If you are thinking about trying to sell your home at some point in the near future, then you will need to make sure that it is as attractive to potential buyers as possible. This is the kind of thing that is really important for you to think about, and it’s likely that you will need to make some changes in order to get the most equity out of your home. To help you with that, let’s look at some of the things that make your home more attractive to potential buyers.
Some items to consider:
The Exterior
First of all, you will need to think long and hard about the exterior of your home and whether it looks as you would hope it to look. Ideally you want it to look as picture perfect as possible so that people get a really good sense of the place just from looking at it, and so it has that all-important curb appeal.
Most real estate searches start online these days, and many MLS systems require that an exterior photo be shown as photo #1. This means that a potential buyer may click on, or bypass, your home simply from a one second look at the exterior. Make it as attractive as possible.
Take a look at your exterior paint, is it in good condition and a modern color for your area? Here in Florida, some older homes are very dark. Dark brown was in style for a while here, while now brighter and lighter neutrals are seen as much more desirable. Sometimes spending some money on the exterior color can really freshen up the home.
Take a look also at shutters. Sometimes the addition of shutters (or freshening them up with paint) can really help the look of a home.
You may want to pour some commercial concrete on the driveway to help it look like new, and consider looking at whether the fence needs replacing or at least repainting.
Everything Fixed Up
Ideally you will walk around your home trying to find any issues that might crop up for people, so that you can effectively figure out what kind of things you need to fix. Anything that needs fixing is going to take away from the potential value your home might have in people’s eyes, so you should think about trying to fix them as much as possible.
I’ve seen it over and over again, buyers simply can’t envision what a home could look like with some upgrades. And if something needs to be done, they always assume it’s going to cost them thousands of dollars. You’ll be doing yourself a favor if you go through your home first, and fix those things that an inspector might put on a report.
Maybe you can’t fix major items, but minor things like a sliding door that doesn’t open smoothly, or some wood rot that you could have a handyman change, should be addressed upfront. If you can fix minor items that would otherwise clutter up an inspection report, you should. And if you can make some cosmetic upgrades with budget friendly DIY projects, that’s always a plus and I have a ton of ideas for you here!
A Good Spot
Of course, you can’t do anything about this, but it’s important to be aware of it. If you have a good location for your home, then it is naturally going to be a much more attractive place for potential buyers, and you will find that you are going to have a much better chance of actually selling the home for the price you want. So if you know that you are in a good location, think about emphasizing it in the advertising and so on. That can really help a lot.
Marketing
Now that you have your home ready, make sure you have great marketing in place. Use a Realtor to price the home properly. Require that professional photos be taken of the home, since this is the first look prospective buyers will likely have of the property. If the home is empty, consider staging it with furniture. It will help buyers get an idea of how the home can look. Professional staging companies do a great job in making homes look desirable and they often cost less than you think. When I renovate a property and it’s empty, I often have it staged because it sells quicker and for more money. You can view some of those home flipping projects here.
Atrium Condo Flip
Southpointe Condo Flip
30 day Condo Flipping Project [with profit report]