As you have heard a million times these days, home buyers are picky. Though the first time homebuyers credit and low prices may have gutted the supply in some areas, but homes to choose from are plentiful elsewhere. This gives qualified buyers the upper hand. Aside from competitive pricing, what can you as a motivated seller do to make your home stand out, especially if you aren't in a position to make costly upgrades? This is a concern especially in a development filled with many similar homes.
Don't curb buyer enthusiasm with poor curb appeal! Make the yard looks great, the yard is neat, and the siding clean and in good shape. If you paint the exterior, use an appealing standard color. I once knew of a neighborhood where one owners painted the home Halloween orange with black shutters; another choose shocking pink for their large colonial. The odd colors limited interested buyers and were a disincentive to many to get out of the car.
Don't include your dirt in the price! Most new homeowners expect to do a little light cleaning before bringing their stuff into their new home, not a major effort when moving into a new place. Make sure that kitchens and bathrooms, in particular, are spotless. If cleaning is not your thing, hire an afternoon of a cleaning service to make the place shine and then develop a family chore routine to keep it like that.
Don't promote your memories. Remove the family mementos, extra furniture, and clutter from you home to help newcomers see themselves living there. Even if you like to have all your appliances handy in the kitchen and every cosmetic at arm's length in the bathroom, remember that a potential buyer may think, "O no, not enough storage space!"
Don't overlook minor repairs. Even if you can't remodel a kitchen or bathroom to improve resale value, you need to fix the leaky faucet or running toilet, replace the ripped screen, and make other minor repairs .If you aren't equipped to fix the broken step, hire someone who can do it right - jerry rigged repairs do not cut it with savvy buyers.
Don't skimp on cheap upgrades. If you can't do the big upgrades like replacing the carpet, make sure to have it professionally cleaned. If the carpet is threadbare and rumpled, considered having it pulled up and then have the floors redone; hardwood floors are popular again. Make sure your home is freshly painted to give it a clean, fresh look.
There may not be a magic bullet for selling your home in the current economy, but a clean, clutterfree home that is ready to move into is very appealing. As buyers rush to take last minute advatage of the tax credit, make sure your home is in position to be noticed!
Look to your Lehigh Valley Don Wenner expert when selling your home in Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton. He gets results.
