Getting Ready to Sell or to Rent?
A few tips to make your home more desirable.
When you sell or rent your house, you should make it shine before you put it on the market. That does not necessarily mean to put a new kitchen in and renovate bathrooms from top to bottom. Start with the basics.
Landscaping
Curb appeal accounts for 90% of what piques a buyer’s or tenant’s interest in a home. Step outside, cross the street and ask yourself if you like what you see. Is your landscaping overgrown? Do your trees hang over the roof? Did the kids play equipment turn into a death trap? Has your house not been painted for 20 years? These are things where it`s going to be hard to get people out of the car, even though the inside of your home might be really nice.
Make sure the lawn is mowed, add some mulch, trim trees and shrubs and power wash the siding. These things do not cost a lot and can make a big difference.
If you are on a tight budget do necessary repairs and never underestimate a deep cleaning.
Before you think about costly updates, take care of all the little repairs that can be done relatively cheaply. The flaking drywall in the bathroom, the rusty A/C outlet, the bad or moldy caulking. These things create in the buyers or tenants mind that there is a problem.
Clean around light switches and doorknobs. In some cases, just bleach will help.
People should not be afraid to touch the door handles because they look grungy. You will have only one chance to make a good first impression. If you don’t have the time or the money for high-end renovations, there are some small upgrades which can boost your home.
Which low- to mid-scale renovations are best
Most of the time, you’re going to get back 65% to 70% of what you’re going to spend if you sell a home, assuming that it’s something generic and a buyer is going to appreciate it. But you don’t need to put a new kitchen in or re-do a whole bathroom.
At one of my recent real estate sales, I had the kitchen cabinets painted which made a huge visual impact and was not expensive. I had the hardwood floors refinished, a bathroom vanity and the mirror replaced, the grout in the bathrooms bleached and the caulking re-done. We replaced some light fixtures and touched up the walls where it was necessary. I had to work with a tight budget (less than $10,000) but the house looked great after my contractor was finished and the house sold within 9 days, $16,000 over asking price.
One last piece of advice: Neutralize colors. This will also not cost you a fortune. Kids bedrooms with pink, purple or red walls, you should get rid of those wacky colors. Go with a nice grey, according to my contractor, “Wish” from Ben Sherman works well.
It always helps to have a fresh pair of eyes looking when you start a project like this. Ask a friend about their opinion and what they would change. You could make a questionnaire and ask more than one person and of course you can always call me, the realtor and property manager. I am happy to give you my advice and recommend one of my contractors.
by Andreas Leindecker, Realtor, 571.685.9831
AndreasYourRealtor@gmail.com
Write a comment