Stop House Abuse!
August 7, 2009 by Elaine Manes · 4 Comments
As a home stager, it’s my job to help sellers get their homes in the best condition possible. Too often, removing clutter and rearranging furniture is not enough. Many homes suffer from longtime neglect, and even abuse. Broken windows, damaged doors, stained carpet, missing switch plates, lights that don’t work, all tell buyers that the home has not been properly cared for. Putting your house on the market is stressful enough, but when you have a list a mile long of things that need to be fixed, the stress level can go through the roof.
The best way I know how to avoid this problem is to keep up the maintenance on a regular basis. This will also help keep your expenses down at a time when you have the added costs of selling and moving. If you know you will be selling in the next three to six months, NOW is the time to start tackling those pesky fix-it problems. First order of business, make a list! When you fix one thing every weekend, for a dozen weekends, the work will be a lot less daunting. Don’t forget the outside maintenance, too. Your home’s first impression happens from the curb.
Just remember, buyers make lists, too. As they are looking at your home, if the list of problems gets too great, they may decide against buying your home.
One last reason to start your maintenance projects now; you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. I have had many a client say to me “This is the best this house has ever looked, and now we are selling it.”
Elaine is the Staging & Interior Re-design expert for the Get Home Denver Team. Her results have been described by many as "Magic!"
Certified as an Interior Redesign Industry Specialist, she has the Tools and Vision to provide our clients with the solutions they need!
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Not to mention as the buyers list gets longer, so does the offer price (going down that is). Keeping up on maintenance is much cheaper than trying to do a long list of repairs when listing the property.
Hi Craig! You are absolutely right! I’m sure the buyers hear that ca-ching in their heads as they realize what the home needs just to get it to a liveable condition. Also, if the buyers think the sellers can’t afford to fix up the home, they may read into it that the sellers are desperate to sell, and that means they are more likely to make a low offer.
Thanks so much for your comment!
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Glad to be of assistance!