Preparing a Home for Sale | Home Inspections Real Estate

Whether the housing market is up or down, it?s up to us, the real estate agents, to determine the best way to get top dollar for a home. Whether they realize it or not, those selling a home need advice about what improvements should be made, which aren?t necessary and how to price the home most effectively. Home buyers? preferences vary from market to market, but there are a few standard tricks of the trade.?Package your home improvement advice in hope and positivity so?that sellers can see how these changes will help the house sell quickly and at the best price.

Tame the clutter

Decluttering is a home improvement project with zero cost and big potential reward. Cleaning crowded counters, bookshelves, closets or other storage areas makes a home look roomier. A closet that?s organized and only half-full looks spacious ? even luxurious. Let sellers know that when buyers are paying for square footage, showing theirs off to its best advantage is crucial. Encourage them to think of decluttering as a head start on the moving process. They?ll have to clean out the garage at some point anyway; doing it before a move may help attract more buyers.

Curb appeal

There?s no denying that the first impression of a seller?s home is the most powerful. If it looks unattractive on the outside, many buyers won?t even bother to look inside.A seller won?t have to undertake a major landscaping project to make an impact. Freshly planted flowers and a manicured lawn can go a long way to impress. But if a home has peeling paint, damaged porch rails and a driveway that looks like a road map, let the seller know to plan on spending money on these maintenance projects before listing. It will be worth it.

Deferred maintenance

A light switch that doesn?t work, a broken tile in the kitchen, a half-painted wall: these little things can fly under a seller?s radar when they? live in a house for years. But to a potential buyer, small repairs are a? red flag that could mean there are larger problems lurking. Encourage sellers to take care of the honey-do list before showing their home. They should fix shutters,?replace filters in appliances?and make sure faucets and fixtures are all in working order. These small maintenance projects will allow buyers to feel great about moving in, too.

Taking care of deferred maintenance projects should include cleaning up. Power washing a home?s exterior, cleaning gutters, polishing wood floors, cleaning windows and shampooing carpets will revitalize the look of a home and make it appear well cared for.

Updating

Changing lighting fixtures, faucets, door knobs and kitchen hardware is an inexpensive way to bring tired d?cor into the modern era. Something as simple as drawer pulls or new track lighting can instantly update a room. A home that looks move-in ready will attract more buyers than one that comes with a list of must-do projects.

Don?t over-improve

It?s said that ?kitchens sell homes.? Let sellers know that they can typically count on getting an?85 percent return on investment?when it comes to kitchens. But also let them know that people who are in the market for a mid-range family home are not likely to pay extra for an over-the-top kitchen, bath or media room. For the best return, sellers should keep improvements just slightly better than what other homes in the neighborhood have to offer.

Sellers might want to embark on costly improvements before selling a home, but consulting them about affordable ways to improve a home?s appeal could save them thousands of dollars on unneeded home renovations. Know what home buyers in the area are looking for and what they?re not so you can advise sellers with confidence. Sellers will appreciate real estate agents who know that with the right preparation, a home can attract motivated buyers who are willing to pay top dollar for the right property.

Image courtesy of Let Ideas Compete?

Source: http://realtylightpost.com/states/indiana/how-to-prepare-a-home-for-sale/

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