Coming down off our gluttonous high from all our Halloween candy, I think it’s time to start thinking about what’s next in real estate. With Thanksgiving around the corner and Christmas to follow I thought it would be a good time to talk to prospective home sellers about making sure they’re ready.
If you’re thinking about selling in the spring – always a great time in real estate, then you should start preparing now.
It may seem a little crazy to start preparing several months in advance, but there are a couple of great reasons to start now so you’re not left scrambling as the snow begins to melt.
The first and most obvious reasons are the holidays! Thanksgiving and Christmas can be fun, family-filled and, oh yeah, very time-consuming. So getting started on plans and moving on necessary preparations for selling are key to a smooth process.
Though the market still remains strong for home sellers, more and more houses are coming on the market and the competition is getting much warmer. Having a move-in ready home with no repairs or renovations needed is very appealing to home buyers and can be the difference between a timely home sale and months on the market.
Time on the market can play a crucial role in the ultimate sale price on your home. The more time your home spends up for sale, the less likely the home will sell for listing price. This is why taking the time, and spending a little extra on needed projects, can actually pay off. As you’re preparing to list your home and put it on the market, consider every improvement project as an investment and not a chore or unnecessary cost.
So what does preparing to sell your home look like? Of course, home sale preparation is mostly dependent on the home itself – its condition, age, style and location. With that being said, there are a lot of projects that go a long way to improving the curb appeal on any home.
Projects to lift up your home’s appeal to buyers and thus the sale price range from simple and cheap to more involved and more expensive. As with most things in life, the more money and effort you put into it, the more gains you’ll see on the other end.
Let’s start with some of the easier projects. The cheapest and likely most necessary project is decluttering. Getting started now on freeing up space and removing junk in your home will not only make moving out after the sale easier but will also make your other improvement projects easier too.
That’s why getting started on a project like decluttering is best if done as soon as possible.
Once your home is free of clutter, you’re free to consider another cheaper project like painting. Every home can benefit from a fresh coat of paint. Painting the exterior (or powerwashing for those with vinyl siding) is a great start. Brightening up the outside of your house is going to immediately attract buyers.
The number one recommended project among real estate agents to their clients is painting the entire inside of a home. Painting your rooms will give the home a fresh, clean feel, inviting in home buyers to picture themselves living their lives in the home, adding more appeal and keeping them interested long after they’ve left an open house or showing at your place.
Perhaps painting the entire house is a little too much? Painting your most used rooms can be a nice touch too.
Moving on to more expensive but certainly worthwhile projects: consider replacing your roof. Some roofs can last up to 20 years or more, but depending on material, weather and wear, a roof might need to be replaced sooner.
It’s always a good idea to have an expert check your roof if you’re seeing signs of degradation. A brand new roof is especially appealing to home buyers, and although this project can be pretty expensive, it can go a long way in shortening your home’s time on the market.
Two other potentially larger but certainly appealing projects include upgrading your kitchen or bathrooms. Kitchens and bathrooms are often the most judged rooms in your home. A home buyer’s eyes are much sharper and much more discerning when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms.
Sprucing up these areas of your home will attract a lot of potential home buyers, and although these projects can be expensive, they can often increase the value of your home far more than the actual cost of the upgrades themselves.
As you can see, I’ve listed some pretty involved projects. But understand that many of them can be essential and necessary for bringing in buyers and shortening your home’s time on the market, and all of them require time and planning.
That’s why it’s essential to start planning many months in advance of putting your home on the market. The more time you have, the more you’ll be able to prepare, leaving you with a home ready for the market and primed to sell quickly!
Again, what projects are best for your home will be dependent on your home itself and on the market, which is not only a combination of where your home is but also the price range in which your home falls.
At a loss on where to start? Getting the advice of a trusted real estate agent is the best place to begin. I’d be happy to take a look at your home and its targeted market, and give you areas of focus for improvement on overall appeal.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any real estate questions or concerns. Whether you’re wondering about the value of your home or possible options on where to buy, give me a shout anytime!
In the meantime, I hope everyone has an amazing November and a Happy Thanksgiving!
