8 Ways to Blow Your Home Sale In Parkland Florida
Even in a hot home market, your property won’t sell itself. Avoid these common pitfalls so you can get top dollar.
If you are thinking of selling your home, Spring and summer is a great time. Demand for homes is high and supply is limited in Parkland Coral Springs Boca Raton.With prices rising, jobs growing and mortgage rates low, buyers are in a shopping mood.Still, there are things that will make your home unable to compete with similar properties or leave it sitting on the market longer than it should — which often means you don’t get the highest price you can. As a home seller, your challenge is to make your home as appealing as possible — and that means you probably need to roll up your sleeve and invest a bit of time and money cleaning, repairing and sprucing up. call 954 802 8451 Lea & Rubin for staging tips.It’s not rocket science. Yet, surprisingly, some homeowners ignore even the basics. Here are 10 ways many home sellers shoot themselves in the foot:
1. Dirt and neglect
Many buyers want a home in some what move-in condition. Few things are less appealing than inheriting the previous owner’s dirt. So, make a great impression by cleaning up the place until it sparkles and replacing missing or broken hardware and old toilet seats.
Do this: Imagine your home through a buyer’s eyes as you:
- Scrub every cranny, cupboard and baseboard from basement to attic. Scour kitchen grease and dirt and dust around and under appliances.
- Clean tile and grout.
- Install fresh drawer liners.
- Replace old drawer pulls. (Ikea has good-looking, cheap ones.)
Cost: Elbow grease and $200 to $400 for cleaning supplies, hardware, toilet seats and drawer paper.
2. Odors
Smells are a serious turnoff. Many real estate agents tell clients to avoid cooking fish or frying food while the home is up for sale.
Pet odors can be most offensive of all. In fact, some realtors advise clients not only to banish litter boxes and smelly dog beds but also to remove any evidence of pets, including the pets themselves, while selling a home.
Do this: Clean thoroughly, rip out carpets (see below), clean the refrigerator, freezer, stove and oven. Scrub toilets thoroughly. Use baking soda in drains, including the garbage disposal. Remove trash and kitchen waste daily and before a showing.
Tuck lavender sachets in drawers, and put fresh flowers here and there, changing them frequently. Don’t try masking bad smells. Get rid of them with enzyme cleaning products or by removing the problem. Avoid chemical fragrances that may offend buyers or trigger allergies.
Cost: Your labor plus the cost of boarding pets, which can range from $20 to $70 per day per pet, depending on where you live.
3. Clutter
People shopping for real estate want to picture themselves living in your home. The less of your stuff they see, the easier that is. Minimal furnishings also make your home appear larger.
Do this: Remove and store items visible on counters, floors, furniture and tables, and under beds. Remove photos and collections on walls, shelves and bookcases. Keep art and decor clean, minimal and attractive but impersonal. Make it look like a fancy hotel.
Cost: Figure on spending at least $100 for organizing and cleaning materials and more if you must rent a storage facility or a truck for hauling.
4. No curb appeal
Curb appeal is that all-important first impression of your home. Neglect it and buyers will drive past and never get a look inside. You’ll boost the home’s sale price from 6 percent to as much as 28 percent by upgrading the curb appeal, according to HouseLogic.
Do this: Trim lawns, pull weeds, plant trees or perennial plants near the front door, scrub the porch and add some planted pots or baskets. Add a new walkway or edge the garden beds. Put fresh gravel on the driveway, and repair cracks in asphalt or cement. Put a fresh coat of paint on the front door.
Cost: A budget of $1,000 will go a long way toward improving your home’s curb appeal. Exterior house paint costs about $20 a gallon and up. Paint the front door or just the trim. Buy new pots, and plant them with colorful annuals. Weed flower beds, and install new plants. If you’ve still got money in your budget, add new door hardware and a brass kick plate.
Also, check out “Save Money on Lawn Care and Have the Best Yard on the Block” for more ideas.
5. A cave-like atmosphere
Buyers like to open blinds and turn on lights when touring for-sale homes. They need to get a good look at a property. A dark or dimly lit home appears drab and untended.
Do this:
- Trim shrubs and prune trees near windows.
- Dust blinds, drapes and shutters, remove and clean them or have them professionally cleaned.
- Replace dated or old window treatments and wipe down light fixtures and switch plates.
- Clean windows and skylights, inside and out.
- Clean, polish and repair interior and exterior light fixtures.
- Replace old or damaged lamp shades, light fixtures and dead bulbs.
- Upgrade the wattage of bulbs in lamps or fixtures where more light is needed.
- Install dimmer switches in bedrooms, living room and dining room for added drama.
- Repair stuck windows so they open easily.
- Replace torn screens.
Cost: Depending where you live you could pay from $15 to $30 an hour and up for household and garden help. Or do it all yourself if you’re able. A sparkling clean home will sell more quickly and fetch a better price.
6. Old carpeting
Photo (cc) by Mary-Lynn
Ninety-nine percent of agents surveyed by HomeGain recommended replacing your carpeting.
Do this: Choose light, neutral colors. If you can’t replace carpets, clean them thoroughly.
Cost: The cost of new carpet varies around the United States, but it’s easy to get an estimate from installers and some stores offer free installation with a minimum purchase. Get a rough estimate for carpets and installation by entering your ZIP code into the carpet installation cost calculator at homewyse.
7. Ugly paint
Dingy or peeling exterior paint probably won’t stop a home from selling. But buyers are likely to calculate the cost of the job and want it deducted from your sale price.
Do this: Repaint, if possible. If not, for a quick fix, clean the exterior thoroughly with a power washer.
Cost: Renting a power washer costs well under $50 a day. An investment of $1,406 in repainting improved sale prices by an average of $2,176, according to a survey of real estate agents by HomeGain, which sells marketing programs to real estate professionals.
8. Brass
Brass fixtures — light fixtures, hinges, door handles and knobs, kitchen and bathroom fixtures — once marked a tasteful home. Now they’re thought by fashionistas to be undesirable. Shiny is out. Duller finishes, like brushed nickel, are very in.
“When a buyer looks at [a] home with brass fixtures it pretty much screams, ‘I need to be updated,’ and buyers take notice of that,”“They will factor in an updating value when preparing an offer. The cost (of replacing brass) is far less than a major remodel and it makes good sense to de-brass before you put your house on the market.”
Do this: De-brass your home. (No kidding, this is a word. It may not be in the dictionary but home-improvement buffs and real estate agents use it.) Hire someone or take a weekend to do it yourself.
Cost: Combs de-brassed her house. “I believe it cost me about $2,000 for a handyman to change out all the door knobs, hinges, strike plates, etc., to brushed nickel from brass,” . not a bad idea to get more change in a home owners pocket.