Category Archives: Increasing Real Estate Values

Sell Faster and at a Higher Value by Loving Your Home

Regina Ludes, Associate editor of The Residential Specialist wrote in the May/June 2012 magazine that “A home doesn’t need all the bells and whistles in order to sell. It just needs to look loved.” We agree with this statement. Consider two motorcycle owners: One loves his bike and it is clean and shines. The other owner never cleans his bike and it is dirty and dingy. It is obvious which bike is more desirable and will bring the highest price. It is the same with homes. A cared for (loved) home will bring a higher value and sell faster.
Homeowners appear to be getting this also. A HomeGain survey of real estate agents this year found that the highest return on investment for a do-it-yourselfer is to clean and declutter. It’s easy to understand that cleaning and decluttering would give homeowners their highest return because of the low to no cost to clean and declutter. Basically, if they do it themselves there is no cost involved. A Coldwell Banker professionals survey found that 94% of sellers are getting rid of clutter and making cosmetic changes and 78% of sellers are more willing to depersonalize their home. It is a competitive environment and the homes that “look loved” are the ones that achieve greater value and less time on market.

What Buyers Want

Most homebuyers prefer newer homes with extra space, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® (NAR) 2013 Profile of Buyers’ Home Feature Preferences. The survey, which examined buyers who purchased a home between 2010 and 2012, finds that the typical recently-purchased home was built in 1996 and had 1,860 square feet. The typical buyer purchased…Continue Reading