MARKETING TIPS FOR HOME SELLERS

It won’t be any surprise to you that at sale time, any home in good physical condition will have a competitive edge over the fixer-upper. Routine maintenance is the best way to prevent major repairs. So if you have been putting them off before, try to make them before selling your home, and you may even be able to reduce your capital gains tax if they were made 90 days before the sales date.

 

Ideally, the following list of common problems should be corrected early to increase a home’s appeal and increase its selling price:

 

Check and Repair the Major Systems – Buyers generally don’t want to repair the critical areas such as roofs, foundations, central heating and air conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems.

 

Make Maintenance Improvements – Generally easy and inexpensive to make, regular maintenance can improve a homes appearance, efficiency, and comfort. These include

trimming shrubs, caulking and weatherstripping windows, cleaning gutters, ventilating closed basements and crawl spaces, sloping soil around the foundations away from the house, replacing dirty filters in heating/air conditioners including having them serviced, and cleaning chimneys.

 

Pay Attention to Details – Fixing even minor items substantially improves that important first impression of your home. These include repairing leaky faucets, tightening loose doorknobs, replacing damaged screens and broken glass, securing loose railings, patching holes and cracks on walls and ceilings, repairing wallpaper, replacing water stained draperies, and making sure the doorbell works.

 

Another area in which you can prepare is for the buyer’s prepuchase inspection. It’s a good idea to assemble in advance various records that can be used to answer questions

from buyers and their home inspectors. Specifically, try to have on hand 1) appliance receipts, 2) service records, 3) warranties, 4) information on the age of major components such as heater, air conditioner, water heater, etc., and 5) utility bills for the previous year.

 

When it’s time to sell your home, take the necessary steps to make it more attractive and desirable. Give it the competitive edge that makes the sale go more smoothly and swiftly, and your efforts should be rewarded.

 

 

Categories: Market Updates Remodeling