You’ve heard the saying that after awhile a dog and its owner start to look the same. And obviously after awhile your home starts to take on your traits as well.
I personally distaste cleaning. Well guess what? My home has a tendency to be on the messy side. Eventually the dishes get done; it just might take an extra day. Okay, it takes more than an extra day…or two.
Maybe you have a penchant for the color purple. Or you’re into collecting things. For my parents it’s auctions.
All of those things are important to you. But now that your home is for sale, the question you have to ask is how important are they to a potential buyer?
Following are 8 inexpensive ways you can help your home look more less you, and more like the person who’ll call your home ‘home.’
1) Clean it. Everything. From floors to walls to the woodwork. Make sure all floors are impeccable. Carpet, tile, grout etc. Check all caulk, especially in the bathroom. Or for less than $100 you can have a professional cleaning service come in and do the dirty work for you. Let them do the heavy lifting and all you have left is a little maintenance while your home is on the market.
2) Let there be light. Dark rooms or shadows cast doubts in a buyers mind. Consider adding lamps and dimmers to existing lights allowing you to set moods for specific rooms.
3) Swap it out. Think about updating cabinet handles, switch plates and any other small pieces of hardware that were more popular in days of yore than today. Your kitchen cabinets can go from typical oak cabinets to a ‘Wow’ kitchen by simply adding more modern style pulls. Do your faucets have more gold than they know what to do with? Head to a local kitchen and bath department and find something in a ‘brushed’ color. For me, it’s brushed nickel.
4) Hide it. That dent in the wall from when a lamp fell over. Or where Billy’s toy car crashed through the drywall after being launched from a matchbox car ramp. Smooth out the wall and then do #6.
5) Organize. I’m the king of clutter. I’ve got more stuff than I know what to do with. The problem is it tells prospective buyers that my home is too small for their stuff. So I’d need to remove a bunch, possibly add a shelf or to. Maybe some hooks in the garage where I can hang things that would normally take up a bunch of floor space. If a few hooks and a shelf won’t help your situation, consider a storage unit for a few months.
6) Paint it. Paint is one of the easiest and cost effective ways to really change the way your home ‘feels.’ Neutral colors are your best bet. Have you heard that grey is the new brown? Welcome to Paint 2.0… (Have you heard of Real Estate 2.0 or Internet 2.0?) They’ll make each room feel larger. You know how you feel when you wear a brand new outfit. Buyers will also feel the same way about your home when they walk through.
7) Add some green. Bring nature into your home with some potted plants and fresh flowers. Having fresh flowers also adds to the ‘feeling’ that buyers get about your home. And in the end it’s the buyers emotions that are going to compel them write an offer.
8 ) Move it. Take a look at each room. What if you removed a piece of furniture or two? Would the room feel larger? What if you moved a piece from one side of the room to the other? Would the room flow better? What if you took a piece from the living room and moved it into a bedroom? Mirrors also help rooms feel larger…
There you have it, eight low cost, easy to implement ideas that will go a long way to creating an exciting first impression for any potential buyer. You’re trying to up the ‘Wow’ factor. Average is not what you should be shooting for in today’s real estate world. And these tips will help make your home memorable and ultimately help sell your home for more money.
Picture credit
Very important note: Not me. I repeat NOT ME! 
‘The weather’s too good for it not to be spring soon’ edition of our area’s real estate market report…
You can read previous market reports to see for yourself what our real estate market has been doing.
Fifty-four homes were added to our MLS this month. Including 40 homes in Wisconsin Rapids. This is a huge jump from January and December.
If you’re ready to start formally searching for homes, you know, moving from just online to getting in touch with an agent… Let me know and we can get you started. Plus I’ve recently changed my contact page, so you know, why don’t you check it out?
Happy house hunting!
First time here? This is a monthly post designed to shed light on our real estate market. I publish this report because now is an excellent time to learn about the Wisconsin Rapids real estate market. By arming yourself with a little real estate education you’re setting yourself up for success when you decide to buy or sell your next home. Want to stay up to date? Click here and articles will be delivered directly to your inbox. As always, it’s free. Plus you can always unsubscribe at any time. Every month more and more people are signing up. It makes me feel like you like my writing…
The data was gathered through the MLS, so the data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. You know the drill…
Single Family Wisconsin Rapids Homes:
- Active Homes for Sale: 139 (including 40 new listings in February)
- Average List Price: $96,744
- Homes Sold in February 2010: 19
- Average Sale Price: $94,154
- Median Sale Price: $95,000
- Average Days on the Market: Active: 229 Sold: 121
- Average Sale Price/List Price: 95%
- Expired Listings: 8
Single Family Nekoosa Homes:
- Active Homes for Sale: 26 (including 10 new listings in February)
- Average List Price: $105,892
- Homes Sold in February 2010: 4
- Average Sale Price: $112,625
- Median Sale Price: $119,500
- Average Days on the Market: Active: 166 Sold: 201
- Average Sale Price/List Price: 92%
- Expired Listings: 6
Single Family Port Edwards Homes:
- Active Homes for Sale: 19 (including 4 new listings in February)
- Average List Price: $103,628
- Homes Sold in February 2010: 0
- Average Sale Price: $–
- Median Sale Price: $–
- Average Days on the Market: Active: 204 Sold: –
- Average Sale Price/List Price: –
- Expired Listings: –
Trends I’m Seeing
- No, the number of homes for sale in Wisconsin Rapids and Nekoosa did not fall dramatically from January. Our MLS changed the way it’s reporting city data. I’ll get it back to normal, it will just take me a day or two…
- Action picked up tremendously in February. 54 new homes hit the market. Gotta love the tax credits! Are you next? Call me.
