What If You Have Deferred Maintenance But You Have To Sell Your Home?

If your home has serious deferred maintenance issues but you must sell you have a serious dilemma on your hands. Don’t kid yourself for a minute, the maintenance issues will cost you with buyers. Funds to create the changes needed might not be there or be hard to come by. This post will give you some ideas to help you get the most money for your home when you have to sell.

Common Maintenance issues:

Wood rot on eaves beams and decks - sand, stain or paint use wood repair filler if feasible.
Maintenance on the HVAC system – sometimes a good cleaning – filter change and service (usually under $100) will go a long way toward having the heat and cooling system pass inspection.
Water damaged cabinets (baths and kitchens) - replace floor of cabinets and/or re-stain or paint. This is not expensive and makes a very bad looking problem go away. Stains may be from household products and not water but replace them anyway. Water stains on front of cabinets from drips may possibly be polished away.
Remove items that cannot be repaired. Out of sight items cannot become an issue. If the pool heater is broken and you are not going to replace it, remove it. If the decorative fencing is rotten, get rid of it. Are most of your screens trashed? Get rid of all of them.

Worse Case Scenarios:

Don’t cover up or attempt to hide anything. This could get you sued after the sale.
If you can’t fix something obtain bids so that the repair cost number can be real – buyers will have the tendency to over inflate repair estimates. Having bids keeps the conversation on a level playing field.
Insurance – this is not a first choice for anyone but if your house has serious damage check with your insurance carrier to see about placing a claim for repairs.

Free Resources:

>Check with local vocational schools or community jobs organizations that may donate or offer low cost labor. They may do the work for a lower cost or no cost if they can use the property as a teaching project.
>Check with the city or town you live in there may be small grants or programs to help you beautify your property – any discounted or free products or supplies will really help you keep costs in check.
>Look for neighborhood organizations, they may have a yard cleanup day or even neighbors willing to donate labor/talent on a once year one time basis. For example Spring Clean ups.
>Many cities have a bi yearly or quarterly program to pick up large items, extra yard waste electronic waste etc. Use these to clean your property out to the best of your ability. Just being clean and neat can help your home look better cared for.

Home Warranty plan for Sellers: Check with your listing agent. In some areas of the country home warranty products are common place and buyers expect to receive this coverage when they purchase the home. What you may not know is that the plans have seller coverage as well. Usually on a per-diem basis while your home is on the market and in escrow. The rates for these plans are typically very reasonable ($50 a month) and can cover unexpected systems failures and problems while the home is being sold. Best of all they typically are paid out of closing funds and do not require up-front payment.

Don't lose thousands to save a little effort and a few hundred dollars. There are ways you can make any property look better and stand out to prospective buyers.

Top 10 Ways To Prepare your Home To Be Listed For Sale

How would you like to lose $10,000 or $15,000 on the sales price of your home before the first person ever sees it?  Yeah, probably not the way you wanted to start the sales process at all.

It happens every day in cities across the country. Someone puts their house on the market in a woefully inadequate state.  Oh sure they cleared off a counter top, or finally threw away the mountain of clothes in the laundry room that no one wears or claims to be theirs anymore but that was it. Well, okay you did vacuum the living room.  Not enough! Not even close!

Don’t think for one minute that NOT preparing does not matter and “buyers will look past it” or “You’ll get to it next weekend”.  Nope, the reality is that you just threw away 10K perhaps more.  In fact I would suggest that the most expensive cleaning service in town is a bargain compared to losing that much money just because you don’t want to clean.

Your local agent should be able to walk through the house with you and tell you frankly what needs to be done.  We offer all our sellers a 26 point Maximum Value Audit free of charge.  A written report that will detail exactly what needs to be done to maximize the value in your home. Sometimes it is not cleaning it is small repair and replacement items.

