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You’ve made the decision to sell your
home and now your mind is quickly filling
with a lengthy to-do list. Before panic
begins to set in, take heart and repeat
a new mantra: “Soap and paint are
my friends.” While the home should
be neat, clean and in good repair,
major improvements are not necessary
and cost more than usually can be recouped
in the selling price. So, give the
house a thorough cleaning, a fresh
painting and perhaps recarpet areas
that have worn footpaths through them.
Rest assured that money spent on soap,
paint and carpet will reappear in the
selling price of the home. And remember,
if buyers can’t see the money you spent,
you won’t recoup it…even if you tell
them about it. Resist the temptation
to undertake major renovations or replacements – particularly
these five costly projects.
CLOSETS
Buyers may oooh and ahhh over a
large walk-in closet that could
double for a well-organized bedroom,
but they won’t pay you extra for it. Adding,
expanding or customizing closets can
cost thousands of dollars and while
they look impressive, the return on
investment isn’t. Save your money.
ROOM ADDITIONS
Unless your home
is a two-bedroom/one bath in a
neighborhood of four- |
bedroom/two
bath homes, don’t
waste your time, sanity or money
on adding rooms. There’s no way to predict a buyer’s
preferences, so it’s best to present
the home in the best way possible – using
soap, paint and carpet – and leave
any remodeling to the new owners.
POOL
A pool may seem like a good way
to attract buyers, but many folks
just don’t want the maintenance that comes
with it. A buyer who doesn’t want the
upkeep of a pool won’t purchase a house
that has one. Pools and their surrounding
deck areas are expensive and this cost
is rarely returned in the selling price
of the house. However, someone who
adores the house would be willing to
put in a pool later. Let them shoulder
that expense.
NEW ROOF
Putting on a
new roof isn’t a good idea for a couple
of reasons. A seller is only required
to have a roof that doesn’t leak. Leaky
roofs are easily and inexpensively
patched. The money saved by patching
the roof makes repair a better choice.
Also, replacing the roof involves making
a subjective choice about the color,
shingle style and durability of the
roof. If the buyer doesn’t care
for the new roof, the cost of it
could be money wasted.
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