When you make the decision to sell your home, it can be tricky to know which changes would make your home sell more quickly or boost the sale price-and which would be a waste of your time & resources.  Each home (and each homeowner) is different; that’s why we’ve come up with eight key questions to ask yourself before making any changes to prep your home for sale.

These first three questions will help you take the temperature of the real estate market in your area & assess the competition.

1. How hot or cold is the market in your area? Are homes being snapped up after the first open ouse, or are they languishing on the market for months? Are homes being sold at or near the asking price, or for much lower? Are open houses bustling with people, or is attendance sparse? Get a feel for the market in your area by contacting me and checking local listings.  If it’s a sellers market, you may be able to get away with doing fewer repairs & modifications before selling, and still have good results – in a buyers market, expect to do more work to make a positive impression o buyers.
2. How fast are you looking to sell? If you need to sell your home immediately – say, because you have already committed to buying another home or need to move because of work – it is in your best interest to do everything in your power to ensure a quick sale at the highest price possible. If you have more flexibility, and you feel uncomfortable making too many pricey changes to your home before selling, it may make more sense to focus on cleaning, decluttering & making small costmet changes.  If you aren’t getting the offers you would like, you can always decide to spring for a few bigger changes later & relist your home.
3. What is the condition of comparable home on the market? It can be quite helpful to know a little about the homes that buyers in your area are looking at.  Examine photos of homes for sale in your area or even attend a open house & make a mental note of how the other homes compare to yours.  Are the kitchens updated? Are the floors in good shape? If all of the other homes you see have a certain feature that yours lacks, consider making that a priority.
4. Does the faulty item give the impression the property has not been well cared for? Leaky faucets, cracked tiles, an overgrown lawn, broken appliances or anythng else that doesn’t work as it should can immediately turn off buyers.
5. Can you find a less expensive fix? Let’s say you scoped out the comparable homes on the market, and they all have updated kitchens but yours hasn’t been touched for some time. Instead of giving a full kitchen remodel, why not swap out cabinet hardware, paint the cabinets, change the fixtures & upgrade appliances.
6. How much will you realistically need to lower the price if you don’t fix it? If you have alot of costly repairs to tackle to get your home ready to sell, you may be considering selling in as is condition.
7. Is it one of the first things potential buyers will see? First impressions are key, and that is never more true than in the real estate business! If you have a repair you are unsure about tackling, reach out to me and let’s make that determination together.
8. Could it be a deal breaker? Some home repairs, like a new roof, are just so major that they will care off all but the most determined buyers.  If the market in your area is hot, there’s no harm in trying to sell without making the big repair, as long as you are willing to price it accordingly.

Reach out to me and let’s talk about the market and what your area is doing.

Sandy Herrick

ReeceNichols

913-205-4333