Selling Your Home? A Seller’s Investment!

Written by Karen Walls

This Article appears in the Christian Journal News Jun 2004 Edition

Not only are Buyers making an investment when they purchase a home, Sellers especially now must make an investment if needed to sell their home. We are in a Buyers market and the competition is fierce. I remember the days of over bidding and multiple offers on one home. Now that has changed because of the economy and there are more sellers than buyers. You can easily as a buyer if looking for a piece of property find up to 10 or more properties matching your criteria. Therefore I urge my Sellers to invest into selling their home to make their home stand out! Believe it or not the basic principles still apply,neat and clean, but oftentimes the #1 complaint I get from buyers is homes not being neat nor clean enough to even consider. I would urge a Seller who cannot make upgrades or improvements to free their home of clutter and to clean their home before showing. I often times suggest having a friend who may be a neatnik to objectively walk through their home prior to placing their home on the market to give an honest evaluation. I also suggest to Sellers to remember the things that prompted the purchase of their home, the things they loved or disliked about it. Again take a step back in time , was it the space, etc? If so, make for less clutter to add more space. Your home may not be offering space to the buyer who perhaps has more storage needs or furniture than your own. Landscaping? Could you stand to weed or add flowers etc? Curb appeal is major!

Pay attention to details, or the brains of the home. I suggest a wise investment would be to have an independent private inspection performed on your home prior to selling. Some sellers perhaps may balk at this idea, but in most instances paying $195-250 to have this service performed is well worth the more pricier headache in the long run or kill a deal in the short run. It is better to isolate some or all of existing potential problems rather than to negotiate problems away in the selling price, especially if it can be avoided. Also, it is a wise idea to have a licensed contractor such as a roofer, plumber, furnace inspector or electrician give your home a once over. Roof, gutters, valleys, any leaks? A furnace check up is always a good idea with a service tag indicating your furnace is routinely maintained if an older unit. Check the condition of your water heater. If your funds do not allow for any repairs reflect this in price. The number one problem with homes sitting on the market is over pricing. Remember there is a difference between upgrades and cosmetic appeal. If you don’t remember an appraiser surely will when it comes to time to place a price tag on your home. Make sure that you have an open mind with what makes your home rise above the competition! If your home is marked up higher than market value, chances are buyers won’t take the time to haggle when there are so many more on the market to choose from! Good Luck!

Karen Walls

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