First Person: Pre-Sale Remodeling Doesn't Have to Be Expensive

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In a competitive market, it's important to stand out from the crows if you want to sell your home quickly. One way to do this is with upgrades and renovations. Unfortunately, even small remodeling projects can get costly -- and you don't want to spend more money than you'd make on the sale.

Fortunately, it's possible to buy paint, home siding, light fixtures, and just about anything else a contractor ever needed at huge discounts by buying used. The stuff is usually good quality, and looks brand new in your house. So, if you're planning on remodeling before you sell, why not save a bit of money?

Habitat ReStore

Habitat for Humanity builds and restores homes for low-income and needy families. The charity builds homes all over the U.S. and ends up with plenty of left-over materials or salvaged pieces from old houses. Habitat for Humanity opened retail stores, the Habitat ReStore, across the nation to sell the extras. The store is a remodeler's dream. You can find everything from door frames to stained glass windows at huge discounts. And if you're upgrading or remodeling a historic home - the ReStore has you covered. You can find all sorts of upgrades - like claw foot tubs and ceiling medallions - that buyer's love to see in older homes.

Your Contractor

If you're working with a contractor, he may have extra supplies on hand or know where to buy them at a discount. Contractors often know of clearance sells and going out of business deals from local material suppliers. Since you're going to be selling the house and not living in it, it probably won't matter to you if the granite counter tops are a different shade than what you ideally would have wanted, and you can save a lot by not being picky.

Home Improvement Stores

Small upgrades - like new bathroom faucets or door knobs - can make a huge difference to potential buyers, and local home improvement stores often sell them on clearance for next to nothing. For examples, stores like Home Depot and Lowe's put over stock items on clearance several times a year.

To save even more - look for gallons of unsold paint. If the paint department mixed the wrong color of paint, or made a mistake in the shade, they'll sell the unsold gallons at a huge discount. If you have a room with stained or faded walls, pick up a gallon or two of this unwanted premixed paint. It may not be the color you'd choose for your own home, but you'll cover up those unsightly walls before the first open house.

Your Neighbor

Garage sales and classified ads are great places to find cheap home building materials. I once bought four doors for a rental property for $15 a piece at a garage sale. Check out the garage sale ads in your area and look for sells that mention building materials, recent home upgrades, or remodeling sales.

If you're going to hunt garage sales and local listings, have an idea in mind of what you want to buy. Consider upgrades that a buyer would care about like updated flooring, fresh exterior paint, or upgraded appliances and then seek out those items. These sellers often sell left over tiles, extra gallons of paint and their old appliances.

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First Person: Pre-Sale Remodeling Doesn't Have to Be Expensive