Republished by
National Realtors Directory
Not part of or affiliated with the National Association Of Realtors.
According to the NAR only real estate brokers and agents that are members of the NAR are allowed to use the title Realtor.
The following article Home Improvements That Will Sell Your Home was authored by Scott Williams and is republished in this directory with the author's permission. These articles are published as an information source for real property owners, buyers, sellers, investors and brokers.
|
Home Improvements That Will Sell Your Home
by: Scott Williams
Q. What are the most important ideas to keep in mind so your home fix up projects net the most money when selling time comes?
A. It’s what’s up front that counts. First impressions are made in less than 90 seconds. When shopping for a home the 90 seconds take place between parking the car and walking to the front door.
Q. What do you recommend?
A. I have my top ten list of items that contribute to making the first impression be favorable:
1. Replace the door knob, dead bolt and knocker with new - try shiny brass.
2. Replace the house numbers with 5” Baldwin numbers - try brass.
3. Replace the front porch light - try brass.
4. Replace the door bell switch - try brass.
5. Replace the mail box.
6. Get an expensive new door mat.
7. Paint the front door and the trim around the door.
8. Re-plant flower beds - reds, blues, purple, not gold, white or yellow.
9. Bark all the flower beds with fresh redwood walk-on bark.
10. One flower pot with a single bouquet of yellow flowers at the front door. This is the greeting bouquet.
Q. Sounds like good ideas for just before a house goes on the market. What about for homeowners who plan to sell further in the future?
A. The same first impression idea applies. If you have months or years before you will sell, install plantings that will grow to improve the curb appeal. Invest in walkways, driveways, fences, hedges, steps, to give the home privacy and a feeling of being nestled into the lot. Many homes lack a feeling of an “entry” coming from the street to the front door. When you have several years before selling use the advantage of time to have your investment in landscape grow into true curb appeal.
Q.Do you believe in front lawns?
A. No. Since the drought ten years ago, water tolerant plantings have far surpassed grass as the economical and popular front yard. Grass is fine for rear yards.
Q. What about interior improvements that will be most profitable?
A. The guiding idea is that the large cosmetic surfaces of a home make the most impression. These are the painted walls, the flooring and the window coverings. Improving these surfaces always has the most impact on the impression that a home makes. These improvements produce between $2 and $4 increase in value for every $1 spent at selling time. During the first year after making these improvements the greatest profit is made, so sellers commonly do this sort of work just before coming on the market. After 5 years the “glow” has faded from cosmetic improvements and they will no longer impress a buyer.
Q. What about kitchen or bath remodels, adding on a room or similar larger projects?
A. These are best done soon after you move into a home. They are more costly, but will attract buyer’s attention for longer than 5 years so you can enjoy them yourself for years and still have a buyer pay you a premium for your improvements. Larger projects return less profit, generally $1 to $1.5 dollars per $1 spent, but they can make your home more attractive to a larger pool of buyers. The home will sell faster and you will likely more than get your money back. If you are unfortunate to have to sell in a poor market at a future date these improved homes have a much better chance of selling.
Q. Any warnings to the home improver?
A. Yes. Building improvements are continually going through fads, which are short term, and fashion evolution which is longer term. Going with fads or decorating in fashions that are10 or more years behind current fashions can net much less profit. Colors, cabinet styles, floors, and window coverings move in and out of fashion. Seek help from more than just store clerks or the paint crew before making major surface choices. Consultation on these matters is available from a relatively small group of local Realtors. I have produced a free 20 minute audio tape to help homeowners make these decisions. I have consulted on the question improving vs. moving for twelve years and taught a SBCC Adult-ed class on the subject for many years. I can refer local designers who have an excellent grasp of fixing up for profit. For the free cassette or if you have specific questions Scott Williams can be reached at 805-563-4031.
Scott Williams has been involved in the real estate industry since 1977. By 1981 he rocketed to become the number one Santa Barbara agent in an organization with more than 200 agents. He has achieved the annual number one status in his office 14 times. Prior to entering real estate Scott graduated from UCSB. He has two children and mentors in the “Fighting Back” program.
He is a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), a Graduate of the Realtor’s Institute (GRI), and teaches real estate courses for Santa Barbara Community College. Mr. Williams can be contacted at http://www.scottwilliams.com
This article was posted on February 14, 2005
|
This article is the property of and published with the permission of Scott Williams. For more information regarding the author or to contact the author visit his website at http://www.scottwilliams.com
For more information and articles on real estate see National Realtors Directory - Real Estate Articles or for other real property information and articles see National Realtors Directory.
Realtors, real estate brokers, agents and sales people, if you would like to submit an article, please go to the submit articles link below. This link is for real estate professionals only.
The opinions, statements and information contained and expressed in the foregoing article are solely those of the author. No position for or against, agreeing with or disagreeing with anything contained in said article is taken by National Realtors Directory.com
We do not assume or accept any liability for the use of the information contained herein. This article is published solely as a service to real property owners, buyers, sellers, investors and real estate brokers, agents and sales people. Anyone who does not accept this disclaimer is not authorised to read or use this article in any way.
submit your site submit articles submit news or press reports submit testimonials
realtor directory home report bad links contact us
|