To Renovate or Not?
Sellers often wonder whether they should renovate or update, prior to selling a home. It’s a question best answered on a case-by-case basis. In certain instances, the $3,000 you’re going to spend to turn an old bathroom into a fresh clean one is going to reap you at least your investment, if not more, at the closing table. Or sometimes, upgrades and enhances mean the difference between getting offers and not them. But keep in mind if you do decide to undertake some serious upgrades, it’s very likely that your taste may not be that of your Buyer. A Buyer will look at the nice new granite you’ve installed and wish it were a different color. Often it’s best to price your home with the cost of upgrades in mind.
Tackle Deferred Maintenance
Now is the time to finish those projects you’ve long intended to conclude, but which get delayed because, well, who wants to pull out a paintbrush when everyone else is going to the beach? One of the most important things you can do to prepare your home for selling is to address deferred maintenance. Caulk the tiles where the grout has gone missing, replace the boards in the old decking, fix your screens, WD-40 those sticky sliding door tracks, freshen up dingy walls with a coat of paint, patch up that pothole on your driveway. Don’t let a Buyer conclude that you have been neglecting your home. A Buyer wants assurance that a home has been cared for and not just lived in.
Stage Your Home
Living in the Virgin Islands sometimes means taking the tropical theme to a new level. If your home is a symphony in pinks, greens and turquoise blues, it might be time to get out the rollers. As delightful and whimsical as bright colors may be, Buyers need to envision themselves living in your home. Neutralize your home as much as possible. Repaint that lime green bedroom. Pack up your family photos. Get the memorabilia crowding your surfaces into a box. Clear the counters! Remove tattered furniture. Throw away the worn rug. Less is indeed more when it comes to opening up your home and making it a place where Buyers see it as their home.
Mark the Bound Posts
A Buyer must be able to discern your home’s property lines. But don’t wait until you’re under contract to get those property lines, or bound posts, marked. Every prospective Buyer who looks at your home will ask how far the property extends, so it’s helpful to have those markers uncovered and visible from the get-go. Contact a surveyor and get the bound posts marked sooner rather than later. Barbara can help you with companies you can contact.
Run a Title Report
It will cost you, the Seller, no more than about $150 to get a title company to run a report on your property. Hidden issues, such as encumbrances or liens against your property that you could be unaware of, are things that will stall, if not kill, your sale. And, it’s a selling point to be able to say to prospective Buyers that a title search was done and no problems exist.