As real estate agents, we frequently see sellers who plan to spend a lot of money renovating in order to get a higher selling price. That philosophy very rarely pays off – if at all – in preparing a house for sale. In reality, most sellers do not recover the cost of the renovation. Even lesser attempts to increase the selling price can do more harm than good, such as having granite counters installed in a dated kitchen. This can make everything else look older and more dated – and is not what will impress buyers.
Instead, focus on enhancing the best assets of your property – and maybe uncovering and revealing otherwise hidden ones. If you’re unsure where to start or what is most important, talk to an experienced realtor or consider hiring a home organizer. A good home organizer can not only help you clean out that storage closet, they can help you set some goals. And, unlike the goal of trying to make your space work more efficiently, the goal of selling your house at the best price is different.
A home organizer can help you determine what will matter most to a buyer. The fact is, it’s very easy to overlook potential deterrents to a sale because we’re exposed to them every day. But buyers look at your house with fresh eyes, and most buyers can’t visualize themselves in your space if it is overrun with your possessions – or dirty. Even if you’ve done a spic-and-span cleaning, if your home is cluttered with knick-knacks or needs repairs, buyers will lose interest. Or they will make a much lower offer.
Beyond decluttering and a thorough, top-to-bottom cleaning, home organizers know the importance of addressing delayed maintenance items (i.e., an HVAC tune-up or fresh caulk in the bathroom). If more significant improvements or repairs are recommended, consult with your real estate agent for help determining which ones make the most sense.
To help our clients with the process of preparing their house for sale, BEYOND Realty offers a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced home organizer, Joal Derse Dauer. Joal helps sellers determine the issues that need attention before putting their home up for sale. Sellers can then take care of any cleaning, brightening, decluttering, or maintenance needs on their own or they can hire Joal to help and to recommend other resources to get the job done.
As a further benefit for our clients, Joal’s expertise is available at a discounted rate, which can conveniently be paid for at the time of closing.
In addition to helping our clients maximize their investment by getting the best price for their home, our goal is to reduce stress for our clients when preparing their house for sale. And the surprise added benefit is that the process of decluttering may even save you money on moving costs after your home sells.
