Truths - Improvements To Get More

OK, so how do you get more money for your home? How do you increase the actual value of the perceived value if the fair market value range is the fair market value range?

Well, for one thing, talk to your agent well in advance about smart renovations. For example, 1 seller might be best to update their kitchen vs reno’ing it, by changing the countertop to a nice (but neutral) stone countertop with a current tile backsplash that melds the oak cabinets into a more modern style. Maybe the walls just need a refresh coat of paint in a more modern and warmer palette? Maybe the flooring needs to be professionally replaced so the wear and tear of the house are much less apparent. None of these items are necessarily that huge of an expense, but maybe they are exactly what the home needs, vs a full 1 room only expensive reno that now does not match the rest of the home. But let’s just look for a moment at some things that ALMOST ALWAYS are recommended no matter what the state of the home is in, no matter what era the design reflects, no matter how well reno’d your home already is. This relates a little less to your home itself, but rather to how your home is presented and showcased.

Cleaning

When buyers look to buy, what they are typically looking to do is to move up in life. They want to move to a place where they will be more organized, more active, more relaxed, more entertained, etc. It is hard to imagine being in a better state when the home already reflects that this is not the case for the people that are here now. Think of it like this, if you went for a massage does the quality of the massage really depend on the environment? If you walked into a dingy and unkempt place with the sound of traffic in the background and had a great massage would you be as happy with.. and willing to pay as much.. as if it were the same massage in a nice clean spa, with mood lighting, and candles, the sound of water in the background, and big soft plush towels with a professionally dressed and well-mannered greeter taking you to a well-presented masseuse? So, get a cleaning company, and keep it clean. Have your kids and your pets stay at their grandparents… Just kidding, you have to live in it, but you also have to be aware, that the buyers, EVEN the nicest of them, won’t be as attracted to a house that isn’t spotless as one that is, and that USUALLY ends up meaning a longer time to sell, and less money in your pocket. OH, and by the way, dirty countertops in a buyer's mind mean leaky sinks that were not fixed causing rot. A cluttered closet means wiring that isn’t done right. You might think I am nuts saying that but buyers are nervous, and what goes through their minds psychologically may not make sense, you can argue that but it doesn’t matter, because you are arguing with the wrong person.

Decluttering

OK, so this is the deal, you have way more stuff than you realize, and no packing away stuff does not make the place feel less homey, it feels bigger, less cluttered, and easier to picture the buyer's prized possessions in vs yours. If you look at veritably any show home, they will have “Stuff” but they won’t look at an empty spot on a shelf, and say, HEY, that can’t be like that, it needs something. Look if your actually serious about selling your going to have to pack this stuff up anyway. And I have to tell you 80% of what a stager does to an existing furnished home, is take most things away and move a few things around, they just do it in a way that works, from a trained eye, looking at your home so as to best prepare it so that when a buyer walks in, they picture it in its best light.

Styling

Okee Dokee then, let's talk about that re-arranging for a quick bit. My wife is constantly moving things around, my sister used to do it as well. It drives me NUTS, I hate it, both of these people are so good at decorating it isn’t even funny and both get massive compliments regularly. The place looks great, so why would you mess with it???? BUT, I gotta admit, and don’t tell either of them I said, this, almost invariably, it looks even better after the tweaked out version. I didn’t think it could, but it does. And definitely don’t tell either of them that I said this, but if an Actual PROFESSIONAL, who has been trained to do this, and does this day in and day out, through multitudes of different situations came through, this person would probably do even better. K, SERIOUSLY, don’t tell them I said that. And by the way, we recently listed our place for sale, we get compliments non-stop on my wife's decorating and design, but when we listed it, we had 4 full days, of running to get the property prepped and ready for photos and video. Click on the link HERE and take a look and I am sure that even without having seen it before, you’ll see what I mean by “STYLED”

Staging

OK then back to that show home. I hear sellers say this to me, and they say it a lot. This is a great home. What they are really saying is: this is a great home, so it is going to sell fast and for top dollar. The problem is this, there are many great homes out there, many beautiful homes, THIS home is not the only one, it's not like there is no competition, so it is only really great if it is a home that shows great value, which comes back down to price. BUT… new homes, tend to be great homes, as well. YET, builders don’t rely on their great NEW home, to sell itself, they professionally stage these homes, they showcase what it could be like to live here. They add that extra expense knowing it pays off in ROI. But WHY? Because they have gotten past the “it’s a great home, and progressed to… It’s a great home, WITH GREAT PRESENTATION, and great marketing. So it's going to go for top dollar. Don’t get cocky when it comes to selling such a large asset, you have to pull out all the stops (where it actually counts) if you want to get top dollar.

Let me wrap this up with a quick (and true) story to show my point, Totally unrelated, but totally relevant at the same time. I went to look at a used car quite a while back. It was an old car but it had low mileage and I needed something. When I arrived the gentleman met me at the door (it was a condo) he was carrying a binder which he handed me, and I kid you not, every service receipt he had ever had was in that binder three-hole punched and I honestly think he ironed the pages before putting them in there (he was an engineer). He walked me over to a very old, but pristinely clean car. I bought that car in my mind when he handed me the binder, I KNEW it was a good car and well taken care of. When I actually saw the car, IMMACULATELY clean, it was a moot point for me to take it for a test drive. That car was a good deal and I was going to buy it, then and there.