Anyone who has sold a house in the past knows only too well that major expenses can be in order to make the house marketable, and/or to get a buyer to close on their offer. The house seems fine to the family that has lived there for years – but the offers show that home-buyers want you to replace your ancient-but-functioning water heater, and want price concessions to allow them to replace the carpet.
You’ve gotten the pep-talk from your real estate agent about what makes one house stand out over another to a potential buyer. But here is where owners eager to sell often start to go wrong – they spend money to freshen and brighten their house – but not in the ways that interest buyers.
- Owners anxious to make their property appealing can make the mistake of putting their own color preferences first. The owner might not realize that the sunshine yellow wall paint they love is a show-stopper for the home-shoppers who don’t want to live with it. The owner may despair over the recommended color neutrals, but that’s what sells homes.
- Owners often to invest in things that buyers consider nice to have, but won’t pay more to have. Upgrades such as full-room sound systems are great! They may even help your property be a first choice and sell sooner. But home-buyers shopping your neighborhood may not be willing to actually pay extra for that, or for expensive decorator molding along the top of the walls.
- Owners may spend gobs of money spiffing up one room but neglect the others, while buyers look for consistency throughout the house. Even minor disrepair throughout the property – chipped baseboards; floor cracks; peeling paint around the windows – will create a bigger impression on home-shoppers than one major upgrade in one room. Cute new kitchen cabinets with extra pull-outs will be canceled by ragged carpets and fading paint elsewhere, as far as home-shoppers are concerned.
- Overly-personalized décor, creative furniture arrangements, too many photos and wall-hangings, may warm up a room with the owner’s personality, but it can put off the next person who is considering living there. Eclectic looks and furniture that doesn’t fit the space make the house look like a series of problems to someone considering making it their own.
One person’s treasure is another’s trash, and that is never more true than in staging or decorating a house for sale. Accepting knowledgeable professional guidance is critical to preparing a home for sale in a way that truly brings in better offers, sooner.
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Question or Prompt for Response – open ended, relevant
Can you afford your best guess as to what it will cost to prepare a house you expect to inherit for sale?
Call to Action
Do you have a piece of property (house, lot, or land) you’d like to sell fast? Fill out our Sell Fast Form and get a cash offer within one hour of us viewing the property. https://pdxrenovations.com/sell-house-quick/we-buy-homes-bring-us-a-deal/