An Ounce of Prevention…Prepping Your Home for Sale
Even though home sales numbers are at record numbers, and the real estate market is turning into a seller’s market rather than the buyer’s market it has been over the past several years, there are still some important tips to consider when preparing your home to put on the market for sale. First of all, you will want to consult with a real estate professional, such as a Realtor, to find out about the sales activity in your area, the recommended sales price on your home based on recent comparatives of homes that have sold in subdivisions near you, and any changes or upgrades that the Realtor recommends for your home. Choosing a Realtor is a personal decision for you as a buyer. You have to be comfortable with that person on a “working habits” and a personality level. If you are laid back, you may want a Realtor who can relate to your laid back personality while still being aggressive for the sale of your home. Rule of thumb when it comes to hiring anyone is to check with your friends and family to see if there is anyone that would come highly recommended.
A Realtor can “get you halfway there” when it comes to the basics of your home sale. Another piece of advice to consider would be dependent on your budget. Like they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What this means is that if you have owned your home for longer than 5 years, there may be parts of your home’s structure and systems that may or may not be acceptable to a home inspector. If your home won’t pass an inspection, then your buyer cannot get a loan from their lender to close on the house. With that being said, if your budget allows, it would be good to hire a home inspector to do a pre-inspection on your home and tell you of any red flags or pitfalls you may have to fix or overcome in order to get your home ready to sell.
Another common phrase is, “you never get a 2nd chance to make a good first impression.” With it being a seller’s market, potential home buyers are going to be walking through many different homes, and you want to make sure that your home “stands out” in their mind so that 1) they fall in love with the place and buy it and 2) they remember it so much it stays on their “top 3” of homes they are trying to choose among. A way to make a terrific first impression is to let your Realtor guide you and do a home staging of your home. This means that you want to clean up all of your clutter and unnecessary furniture and accessories and possibly move your furniture around to make the home more open and appealing. If you have a talented Realtor who has a lot of experience doing this for you, they will be able to guide you on how to best set up your home to grab a buyer’s attention and then “drag them to the closing table!”
Keep in mind to clean up, fix, and accessorize the most important aspects of your home – consider these your “hot buttons for buyers:”
- Paint and Walls: It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint on the walls and even the trim can make in a home that is “well-worn” from years of use. It will look and smell fresh – almost like new!
- Lighting: There are constantly new lighting trends on the market, and they “recycle” every 1 – 3 years, so if your home is very old, your fixtures may be out of date. In order to “modernize” your home, you may consider picking up some tasteful, yet inexpensive lights at your local hardware store or Lowes / Home Depot in order to give your old home a new sheen.
- Tubs & Sinks: Hygiene matters to most people, so scrubbing your sinks, tubs, and toilets is vital to selling your home and selling it quickly. If you are looking to invest a little money into getting yourself moved, you may even want to replace any bathroom appliance that may have stains on it from rusty or alkaline water. Typically, these stains cannot be removed very easily with everyday bathroom cleaners.
If you are interested in selling your home and building or buying a new or custom home, you should definitely consider purchasing a new home for sale at Bedico Creek in Madisonville, Louisiana. Bedico Creek offers 6 individual neighborhoods which feature lots for sale. We have a list of St. Tammany Parish builders from which to choose who can help you every step of the way with the design of your new or custom home as well as the building process of your home. Contact Bedico Creek Preserve today for more information, call 985-845-4200 or E-mail [email protected].
