Do I Need to Fix Up The Property? |
When you list your property for sale, the price should reflect whether or not the property is going to be sold in tip top condition or is it going to be sold based on less than tip top condition. You first need to honestly assess the condition of the property. This takes some time and it requires you to put on a buyers hat. Arm yourself with pencil and notebook. Do this during the day when the light is bright. Let us start by walking across the street and looking at the property as a whole. We are looking at curb appeal. Does the landscaping look good? Does the roof look good? Does the structure of the house look good? Is there a fence, does it look good? The first impression that a buyer gets when they drive up to your home is absolutely critical. There will be buyers who will not even consider going into the home for further inspection if the front of the house is not in tip top shape. Let us cross back to your property. Walk the perimeter of the home. Is whatever is covering the outside walls in good shape? If there is any exposed wood on the walls or eaves or around windows and doors, does it need paint? Are there any broken or cracked windows? Are there any bent or missing screens? Is there any evidence of moisture (stains or rot)? How does the front door look? Are there any driveways or pathways leading to the home, and are they in good shape? Let us go inside the property. Each room must be evaluated carefully. Does the interior need repainting? Does the interior just need some touch-up paint? How is the flooring? Does any surface need redoing or just cleaning? Does every electrical fixture work? Are all light bulbs working? In the kitchen and bathrooms, are all plumbing fixtures free of leaks? Is the grouting clean and free of cracks and chips? Are the a/c-heating returns and filters clean? How does the garage look? If you have pets, an additonal inspection is required. Some times the honest opinion of some one who does not live in your home might be advisable. Whether you have dogs, cats, gerbils, fish, snakes, birds or whatever, these pets can leave lingering odors that you are not aware of anymore. Have a friend give the home a sniff test. Do not be offended if you are told the home has an odor. Even the best house keeper will normally have quite an extensive list of items that need some kind of work. If your home was in "model home" condition, what would be the purchase price? If you sold your home in "as is" condition, what would be the purchase price? Subtract these two prices. Look at the dollar amount. You can now decide if it is a good economic idea to fix up the house to "model home" condition. There are many ways to improve the curb appeal with out spending a lot of money. Good old cleaning and scrubbing goes a long way. Keep the house neat inside. Tidy up closets, buyers are always looking in closets. Start packing away personal items. In some rooms you might want to take out some of the furniture to give a larger appearance. If a room is a little dark, put bigger watt bulbs in the light fixtures. Keep kitchens and bathrooms as clean as possible. Some people recommend using some pleasant smelling odorizing system. Be careful. Do not over power the buyers with pleasant smells, they might feel you are hiding something. There are very good products on the market that take odors out of fabrics and carpets without adding strong odors themselves. Have a definite plan in handling the pet situation. If you have pets that will offend buyers, come up with some kind of solution. If you have a dog that barks or might bite a stranger, meet the buyer at the door, explain that if they will wait one minute you will put the dog in the back yard or the garage and will come back and show them the house. You might even consider a small note on the front door explaining this to the buyers. If you have unusual pets such as reptiles or insects, you might want to consider boarding them with a "good friend" during the selling period. We again emphasize the importance of looking at your home from a buyers stand point and asking yourself, would you buy this home? |
Jeannine Cutter (702) 283-8882 David Berg (702) 281-5827 |