- Even with 40 new homes, Wisconsin Rapids still has the average days on the market for active homes at 229. But if your home sells, it averaged only 121 days on the market. What does that tell you?
- Nekoosa continues to have a low sale price to list price percentage of 92%. Remember that’s the comparison of what the home owner accepted as the sale price to what it was listed for. And that doesn’t take into consideration any price drops, so it may actually be significantly lower.
What next?
As always, my goal is provide not only valuable but also useful information that you can put into action. If you like what you’re reading and want a little help remembering to come back, why not click here and have all upcoming posts sent directly to your email inbox? You can read a description on how this works here if your unfamiliar with the process. I promise it’s not scary, nor will your email be given to anyone.
For More Info:
- Thinking about selling? Quickly see what your home’s worth in our market.
- Have you thought about getting in contact? Why Not? Click here to get in touch with Adam. I’m a peach… Really…
Family. When you’re in grade school your parents and extended family are ‘uber’ important. Then you grow up some (high school) and can’t wait to get away.
You may head off to college or join the military. But the goal was the same…to get away.
Life was simple. Get an education. Get a job. Live far, far away. Get married, have kids. See grandparents at Christmas.
But then, LIFE happens. And for many of us, you could say **** happens and have it mean the same thing.
We all have are own examples of ‘life happening.’
‘Life happening’ is causing an increase in homes being purchased with the express purpose of combining multiple generations under a single roof.
Lower rent/mortgage costs. Easier to find childcare. Easier to make sure grandma and grandpa are safe. Help with raising children in this crazy society. The list goes on…
The take away:
Buyers: do you foresee yourself taking care of grandparents? Will your new home support extra residents? Could the basement be remodeled?
Sellers: Could your home support a larger family? Do you have egress windows in the basement? If so, it becomes easier to market your home as having the potential for more bedrooms. Or a separate area/bedroom for extended family?
It can feel overwhelming with all the things you need to think about when buying or selling a home and adding more to your list is never fun. But being able to support a multi-generational family is another way to broaden your list of potential buyers. I’ve talked before about casting a wide net and this another example.
This is the second installment of the “I couldn’t have said it better myself” post…
Some call it negotiating. Others call it playing mind games. Read Margaret Woda’s article about buyer’s playing mind games with sellers.
I was in a very similar situation last year. Except that I was the agent representing my brother and his wife in the sale of their home. Mixing family and business is never easy.
I can attest that my brother and sister-in-law felt the exact same feelings described in the article.
Remaining emotionally neutral is extremely important. But there were times when it was difficult for them to not take things personally.
“What do you mean _____ is too old? Its worked everyday we’ve owned the home (5 years).”
“Now you want us to replace it? At our cost!?!?”
It came to a point when they almost would have sold it to another person, at a lower price, than to finish the sale.
But in the end, being in a new home home won out. But just barely…
When you’re ready to make an offer, yes it seems impersonal. It’s just a house. But remember that this ‘house’ has been a ‘home’ for the current owner for years, maybe even decades.
Yes, you want to look out for your bottom line. But at what cost? Will it be OK if you lose this home? How much is it worth to you to be in your dream home?
There are two sides to every situation. Considering both can have a dramatic impact on your situation. For the better or worse.
Last chance to read the thought process a seller goes through when selling.
*Update*
Coincidentally after this post went live Jay Thompson of Thompson’s Realty in Phoenix, AZ posted an article discussing if you’re able to get proof of a competing offer. The interesting story is when another agent tried to bully a buyer into increasing an initial offer by flouting “another offer” in their face. And then the next day, the original offer is accepted…
Read Jay’s reasoning behind why, as a buyer, you’ll never know for sure if there is another offer. Plus reasons why agents are unable to disclose information relating to the offer.
Each is an example of why you shouldn’t play mind games in real estate.
- The first rule of real estate is you do not become emotionally involved in real estate.
- The second rule of real estate is you do not become emotionally involved in real estate.
- If an inspection brings up unknown concerns and one party says stop or taps out the accepted offer is over.
- Two parties to an offer.
- You can have more than one offer at a time. It’s actually encouraged (I guess a buyer wouldn’t encourage multiple offers though).
- No shoes. I don’t want the responsibility for dirt on the new carpet…
- Accepted offers will last as long as they need to. Have you had experience with the new lending regulations? If you have, you know how true Rule #7 is.
- If this is your first time engaging in real estate you do not need to buy or sell a home.
Even after all these years you can remember the first two rules of Fight Club, right? It *has* to be the same in real estate.
So repeat after me: The first rule of real estate is I will not become emotionally involved in real estate.
The quickest way to sabotage the purchase or sale of your home is to begin to take things personally. And things means anything that can, and often, does crop up. From a delay in closing to a misunderstanding in contract language. Or an offer you deem to be waaaaaaaayyy to low.
The worst way to handle any circumstance beyond your control is to get upset. When you become upset/angry/emotional it becomes difficult to rationally attack and solve the problem.
When faced with a difficult situation step one is to relax and calm down. This may take awhile. Step two is to try and understand the perspective of the person who just made your life more difficult.
No where does it say you need to like the choices of another person. But if you can step back and remain emotionally neutral, you may be able to salvage whatever it is you’re currently facing.
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PHONE: (715) 572-8372
My name is Adam Holberg and I’m a Realtor with First Weber of Wisconsin Rapids. This website is designed to inform and help bring conversation to a topic I love, real estate.