Seal Coat Driveway? Will We Recoup Some of These Costs?

Everything depends on the buyer. My brother bought his home and said, and they sealed the driveway, he seemed impressed. I though wow, whatever. Not something I have ever thought necessary. Well if you are speaking of cement. Neither my brother or I would touch a home with asphalt! Tacky unless you live in the country.

I think the window treatments are a waste because everyone has different taste. If they want to change them they are not going to consider them a bonus

I would hire someone to professionally clean the windows or do a great job yourself. A realtor once told me to sell your house fast and for top dollar, make it look like a sample house. Sample houses typically don't have blinds, just decorative window treatments.

My opinion - I wouldn't bother with either the window treatments or the sealing. The window treatment I wouldn't do because the buyer may have totally different taste, for example, it wouldn't matter how nice window blinds are, I hate any blinds because they catch so much dust. And for or the driveway sealing because I would not even notice that if I were buying so I don't see how that would increase the value.

I do not recommend seal coating the driveway...ever!

Both my husband and I used to work in the paving industry and there is no good reason to seal coat. It does not provide any benefit other than making the color look darker. The people who do this work claim that it "seals" the pavement and/or makes it last longer. It does NOT.

Save your money on that one.

I agree with Boss Fan about not seal coating the driveway. The smell will be a turnoff to would-be buyers, and I think it just looks cheap. (I hate asphalt driveways. Concrete is best.) Just make sure there are no weeds growing in any of the pavement cracks.

Mulching the flower beds is a good idea. So are window treatments. Fresh paint in neutral, yet contemporary colors is a cheap way to update.

You might not recoup 80-90% of the kitchen floor expenditures. Would putting $5,000 of new flooring into your house translate into an asking price that is $4,000 higher than comparable houses in your neighborhood? Barring a full remodel, most money you put into your house won't raise its value in the current market, but it will make it sell faster. Good luck to you! Home prices in the far west suburbs are still dropping, but home prices in my west suburban neighborhood are climbing. I hope you get top dollar for your house!

I've never understood sealcoating! My father and my father-in-law never did it, and we've never done it in our own house. Yes, it makes a nice black surface, but all my sealcoating neighbors have huge, visible cracks in their driveways and we just have one or two small ones. I've never seen any huge difference in terms of driveway maintenance. But I guess I'd ask my realtor how critical things are in your town these days.

I think a light scattering of mulch can improve curb appeal, as can a good spring clean-up. Things inside should be in good repair, and I'd say that new blinds can be fairly inexpensive if you need to repair broken ones, but I wouldn't order all new ones when you don't know the buyers' preferences. They may want to redo everything. I wouldn't buy valences or other things you can't take with you. Declutter to open up the rooms and make them look larger, and maybe put a quick coat of neutral paint on some walls, but if you're trying to make back your money, you won't.

I'd also talk to a good realtor and a good stager, saying "I have X dollars to spend, what's the best way to do that to maximize return in this town and this market?" My neighbors did that, told the realtor they had $10,000 tops, and they did what she recommended. The realtor is motivated because a quicker sell for the best price benefits her commission, and if the realtor also has a sense of style, that helps. But you have to decorate for the buyer, not for yourself, and that takes an objective eye.

I always look at the curtains and stuff and always always think they're ugly. Then that's all I remember about the room.

If you are moving out of your house then selling it leave the windows bare, blinds only. If you're living in it while selling it then you need to have them matching the bedding in some way. I still only like a solid color curtain though in a neutral color that is not "spice" or "Crimson" or some other color that "won't" go with anything.

Most likely you will lose money on window treatments. If your current ones are old/dirty then replace. If not, just keep the current ones.

Curb appeal will help move the house faster.

Ouch, since your losing money as it is, don't do any cosmetic upgrades.

Window treatments are such a personal preference item. Unless you are installing high end blinds or shutters. One time we bought a house and the prior tenant put in new matching window treatments and shower curtains and I took them all down. She was so hurt, but they were like baby blue and lace. It was such a waste of $$ for her.

One marketing strategy is to offer quotes, bids, or prices as to what it would cost to have those items covered. For instance, remodeling one bathroom - $10k, or resealing the driveway = #??k, then add the amount to the sale price on your end, and deduct it at the time of closing, or a credit is given to the buyers at closing.

I'm not a realtor....but somehow that works out.

I have met perfectionist type sellers / listing agents who want everything pristine and perfect for showing, and I have seen homes where everything is a mess and full of cat dander and the sellers were selling 'as is'. The spectrum is huge. Just ensure that the selling paperwork lists all the upgrades you have invested in since owning the home, so future buyers can see how much $$, time and love you put into it all.

Unless the drive way is really bad looking, I would not seal it. For window treatments, if they are in good shape, then just a dusting. Of course, it you have blinds and any slats are broken, then definitely replace.

Curb appeal will make the difference in a full price offer and a low ball offer. If people like what they see when they drive by - they will stop. When they stop, they will look. When they look - they might find their dream home.

Other than location - curb appeal is what attracts buyers to home. Yes, price plays a role, think about it - what drew you to that house anyway? Did the previous owners have a nice flower bed and no cracks in the driveway?

If it's a seller's market - you might get a bidding war. Who knows! What I do know...is if I drive up to your home and you want $750K for it - and there's a cracked driveway and nothing to make me want to go inside? You've just lost my potential business/buy.

If the house looks nice it may sell faster, but people are not going to be willing to pay extra for cosmetics like sealing a drive way or window treatments since these are things easily done by one's self for little money if they are so inclined.

In my opinion you need to look at your house through the eyes of potential buyers. Things that you would notice need to be maintained and updated. You may not recoup the dollar amount directly , but what you're hoping for is a quick offer and sale. sometimes it costs money to make any money. I don't think it's ever a bad idea to increase the curb appeal of the house on the market.
Good luck!

I would not recommend replacing the window treatments. You will most likely need to leave the current ones when you move, but I have never been told to replace things like that (our house has been on the market since November). And when looking, I never looked at the window treatments.

We spent 5K on our bathroom (changing it from a 3/4 to full bath) and another 3K on redoing our driveway/concrete walkway. While we'll recoup some of these costs, we won't really because we are going to need to sell our house to close to what we paid for it over 5 years ago.

I think new mulch and outward appearance is a good place to start because curb appeal can factor a lot into a house.