When Selling Your Milford CT Home – Should You Improve It or Leave It For The Buyer?

 

Should you make home improvements when you plan to move anyway? Curb appeal and Staging your home to sell with proven techniques that will help you sell your home faster is less expensive than your first price reduction. Although curb appeal and staging won't work, if your home is totally run down and in need of major improvements.

 

My #1 advise would be clean, clean and clean some more – inside and outside the home.

 

Both market conditions and your home's condition determine what projects you might want to complete before you put your home on the market.

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In a Seller's Market

 

Leave most improvements for the buyer: In a seller's market, you can get away with leaving most home improvements for the buyer. More than likely you won’t increase the sales price enough to cover the cost of the work and time, not to mention the aggravation and you really don’t know what the buyer will want – you could put tile in the kitchen and the buyer wants only hardwood floors throughout.

 

By reducing your asking price to reflect your older kitchen and/or bathroom instead of spending time and money on a major remodeling job that people might not like.

You are required to disclose known conditions that could affect the value or salability of your home. If you don't and a home inspector or appraiser uncovers unpermitted work, you could be liable for nondisclosure and the lender could stall the deal.

 

The improvements you should make: All sellers should if possible perform deferred maintenance repairs to fix or replace broken items and systems. Put your home in good working order by replacing missing roof shingles and broken or cracked windows. Repair driveway cracks and straighten listing fences. Make sure doors, gates, lights (please have good lighting), plumbing fixtures (no leaks – and seal the grout in your bathrooms) and other items are all working properly.

 

In a Buyer’s Market

 

Make enough improvements to get a market edge: In a buyer's market, along with making sure your home is up to code, the idea would be to give your home a marketing edge – without spending to much.

The improvements you should make aren't necessarily those that give you a return on your money. Instead, they should be largely generic, cosmetic improvements that enhance your home's functionality, efficiency and aesthetics – all to give it a contemporary feel.

 

What should you improve: Again, simply clean up and removing clutter, this will include all (and yes, I know it will be painful to some) personal photographs or religious items. (Clean, clean, clean – oh and please NO SMELLS in the house) A fresh coat of paint, (especially around the front entrance) new carpeting, or if there is hardwood beneath remove the carpet and let that hardwood shine forth. Trimmed landscaping (add some mulch and a few flowers), updated fixtures will work wonders and they are not too expensive at Home Depot or Lowes.