Here is a fact I've learned from experience-buyers see needed repairs as dollar signs-and their instinctive reaction is to double the actual cost of any repair and expect that to be taken off the price-sometimes even IF you have already priced the home to reflect needed repairs. Some buyers are not willing or able to make any repairs. Anything they see that needs to be repaired is a reason to pay less-or not buyer your home. So, taking care of condition issues both inside and out BEFORE buyers see them can save literally tens of thousands in added purchase price...and shorten time on market. How your home looks from the road is so persuasive that a well- prepared house may catch the attention of buyers who did not find the written description or photos particularly compelling. Likewise, a neglected house can cause a buyer previously excited by the description and interior photos to cruise right on by. Try this. Go out into your street and look — I mean really look — at your home, and see if you can spot any imperfections. Is it appealing, pristine, and well-kept, or are there necessary repairs that you have been putting off? After you’ve lived in a home for a long while, you’re not likely to examine it objectively. Listen to suggestions from real estate experts, your friends and/ or potential home buyers about how you can make your house show better. Then, take a drive around your neighborhood and surrounding area and see which homes for sale appeal to you and note why. Well-tended houses with trimmed bushes, groomed lawns, attractive landscaping, and a “grand entrance” (discussed shortly) will be more impressive than homes with an unkempt walkway, uncut grass, and a paint-peeling front door. The outside appearance of a property needs to be an invitation to come inside. Potential homebuyers are drawn to welcoming
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