Sell Your House Faster When You Fix These Issues
Strangely enough, the biggest turn-off for buyers, the one thing that outdates your home more than anything else, what prevents you from selling your home faster is your furnishings and decor! Yes, I know it’s strange because the furnishings and decor do not convey with the house. But the fact is, home buyers are most affected by outdated furnishings. They simply can’t see past them, even if some of your finishes and fixtures have been updated. This bizarre point is why staging can be so important for home sellers.
The second greatest impact on home buyers is paint color. Even if a home has a brand new kitchen or bathroom, if the house is painted in outdated, bold or ugly paint colors, you may as well have burned the money you spent on those renovations in the old kitchen oven. Buyers have a hard time seeing past disagreeable paint colors. Again, you may have a difficult time accepting such an inexplicable idea, but you do so at the risk of keeping your house unsold for months.
What Else Lowers Your Home’s Value?
It’s no secret buyers want move-in ready homes. And houses with hardwood floors, especially on the main level, are currently considered more move-in ready than those with wall to wall carpeting. So if wall to wall carpeting greets the prospective home buyers stepping into your house, their first thought is “ugh, I don’t want the hassle and expensive of tearing this out and putting in hardwood!” They would prefer to buy the house down the street that already has hardwood floors.
Got oak cabinets in your kitchen? Buyers don’t like them either. The good news is, as long as those cabinets are in good condition, you can often paint them off white. This tactic seems to work well and as long as the job is done correctly, buyers are happy.
And while we’re in the kitchen, get rid of those white or black appliances. They scream OLD just as loudly as turquoise, avocado and harvest gold. You’ll make it easier to sell your house faster in the Washington DC area when you replace them with stainless steel or paneled appliances.
Are You Kidding Me?
Do I need to mention the pink and green bathroom toilets, bathtubs, sinks and tiles?! Unless the buyer is a real estate investor, these colors will deter most buyers. If your bathroom can not be renovated, consider glazing. You can use this technique on everything except for the toilet and it will give the bathroom an entirely new look that may be acceptable to some buyers, especially if the house has other good selling points.
Generally speaking, it’s not that difficult to update your home before you put it on the market. I know it seems overwhelming, but a good real estate agent can refer you to a contractor who makes the job super easy. My personal recommendation is Moore Construction Group. They handle all of our Express Homebuyers’ renovations and I can’t think of a better company to update your home for sale.
Looking at the comps in your area will tell you where your investment dollars are best spent. And better you spend the money on necessary updates BEFORE you put your house on the market rather than suffering through price reduction after price reduction for months while your house sits, waiting for offers.
Tracy Kay Griffin is a member of Express Homebuyers Design Team. She was the Series Designer for HGTV’s “Get It Sold,” a Guest Designer for HGTV’s ” My First Place” and the Lead Stager for Washington DC’s premier staging company, Red House Staging & Interiors.
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