Thinking about Selling?

If you're one of the many who will attempt to sell their home this spring, everyone seems to have an opinion on what improvements or repairs should be made prior to listing the property. It's been my experience that the first $500 a seller spends in preparing his or her home for marketing that can be the biggest value-builder.

Some inexpensive ways to help your home stand out in a somewhat bloated market:

• Clean the clutter. Eliminate anything that appears to crowd your home. Reduce the amount of furniture in smaller rooms. Organize closets & reduce their contents.
• Clean the dirt & grime. This includes having windows & floor coverings professionally cleaned. I can't tell you how many homes I've shown that these steps haven't been taken, and what could be & probably is a perfectly good home shows poorly & gives the potential buyer the feeling that there's more wrong with it than its cleanliness.
• Manicure the landscaping. No need to go nuts & plant a flower garden, but instead improve on what is already in place. Minimal landscaping is fine as long as it is neat in its appearance.
• Have systems (electical, HVAC) examined/serviced by a professional.
• Patch, paint, & repair. Walls, floors, moldings, cabinets, counters, etc. can be made to look passable, if not great, with just a little work. Rarely do I recommend replacing floor coverings, counters, cabinets, etc. but again, take what is in place, and make it look outstanding.
• Ask your real estate professional if decor is fairly neutral or appealing to the profile of the potential buyer for your property. Most people think they should paint all the walls neutral. I disagree to a point. If your decor is fairly recent & not terribly bold, then keep it & shape it up to look brand new. Also, just because your decor is deemed "bold" by some, depending on what the likely profile of the buyer is for your house, you might want to keep it. That's why it's important to ask your agent what works & what doesn't.

If you're willing to spend around $500 in readying your home for sale, and you do it intelligently & with qualified guidance, you will probably realize thousands more in equity, and your house will sell much faster.

If you have further questions, please email me at cthomas@mulloyproperties.com