane Windows

Many Mammoth Lakes homes were built in the 1960s and 1970s. While some homes have had major upgrades that include replacing windows and sliding glass doors, many haven’t. If your home doesn’t have modern double pane windows, add this to your list. In addition to helping with resale value, modern double pane windows may reduce your utility bill by 7 to 15 percent.

Remodel Parts of Your Kitchen

A full kitchen remodel may be prohibitively expensive, but small renovations can make your home more buyer-friendly. Changing your kitchen’s texture and color using a matte finish and neutral colors will enhance resale value. Refinishing cabinets and switching to Energy Star appliances will also help with resale.

Remodel Your Bathroom

Like with the kitchen, don’t dive into a full renovation without thinking it through fully, but consider small updates. Replacing shower and floor tiles, switching out your sink or toilet, or replacing shower fixtures are all fairly cheap upgrades that help a lot with resale. Steer clear of current trends — choose a timeless look so you won’t have to renovate again if you don’t sell for several years.

Connect Your Needs to Future Buyers’ Wants

You may have noticed a trend in these tips — they all make your home more pleasant for you to live or vacation in as well. Think through home projects both for how they’ll affect your enjoyment of the home and how appealing they’ll be to future buyers. You’ll likely find that what makes a home more enjoyable to you will make future buyers happy too.

Learn more in my Ultimate Home Seller’s Guide. If you’d like to talk, call me at (760) 914-4664.