Examples of the items I have helped sellers with over the years include: tarnished, dull and worn out

looking door knobs – a small item but one of the first things buyers saw on an impressive set of double doors.  A secondary bedroom with a bad carpet stain, that we were able to find a remnant for at $139 this gave the room a new and fresh appearance. Another time we simply stained the boring gray concrete around a pool to match the existing wall on the property-  it really popped and we sold it to the first buyer. Don’t get carried away with unnecessary new weekend projects just stay focused on existing issues with the home as is.

1)      A deep clean. Corners, windows, tops of ceiling fan blades, grout and all ledges.     

2)      You are moving  so throw away things you aren’t going to move – do it now

3)      Box up items that you won’t use for the next three months (seasonal for example)

4)      Clean the screens on the windows or take them off if appropriate

5)      Straighten the garage – but it is okay to stack boxes in there you are moving

6)      Replace worn out comforters, doormats, decorative towels, shower curtains etc.

7)      De-clutter all surfaces especially baths and kitchens (less is more)

8)      Replace all light bulbs –remove most if not all family photos

9)      Touch up paint as needed – corners doors – heavy traffic areas

10)   Remove any dead landscape replace with simple plants or ground cover and mow lawn

While these items may seem obvious or small they are not. They will help protect the equity you have built up in your home. Buyers will discount for a poorly maintained home. Homes that do not show well do not sell quickly. This is all in your financial best interest.

If your home has significant deferred maintenance look for our upcoming article about how to deal with those issues when you don't have the funds to do so.

For more helpful home ownership, buying and selling tips please use the search feature on this blog in the right hand column or contact us on our website at www.PSagent.com

How Much Is MY Home Worth?

Find out with our 26 Point Max Home Value assessment...As a free service to you I will come to your home and complete my 26 point Maximum Home Value assessment. Just for letting me meet you and walk through your home I will leave you with a written report of what I think it will take to prepare your home for sale at the maximum current price.

You see, I work with so many buyers that, I can walk through any home and see it through the buyers eyes. I know what they will like and what will raise questions for them. Let me show you these things and you can have a more successful sale.

It will take about 30 minutes, depending on how many questions you have for me. No pressure no obligation - you receive free of charge the written plan to getting your home on the market and achieving top dollar in your sale.

How Do I Calculate How Much My Home is Worth?

The correct selling price of a home is the highest price that the market will bear. Many factors influence this price and those factors can change from month to month and year to year. It is important to talk with a Realtor who is actively working in your community to correctly determine the price of your home. Don't play guessing games with one of your largest assets. To assist you in determining the correct asking price we provide you with a comprehensive market analysis of comparable properties sold and offered for sale in your neighborhood. We educate you on the trends currently at play in the market and advise you on any special concerns in your area.

Simply email us, and we will provide you with a speedy response. There is no obligation, you have lots to gain and nothing to lose by contacting us soon.

Don't forget that knowing your homes current value is very

useful when it comes to insurance matters, tax issues and estate planning. With all the changes of the last five years it is time for you to take another look at this critical number.

Just one mundane example of this is the cost of installing a water heater. It has more than doubled to over $1200.  Just one example of the rising costs of replacement.

Moving Guide

Moving can present many big challenges. The key part of vacating your home is finding the right mover.  In addition to finding a reputable mover you need to understand what is and is not covered as part of your move. 

Tip: A quick call to your insurance agent is probably a good idea.  Many time home owners policies cover your goods while in transit. make sure you have all the bases covered when it comes to your big move. 

Use this link to down load the industry handbook to selecting the right mover and knowing your rights:

Download PSagents Complete Free Moving Guide

Please fee free to share this link with friends and family.

Moving Resource

Moving Resource:

Thinking about a move? Want to ask some questions but not really ready to call a mover?  Don't go it alone!

There is an online resource you can checkout for some basic moving information. Go to www.thecmsa.org there is a PDF of the booklet that movers need to give you once you hire them. It has some basic moving "disclosures" that will probably help you as you plan your move. Good luck!

As always if I can help you don't hesitate to give me a call. 760-408-5300. Be sure to ask me the ONE secret about moving that you must know before scheduling your next move!