Hey Seller, You Forgot To….
Ideas from a Realtor on Items Under $100 that can make or break your home sale!
Lately I’ve toured homes with buyers –and you see that every room is picture perfect, and then…you go into the …Garage….
and see an oil stained floor, messy walls, and no matter what light switch you put on …it still looks dark and scary, and smells like old garbage or something strange. I mean I’ve toured $600,000 homes and thought, my goodness, why didn’t they spend the $50 on a gallon of paint and hit that floor in the garage, just one time! Maybe spend $200 and get a nice textured paint to really shine. Just that alone would greatly enhance the garage and make it welcoming. And how come the listing agent didn’t advise the same? Sellers, I hope you are reading this, and if you take one Saturday and work on your garage, it could really make the difference in your homes value versus another one, with a lazier seller.Front Door.
Another forgotten item –is old hardware on the front door. I’ve seen some rusty and old door handles and also thought: this is the first impression of a home! For $20 get a new lockset and make sure your front door is clean and neat as well.Windows.
Clean windows are a must! Take a few rolls of paper towels and a bottle of windex and get going! Make sure every window sparkles. Cost: $10. And do that once a week until our home is closed, please.Clutter!
Please, go to Walmart, buy a few boxes and packing tape (cost $10)—and get all that stuff that you don’t use everyday, pack it away and grab back more home to show and sell! Don’t tell me you don’t have room to store it. Pay a friend $100 to put it in their garage until your home sells, donate it to charity or place it in plastic tubs on the side of your home. Do whatever it takes to get rid of the mounds of collectibles you have. Old towels in newer bathrooms. An easy fix. Just buy new, donate the old, and in this way, your bathroom looks somehow newer and more appealing.Outside.
Mold or mildew on the exterior or on the siding or brickwork/sidewalks. Hire a neighborhood handyman with a power washer and make sure you get things looking clean and new! A professional may cost $350 and I have found this can add more than $10,000 to a home sale price.I have more ideas for you, but that means you need to hire me to sell your home, building or business. Thanks for reading.
The author is Carolyn Mac Evoy, Broker of Mac Evoy Real Estate Co., a 2nd generation real estate firm, started in NJ and continued in Florida. Should you be needing housing or commercial property or farm land in Florida, please contact her at: carolyn@macevoy.org or by calling 772.925.4791.
