What will increase my chances of selling quickly and for the right price in this changing market?

What will increase my chances of selling quickly and for the right price in this changing market?

It’s really in the little things. We recently had an old farmhouse that was very well cared for over many years. People were expecting one thing upon entering and after viewing the home came out and said it was beautiful, they can even feel the love that was put into the home when they walk through it. And if you know what a “Michigan Basement” is you might cringe, but everyone that walked in the basement of this farmhouse said it “was the prettiest Michigan Basement” they ever saw. Insert HAPPY FACE here!!! A well-maintained home makes a huge difference in whether your home shows well and gives the prospective buyers “warm & fuzzy” feelings. This specific home is not a modern structure but, because of its uniqueness, surpassed any of the other competing homes on the market due to its maintenance over the years.

Heating Maintenance is important in most northern states such as here in Michigan. If you have a furnace and venting system, then having the furnace and the ducts cleaned annually will lower your chances of having issues when selling your home, especially if it's an older unit. A unit that is never maintained and ducts that are never cleaned will deteriorate more quickly and emit a “dirty odor” or “smell” when the heat is turned on and the vents will be coated in dust, dirt hair, etc. Having animals in your home also increases the odor problem in your home. Simple dusting and using a vacuum to clean the vents help with air quality and show that you are caring for your home and reduce the pet odor. A humidifier where we are is nice to have during those cold and dry months, but annual maintenance will help a ton and will serve you well while you are living in the home. If your heating system is a boiler or electric baseboard heating, then those have maintenance as well. If a buyer walks into a home and the baseboard units are rusted and broken then this leads the buyer to think, what else has not been taken care of that you “cannot see”? 

Another big improvement but small task to getting your home ready to sell is touching up scuff marks and patching any holes in the walls. This goes a long way with the buyers. The less a buyer has to do when they move in the better chance they will want to put an offer in. Walking into a home and seeing dirty walls, doors and cabinets immediately send a red flag to the buyer to say this house hasn’t been cared for and what else has been neglected. A fresh coat of paint is another inexpensive way to show your home in the best way. Some things you can’t do anything about, but painting neutral colors throughout gives people the feeling that the home hasn’t been neglected.

Small renovations like a new bathroom vanity, paint, and a new shower curtain might sound a little silly, but let's be honest, bathrooms aren’t generally super clean and sparkly. But if you can do a few things to make it seem that way, it goes a long way. Bathrooms that smell bad, have dirty shower curtains and the mold and mildew in the shower can lead the buyer to think, this home isn’t cleaned regularly and what else hasn’t been taken care of. Simple fixes, like wiping down the walls near the toilet, adding odor-absorbing beads (they come in different scents and look decorative), a clean shower curtain and a good scrub will make your bathroom feel non-threatening.

Some people reading this might think. I don’t care about that stuff, but when you are looking at a home and it seems dirty and unkept, you start to think about what else has been neglected. The cleaner, more spotless home will get the most looks and the most interest because it gives the overall appearance of being well maintained.

The bottom line is that anything that is left unkept will deteriorate more quickly and cost more to fix in the future. Small updates and fixes along the way can save you so much money and also help get you the most for your home when it comes time to sell.