Sellers: What to fix and leave be before selling your home
This week we have a great article by Tara Nelson of Trulia entitled, Fix
This, Not That: 6 Tasks to Do (or Not to Do) Before You Sell. Many
Sellers struggle with wondering what if they should fix this-or-that around
their home before they put it on the market. Often they can get carried away
with fixes and changes aimed at Buyers and end up thousands of dollars in the
whole before the first open house. Contact The Dawn Thomas Team today and we can
let you know what’s worth fixing and what isn’t in this Silicon Valley Real
Estate Market. Read on for great suggestions!
“FIX: Paint. There is simply no accounting for the massive upgrade a fresh coat of paint can bring to the look and feel of your home, inside and out – especially given the relatively low cost and high do-it-yourself-ability of painting. Also, painting your trims, doors and moldings can go a long way toward de-shabbifying a place. Similarly, on the exterior of your home, I cannot overstate the polish potential of painting the trims a bright or deep, color. Changing the color and refreshing the paint on your exterior shutters, doors and eaves gives a powerful update and burst of color to the place.
DON’T FIX: That uber-luxe kitchen remodel you always wanted. Do gorgeous kitchens sell homes? Yes. But they also easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Unless your home’s existing kitchen is truly cringe-worthy, a high-end overhaul just before listing is not likely to even recoup what you spend on it. Repainting or refacing cabinets (instead of replacing them), installing butcher block counters (vs. marble or stone) and replacing your avocado green appliances with nice GE or Kenmore versions might be the route to go.
FIX: Plumbing problems. Plumbing leaks make noise, cause damage to the wood structure and areas around them and are often believed by buyers to cost more to fix than they actually do. In some parts of the home, plumbing leaks are prone to being called out as conditions conducive to long-term structural problems by pest and structural inspectors. If you can have a handyman or plumber come in and eliminate drips and leaks, you will simultaneously eliminate some buyers’ objections or concerns about your home.
(And this goes for sewer line issues, too. An increasing number of areas are now requiring that the sewer line from home to the sewer main in the street be inspected before or during a home’s sale – and be repaired or replaced if it is cracked or broken. If you’ve had chronic backups or your home’s sewer line is simply due for an inspection, work with your agent to get the appropriate inspector out there now to get an understanding of what sewer line work will need to be done to comply with any local point-of-sale ordinances.)
DON’T FIX: Malfunctioning, costly appliances. Consider offering a credit for the buyer to use to replace appliances that don’t work – or don’t work well. Buyers appreciate the ability to select their own new appliances on your dime.
FIX: Old and outdated hardware, fixtures and finishes. Hardware can refer to the little metalworks that make things work (or not) throughout your home, like hinges that make a door hard to close, cabinet and drawer handles and pulls or your closet door and drawer slides. These are all the sorts of things buyers test out while they’re viewing a home. However, it also includes things that might work fine, but look outdated, like light switches, door knockers and kick plates. Hardware, as a general rule, is inexpensive as home fixes go – if it will make your home function more smoothly and look like it’s been well cared-for, the low investment is well worth an upgrade.
DON’T FIX: Replacing old windows. This is a project that many crave to do, especially if the windows are single-pane, aluminum framed, or involve rotten wood casings. But it’s also a project that can easily become extremely expensive, and one that often snowballs into costly, time-consuming framing repairs. Aluminum frames around windows can sometimes be spruced or painted to make them look at bit better, if absolutely necessary.“
“FIX: Paint. There is simply no accounting for the massive upgrade a fresh coat of paint can bring to the look and feel of your home, inside and out – especially given the relatively low cost and high do-it-yourself-ability of painting. Also, painting your trims, doors and moldings can go a long way toward de-shabbifying a place. Similarly, on the exterior of your home, I cannot overstate the polish potential of painting the trims a bright or deep, color. Changing the color and refreshing the paint on your exterior shutters, doors and eaves gives a powerful update and burst of color to the place.
DON’T FIX: That uber-luxe kitchen remodel you always wanted. Do gorgeous kitchens sell homes? Yes. But they also easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Unless your home’s existing kitchen is truly cringe-worthy, a high-end overhaul just before listing is not likely to even recoup what you spend on it. Repainting or refacing cabinets (instead of replacing them), installing butcher block counters (vs. marble or stone) and replacing your avocado green appliances with nice GE or Kenmore versions might be the route to go.
FIX: Plumbing problems. Plumbing leaks make noise, cause damage to the wood structure and areas around them and are often believed by buyers to cost more to fix than they actually do. In some parts of the home, plumbing leaks are prone to being called out as conditions conducive to long-term structural problems by pest and structural inspectors. If you can have a handyman or plumber come in and eliminate drips and leaks, you will simultaneously eliminate some buyers’ objections or concerns about your home.
(And this goes for sewer line issues, too. An increasing number of areas are now requiring that the sewer line from home to the sewer main in the street be inspected before or during a home’s sale – and be repaired or replaced if it is cracked or broken. If you’ve had chronic backups or your home’s sewer line is simply due for an inspection, work with your agent to get the appropriate inspector out there now to get an understanding of what sewer line work will need to be done to comply with any local point-of-sale ordinances.)
DON’T FIX: Malfunctioning, costly appliances. Consider offering a credit for the buyer to use to replace appliances that don’t work – or don’t work well. Buyers appreciate the ability to select their own new appliances on your dime.
FIX: Old and outdated hardware, fixtures and finishes. Hardware can refer to the little metalworks that make things work (or not) throughout your home, like hinges that make a door hard to close, cabinet and drawer handles and pulls or your closet door and drawer slides. These are all the sorts of things buyers test out while they’re viewing a home. However, it also includes things that might work fine, but look outdated, like light switches, door knockers and kick plates. Hardware, as a general rule, is inexpensive as home fixes go – if it will make your home function more smoothly and look like it’s been well cared-for, the low investment is well worth an upgrade.
DON’T FIX: Replacing old windows. This is a project that many crave to do, especially if the windows are single-pane, aluminum framed, or involve rotten wood casings. But it’s also a project that can easily become extremely expensive, and one that often snowballs into costly, time-consuming framing repairs. Aluminum frames around windows can sometimes be spruced or painted to make them look at bit better, if absolutely necessary.“
This blog is courtesy of The Dawn Thomas Team who is an
award-winning Real Estate Agent team at Intero Real Estate Services in Los Altos
650-701-7822. We help nice people with selling and buying homes from Palo Alto
to West San Jose!
No comments:
Post a Comment