Usually, spring season ushers in a wave of real estate activities, as sellers and buyers start plotting new moves to make a sale. However, this 2020, with countries on different degrees of lockdown and the pandemic halting many open houses, some sellers are having second thoughts about whether to list their homes or not.
The number of house sales across the country in April, according to the National Association of Realtors, was down 17.8% from March, and 17.2% from the past year. These numbers show that many sellers and buyers decided to take a break with the listings.
But, eventually, these sellers and buyers will come back into the real estate market. You can use this time to make sure your property looks its best when you are ready to sell. Below are some helpful tips on refurbishing your home to get it ready for sale.
A few changes indoors, such as new wood flooring, bathroom redesign, kitchen updates, and new paint, can often boost a home’s value. However, be mindful of your design choices. Your choices should not be overly personalized to attract more customers.
Keep in mind that soon your house won’t be yours. Another family will reside there and want to incorporate their style in the home. According to the chief executive and president of Curbio, Rick Rudman, sellers start to go faulty when they begin looking at dark or bright paint, luxury items, or redoing a kitchen.
The aim here is to have a clean and simple design and a neutral color palette- for example, a fresh coat of white paint. It is an affordable improvement that can significantly improve the look of a home.
Also, if the house you’re selling is empty, it might be worthwhile to refinish wood floors as it can increase the sale price to at least 5%. Moreover, the value of renovating bathrooms and kitchens is far less than certain. Home sellers might recover only $35,000 and $20,000, respectively.
Furthermore, if your house needs repair that you cannot afford, but still want to sell it fast even in any condition, contact Jeremiah Dalton, owner of Suffolk County House Buyers.
Curb appeal is critical when you are selling your house. That said, it’s important to tackle things that most people forget:
Moreover, if your lawn is brown and patchy, make sure to fix it. Take note that the largest return on value is usually on yard projects than interior renovations. Re-sodding and seeding the lawn can be more appealing to a potential home buyer.
According to a 2018 report by the National Association of Landscape Professionals and National Association of Realtors, a $375 lawn care service could raise the sales price of a home by at least $1000.
Homebuyers rely so much on virtual open houses, listing, tours, and showings nowadays. Thus, it’s important to have something that looks amazing in photos, videos, and in person.
During this time, with most areas on lockdown, watch out for home strain.
Due to the pandemic, all of us have been spending more time inside our homes than before. Because of this, the use of most systems and appliances in the house is accelerated. Doing this minimizes their lifespan. If you do not want to replace these things before selling the house, it’d be best to take care of them now.
Take the dishwasher, for instance. Before the pandemic, it might have been used at least once a day. However, with most of us eating all our meals at home, dishwashers have been used more often. In this case, you may need to clean the filter as often as possible.
Moreover, cooling and heating systems have shown an increase in demand. It’s especially true during the summer months when most people use their HVAC all day instead of only in the early mornings and evenings. With that said, HVAC filters must be changed regularly, too.
What’s more, if your washing machine is being used more often and uses rubber hoses to connect to supply lines, now might be a great time to upgrade these hoses to stainless steel, to prevent leakage of water.
When renovating bathrooms and kitchens, it’s quite easy to get carried away. However, many small maintenance and improvements are essential and don’t cost too much. These small upgrades include:
When everything gets better, and it’s time to sell your house, make sure that you’ve done your part to make it move-in ready, modern, and fresh. This way, you can attract more buyers and get the best price. Remember that the goal of these improvements is to make it more livable to potential buyers, not for you. Hence, don’t put in too much of yourself in the house when you decide to sell it.
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