How many times have agents heard this before?….
“I know my carpet, countertops and fixtures are dated and need replacing, but I’ll just give the buyer credit for that. Anyway, how do I know that I will be making the right replacement choices for the next owner?”
Back in the good ole days, when real estate was selling like hot cakes, all that was required to attract a buyer was to have a clean and neat house. To say that real estate has changed over the last 4 years is an understatement. Now, we’re all talking about “staging” and updating our houses in order to get them sold. As a seller, it’s difficult to wrap your head around the fact that you may have to spend some money in order to sell your property. You’re seeing dollars signs being subtracted from your bottom line.
If you are thinking this…. what do you think a buyer is thinking? If they see that light fixtures, carpet, etc need to be replaced, all they see are dollar signs rolling around in their head.
By the time a buyer has paid the down payment, closing cost and moving expenses, there usually isn’t any money left to spend on updating a property. “However, the house down the street has a similar plan and it’s already been updated……let buy that one! We can move right in”!
The days of “I’ll just give them credit for the updates” are over. If you CAN find a buyer that is willing to make the changes, they are usually looking for a “good deal” and will make a low ball offer to compensate for the expenses of updating. The offer will be much lower than it would have cost you to make the changes yourself. You lose!
As for making the correct replacement choices…..talk to your agent or have a staging consultation to get the advice needed to make the right choice. A home staging consultation is usually around $150 – $275.
Why risk having your house sit on the market while other updated houses around you are selling?
For more information on updating your property, contact
Nan Johnston
Southern Staging & Redesign
nan@southern-staging.com
www.southern-staging.com
.
