YOUR MOVE

Before Selling your Home here are 10 “To Dos”

Ah…those were the days. A year or two ago, the idea of fixing up your home before selling was silly. In a sizzling sellers market, buyers were barking at the door---sometimes even before you staked the FOR SALE sign in the lawn. Most often buyers bought sight unseen, paid more than asking price and didn’t care if you did a lick of work.
Well, the market has flipped upside down and now sellers are fawning at the feet of buyers. The reason is this buying has slowed and buyers have more choices so they can afford to be finicky and make requests of the seller that they were not making a year ago.
Before selling here are 10 tasks you need to complete. You may say “only 10?’ but before charging into rehabbing your house reflect on:
-DOING NOTHING you may take a hit on price but no improvements, no stress, no time & it’s a done deal
-TAKING TIME take the time, be savvy get a home inspection, see what comes up all those things will come up when the buyer does a home inspection. It’s worth the 300.00 for the inspection to find out what the problems are and then go forth with fixing them under YOUR terms and not someone elses.
-DON’T OVERDO IT If you make improvements be prudent…kitchen and baths add the most value but don’t improve beyond what the rest of the neighborhood is doing. The saying is “keeping up with the Joneses” not outdoing the Joneses.
-REMODEL & STAY PUT sometimes it just makes more sense to fix the things you require to make the house work for you and your lifestyle. Sometimes you may find that you haven’t lived in it long enough to each its true appreciation value and it makes more sense to stay in the home a bit longer.
-1)Paint…it’s cheap and its fresh and it improves the sale
-2)Reroof ….if needed
-3)Replace windows---functional & efficient goes a long way with a buyer
-4)Enhance the entryway---spruce it up not just cosmetics…cracks in sidewalk, overgrown shrubs, doorbells that do not work, broken hardware, etc. Remember look at your house from the buyers eyes!
5)A new or updated door…makes the first initial impression…make it count
6)Re-cover countertops----if they are dated, nicked, burned etc. move ‘em out
7)Make cabinets classy---replace doors, repaint, replace….just update to current times…you’ll be glad you did
8)Add a ceiling fan or replace dated light fixtures---a ceiling fan is like furniture to your ceiling it adds a lot to the space. Lighting will drastically change the look of a room..make sure its favorable
9)Dress up your staircase---it’s a major focal point and it makes a dramatic statement, make sure railings are secure, clean, wood is without dings and dents. Replace or repair as needed.
10)Install a shower surround….nothing says “work” to a buyer like an outdated, soap scummed shower. Replace the surround, save yourself the headache and the buyer objections