Selling A House In Colorado Springs – Preparing Your Home
So now that you are attempting to think a little different, the first thing you must think about when getting your home ready for sale is what would a buyer think? Why? “He who holds the gold makes the rules.” They have the checkbook, you’re darn right we care what they think! The more you think like a buyer when preparing your home, the easier it will be to sell your home. Let me give you a little insight based on walking 100’s of buyers through 1000’s of homes since 2002.
What Buyers Think:
- Buyers associate dirty, cluttered, and unkept homes with “not well taken care of”.
- Buyers cannot look past your furniture and belongings
- Buyers will drastically over estimate what it costs to repair things. What this means to you is:
- Buyers will briefly notice all those awesome projects you have done to your house, but will harp on what needs to be done
- 95% of buyers do not want to take on a “project home” and if they are willing to do so will want a major price discount to do so.
- Carpet and paint allowances mean nothing to most buyers. Thanks to our TV and internet culture, people have become increasingly visually driven. Seeing the bad condition of existing items in the home will rule out a home for most buyers. (See first bullet)
So you are probably looking at that and saying “So my house needs to be a model home?” The answer is no. There are other overriding factors that can cause a buyer to act on a less than perfect home.
Factors that can override condition and staging are:
- Scarcity of inventory
- A very desirable lot attribute (backing to open space, views etc…)
- If your home is priced competitively for the area and condition.
I try to keep it simple for my clients….your house doesn’t need to be the prettiest and it doesn’t need to be the cheapest..but compared to your competition it needs to be the best “bang for the buck”. CAPISCE?!?
Here are my general guidelines for getting your home ready for sale:
Want a detailed list of EVERYTHING I would recommend for YOUR home including staging, repair and update recommendations and how they will increase your bottom line? …contact me
Exterior Recommendations:
- Landscaping should be alive, well pruned, weed free, and manicured.
- Driveways and sidewalks should be in good shape. Not cracking and heaving all over the place.
- Exterior paint (and stain) should be in good condition and not some crazy color.
Interior Recommendations:
- Rent a storage unit, most of us have too much stuff and it shouldn’t be present when showing your home for sale. It gives the buyer the impression that your home is too small and makes them think that their stuff wont fit. Start packing the stuff you don’t use everyday and get it out of your house. P.S. Your garage isn’t a storage unit. Your garage should fit the number of cars it is supposed to.
- I love color and think color does a lot to add character and flavor to your home. I am not a believer in everything being beige. HOWEVER, drastic colors like your teenagers black room or your blood red “50 Shades” dungeon should be toned down or neutralized.
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Fix your house. Things like broken doors, trim, holes in walls, chipped or cracked tiles, marked up walls, cracks in walls, replace damaged or un-cleanably stained carpets, etc… You are used to it probably don’t even notice these things anymore…but a buyer will! - Clean your house! And we’re not just talking about picking up your clothes here. Your house should go through a DEEP cleaning….including: Wash windows, Wipe down baseboards, Dust upper shelves, ceiling fans, light fixtures, etc…Have your carpets cleaned (or replaced if they need it)
- Update your house – Small improvements will render big dollars
when it comes to a buyers perception of your home.
- Door knobs (don’t forget the hinges), light fixtures, faucets, etc… It’s cheaper than you think.
- Still rockin’ that pink tile in your bathroom or yellow laminate countertops? You know what to do.
- Think your kitchen is retro kitsch? It’s not.
- Have something weird in your house like a grow room, S&M Dungeon, Stripper pole, mirror on the ceiling over the master bed, dining room as a motorcycle shop, or hot tub in your garage (all of which I have seen mind you), get rid of it. You can pick up where you left off in your new home.
- Each room should be staged so that size feels large and utility is maximized.
Pro Tip:
Don’t put your house on the market until it is 100% ready. Many homeowners are anxious to get going and want to list it right away and then continue to finish projects and clean. Waiting to put your house on the market until it is ready will actually result in less overall time to get your home sold and at a higher price! When your home initially hits the market, there will be an “inventory” of people that have “seen everything” on the market and are waiting for new inventory to pop up. Once they see your house, they won’t revisit it again. You want to make sure that your home shows perfect from the very first showing.
Mindset | Home Prep | Time On Market | Contracts