Selling your House in the Future?
I’ve had two requests this month for “a favor”. Both future sellers wanted some advice about selling their home, but it wouldn’t be happening for a while. (Six months-36 months). I’ve explained, this isn’t a “favor”, I consider this a part of my service!
Of course, timing is everything as far as pricing a home, so I won’t be able to offer much help as far as that goes unless we are talking about <30 days. The market changes frequently in – I wish I had a crystal ball in the Real Estate world!
It doesn’t matter that the homes are in Thorndale or Norristown, the story will be similar around the entire Greater Chester County Area. My focus will be what the sellers can do to add value to the price of the home.
Each home has different needs as far as increasing value. I have a long checklist, but some homes only need a few items worked on. So I don’t mind taking the time to come out and give my professional opinion about what to do to prepare the house and property for selling.
I will tell you what the majority of home buyers are requiring in the homes they buy during this market.
There are so many homes for sale on the market today, there are plenty of homes to chose from. Buyers are not looking for fix-up projects like they used to. They’d rather pay a little bit more, and have it ready to move in. A year ago, I could help my clients disregard even carpet and paint in the home they were looking at. Not anymore. Why? Because there is another home a block away that is the same price or a tiny bit more with brand new carpet and new paint. (No offering money for credit is not as effective right now).
A few of the items that seem to get repeated on many of the homes I market for sale in Greater
Chester County:
- Clean, Clean, Clean: Most of the time this means de-clutter. My general rule for people is “pack like you are going away for a month to a vacation home, then put all of the extra stuff in storage somewhere.” I get a lot of “ewh” and “how can I live” comments from that, however, I’m only telling you what will increase value, you can take it or leave it, just know it will cost you in the long run.
- Curb Appeal: Take a look at the frontage of your home from the mailbox to the front door. How does it look? Need some weeding? Add some splashes of color (plants)? Does the front door need a coat of paint? New kickguard?
- Flooring: This depends on the wear and tear (and color), sometimes you can get a good carpet cleaning that makes it sparkle again.
- Repairs: If you’ve had some things you keep meaning to fix – do it! Home Buyers do not want to come into a home and have fix up projects waiting for them. The overall appearance makes all the difference.
- Upgrade: This is a bigger project, and depends on how long you have until you sell your home, however, if your bathrooms and/or kitchen have lime green or purple stoves or bathtubs, consider upgrading. Maybe it isn’t super old and you can get away with some new flooring. In any case, take a look at it, and think with a Home Buyer’s set of eyes.
Again, this is a very personalized list. If you’d like some help trying to decide what to do to get your home ready to sell at the very highest price possible, I’d be happy to come and give you some pointers. You can request an appointment via email Kim(at)KimWood.net or call me at (610) 692-6823.
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