The market has changed and for sale signs are once again popping up all over the place. With housing inventories in the Phoenix market increasing, sellers need to do more to get their property ready for sale. By making a modest investment in the following items, sellers can help their agent sell their home faster and for more money.
Curb Appeal
In a market that is often governed by Homeowners Associations, there is only so much that we can do to improve the curb appeal of our homes. I recently saw a segment on a morning news show where a prominent real estate broker in New York told a seller in Phoenix to extend the porch over the entry to open up the home, paint the house a unique color (because it just blended in), and plant trees down the sides of the lot, all of which were violations of the HOA’s rules.
Instead of breaking the rules, abide by them! Make sure that you landscaping is well maintained and that your grass, if you have any, looks perfect. Remove the sun shades on the front of the house, clean the windows, power wash the front of the house (including the oil stains in the driveway), remove the dead bush, and blow any leaves or debris out of the rocks. Quite simply, if someone drives by and your yard is a mess, they will likely keep on driving…
Warm Up the Entry
Curb appeal is important, but if you fail to set a positive first impression, you just whiffed! How does your house look when walking up to and through the front door? Does it feel alive and inviting or dead, dreary, and depressed? If it were a person, would you want to get to know them better?
Putting some flowers in flower pots by the door can add some inexpensive color to our oft-bland porches (and you can usually take the pots with you when you move out). Wipe all dirt off of the door with a wet sponge, buy a nice new door mat that welcomes your visitors in, and make sure that all monsoon-driven dirt and leaves are swept out of the entry. If the door frame and door is faded or has peeling paint, you should paint it (using HOA approved colors, of course).
You will also want to pack away most of your personal items in the entry, such as family pictures. Seeing someone else’s family throughout the home makes it hard for buyers to envision themselves living in the property, which is a crucial psychological step in the purchase process. Not to sound mean, but most of our buyers are turned off when inundated by pictures of your smiling faces the instant they walk through the front door.
Clean, Clean, Clean!
A property’s cleanliness is often the number one complaint made by prospective buyers. We see it in so many homes that have been sitting on the market: dirty carpets, kid-schmegged walls, air filters that have obviously never been changed, baseboards that have never been cleaned, mildew in the bathrooms, pet smells… The condition that we have become accustomed to is often repulsive to a buyer; a dirty house is not only unwelcoming, it also gives the impression that the property has been poorly maintained and will start falling apart the second the buyer moves in.
Being a father of three children under 6, I understand how difficult it is to keep a property in show condition. For that reason, I recommend seeking professional help! Step out of your comfort zone and hire a professional cleaning crew to do a top-to-bottom deep clean of your property. Remember that your standard of clean is rarely ever acceptable to others. Just ask my mother-in-law. 😉 We also strongly recommend hiring a carpet cleaning company to clean and deodorize every carpeted surface in your house. Finally, thin out the clutter by packing a lot of the items that you do not use on a regularly basis. Once these are completed, maintaining a clean house will be much easier!
I know what you are thinking, “You’re nuts! Making these improvements and hiring someone to take care of this stuff could cost a seller $1,000!” Studies have shown that not doing it could cost them a lot more: we often find that having a dirty house reduces the sales price of a property by 2-5%. If inventories continue to rise, that could increase to 7% or more.
Do you want that buyer to purchase your property, one of the other two on your street, or one of the other thirty in your neighborhood?
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Arizona is a beautiful state with endless offerings for people in all walks of life. If you have questions regarding topics covered within this blog post or otherwise please contact Zac directly, he’d be happy to get your questions answered,Call 866-749-7356.
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