10 Tips for Selling an Older Home
Selling a home gets quite tricky especially when it is an older one. Besides the older designs and features, which makes it a less attractive option, is the wear and tear experienced with time. Moreover, buyers, these days inspect so many other things before investing in a house. Hence, a few smart moves can help you find a buyer easily and earn a good consideration too.
No matter how old your home is or where the same is located, the following tips will prove beneficial when it comes to selling it:
1. A little repair and maintenance is never harmful.
You might be reluctant to spend money on any repair works for the house you are planning to sell. But, some smart repairs can do wonder for the deal you are hoping to strike. Go for fixing the small issues like fixing a leak, mending a door, replacing the door handles, fixing the cabinets, treatment for termites or repairing the sink/basin. No one likes to live in a house with these problems. Caring care of these issues will surely attract the buyer to invest in your home. However, make sure not to spend on huge improvement projects as they will cost more than the payout.
2. Get inspections done.
Getting an inspection and appraisal done by a professional will assure your buyers and their banks that the house is fit for accommodation. It is highly recommended to get an inspection done especially when it is an older home. It will only cost you a few hundred dollars, but the assurance it provides the buyer is worth thousands of buck. The buyer anyway has to get an inspection done after purchasing. Before they turn down the offer thinking about the house not passing an inspection, you can show them the certificate and turn the table.
3. Purchase a home warranty.
Invest in a home warranty covering electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, and home appliances. With insurance in your hand, the insurance company will pay the new homeowner if any major issues occur in the above-mentioned processes in the first year. The insurance will again cost you a few hundred dollars. But it gives your buyers the assurance that they won’t be faced with major repair expenses during the first year of ownership.
4. Focus on creating first impressions.
In the Real Estate sector, the first impression is the last impression. If the buyer is not satisfied with the first visit, he is never coming back. So stage your house in a way that it appeals to whoever visits it. For starters get rid of your wall pictures, showpieces and all unnecessary stuffs at your home. The idea is to present the home in the most simple and vacant form to give the buyer an idea of how spacious it is. Let hi make a mental note of the structure and shape of the rooms. Clear your wardrobes and storage shelves to present a clear picture. The more you present the home with less clutter, the more it appeals to the buyer.
5. Light up the rooms.
Old homes appear quite dark as compared to the ones built newly. It is important that your house appears bright and sunny for the buyer. Dark and dull presence generally creates a negative impression. Clean your windows, replace old curtains with lighter ones, and install more lights in the rooms that make them bright. Update your light fixtures if needed. No one likes to invest good money in a house that does not give away positive vibes.
6. Paint it light.
You might also need to work on the paint if needed. You never know the taste of a buyer; hence it is recommended to paint the walls in a neutral color so that they don’t appear too dull or bright. Neutral and beautiful colors will appeal to all ages. Presenting your walls nicely painted also creates a long-lasting impression in the mind of the buyer.
7. Highlight the neighborhood.
The location of your house plays a vital role in its sale. Every buyer will be interested in knowing what the neighborhood offers if he/she is not a local resident or unfamiliar with the locality. It will be wise smart to update them with all the amenities offered by the neighborhood like nearby shops, medicals, schools, restaurants, routes for public transportation and more (if any). This will create an interest in the buyer’s mind towards your property.
8. Exterior matters too.
In the process of working on the interior of the home, do not forget to — the exterior of the home. The exterior is also a part of your home. You don’t want to scare away your buyers with an unattractive exterior. Work on the lane, trim those bushes, paint the fences if needed. Just try not to overdo anything and keep everything real.
9. Promote it on real estate websites.
In a technologically driven world, online promotion has become mandatory. Most buyers look for properties online and on real estate apps to get the best deals. If you have not advertised about your home in online media, you will be missing out on a large section of potential buyers. Take great pictures of your home and post the same to support your advertisement. Try to take pictures of every room, washrooms, kitchen, and exteriors without missing out on anything.
10. Price it right from the beginning.
Do not overprice your home. It is prudent to price your home for what it actually is. Don’t hope to earn a high amount, which is not justified by the house of its features. Most sellers price it at a high rate in the beginning with the hope to bring it to its actual price later. But, you will only disappoint your buyers with an unreasonably high price. You can get a free analysis by real estate personnel by comparing your house to other recent sales with similar conditions. This will give you an idea of what your house will fetch you thus helping you to price it accordingly.