Why your fixer upper home may not be selling….

Improving your chances of Selling your Buffalo Home

With all the negative news that the media is presenting it is hard for potential Buffalo home sellers to think that it will be anything but an uphill battle. and you may feel like you have fallen into the Listings Black Hole.   There are things that a seller can do to improve the chances of a sale by preparing their home.  Understanding the challenges is the first step in ensuring a successful sale of your Buffalo Home.

Read Also: Does your Handyman Special have a stunning renovated price tag?

Our team shows a lot of homes to buyers and we see the buyers reaction to homes for sale.  Let’s face it many of today’s Buffalo home buyers are stretching to purchase that first home to take advantage of the 1st time home buyer tax credit.   They may not have the money to make updates and improvements once they own a home.  These buyers are looking for a deal and in their eyes it is a home that needs no modification and is well priced.  They are more willing to spend more money in the purchase rather than paying less and fixing up the home themselves after the purchase.

With the extension of the Tax Credit there are many current home owners that are considering moving up or downsizing and they may not want the hassle of renovations.

Smart Sellers Understand the importance of Condition

What is different?   Buyers are understanding what home improvements cost to replace carpets, remove wallpaper, refinish hardwood floors, renovate bathrooms and kitchens.   Even if they do it themselves, they may not have the time to invest in making the house they purchase into the perfect home for them.    Buffalo area home buyers are willing to pay to purchase a home that is show room ready.    If the home is not in perfect condition, it will have to have a very attractive listing price or they will pass it by.

Read Also: How can I get my home SOLD faster?

Improving the Condition of your Home for Sale

Now that you know that condition is a driving factor in buyers decision; what are you going to do?   Does this mean that you have to undertake costly renovations to sell your home?  If you are not going to get a professional home stager to stage your home, there are some things that you can do to improve the condition of your Buffalo Home for Sale.

Read Also:  Should I stage my Western New York home?

Ways to improve your home’s condition include:

• Get rid of the clutter! The more open space you have, the easier it will be for potential buyers to envision their belongings in your space. Have a garage sale, box up everything that you don’t need and put it in storage, etc.
• Depersonalize your home as well.   Photos and momentos that draw attention to itself takes away from the home.  You want the buyer to see the house, not your stuff.
• Have wallpaper?   Get rid of it and paint the walls a warm neutral color, white walls or too colorful can evoke strong reactions from buyers and if they think they will have to do changes they may think twice about your home.
• Keep everything organized. Growing up, you could shove things in the closets and under the bed to make your room look clean.  Potential buyers will open door and look in cupboards. Make sure everything is organized and clean!  Read Also: Western New York Showing Advice for Sellers
• Your home should always smell as clean as it looks. More buyers are turned off by household odors more than they are by a little clutter. Especially smoke and pet odors.   Open the windows often there is never anything better than fresh air.  Keep a scented candle burning and take the smoking outside and ensure that the litter box is kept fresh!
• Make sure your home is spotless.   Make sure that wordwork is dusted, floors are clean and freshly vaccumed.  No dishes in the sink, towels hanging neatly in the bathroom.    Basically your home should sparkle!  Read Also: How to make glass sparkle before your home showing

• Bright and Airy. Make sure all curtains and blinds are open to let the sun shine in! Dark homes are very undesirable by buyers, so show your home off with lots of light.  Clean all your windows and mirrors as that will add to the brightness of your home.  Also put the highest watt light bulbs in every light fixture.   If you are home just before the showing, turn all the lights on before you leave.
• Is your home warm and comfy?   Read Also: Staging Your Home – It isn’t always all about what you see…

• Don’t forget the landscaping. Your front yard is the first impression a potential buyer will have of your house for sale.  Many times buyers will avoid it if it looks like the home as not been maintained.   Keep your grass well trimmed, edge the driveway, walkways and weed the flower beds. You want your front yard to look like it was professionally landscaped.

There are buyers out there looking for fixer uppers.  They are investors that are looking to purchase a home at a very low price that they can put a minimal amount of money into and turn around a sell them at substantial profit.   They are a patient group of buyers.   Sometimes they will offer you a “Low Ball” offer or they will wait until you become realistic in your pricing and then pick up your home for a price that they are comfortable with.  So the effort you make to improving your home’s condition may worth the effort.

When you can’t think of anything else to make your house appealing, ask us for more selling tips! To set up a free initial walk through of your home to increase its sale-ability, call the real estate experts at the Best Buffalo Homes Team! Call Colleen Kulikowski at (716) 650-0051 to set up your appointment!

If you enjoyed this Buffalo Real Estate article, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Daily updates to home sales market reports, homes for sale and helpful buying and selling articles are regularly posted on Buffalo Real Estate News. Colleen Kulikowski and the Best Buffalo Homes team of Keller Williams Realty is here to assist you with all of your home buying, selling and investing needs. Just call us today at (716) 650-0051!

Tags: Buffalo NY, Home Staging, homes, real estate, Realtor
Posted in Home Staging | Comments Off