Part 1: When You Want To Sell Your Home: To Renovate or Not?

There is so much to say on this topic I decided to split this article into two parts.

It 's a given, that I want your home to show well, so that it will sell quickly and for the absolute highest achievable price. I also want you to invest the minimum to get the maximum bang for your buck, if there are things we need to do to get your home ready for the sale.

I don't want you to put money into your home that you won't get back. This means from both aesthetic and functional perspectives. These are serious issues. My years of expertise enables me to recommend less costly repairs, as opposed to expensive renovations, to make your home as appealing as it can be to as many buyers as possible.

The 'Checklist'

There are certain structural matters, including plumbing, heating and electrical, that every Buyer (including yourselves, when we look for your new home) will want to know are in proper working order and as up-to-date as they can be. This doesn't mean they have to be brand new. But the condition of the heating/cooling systems, the windows, the roof, electrical and plumbing services are critically important. Any Buyer who conducts a home inspection, when purchasing your home, is going to find out exactly the same things. For instance, are the furnace and/or air conditioning on their last legs? Are the windows original wood or 20 year-old aluminum, with broken seals (when we can see moisture between the window panes)? Do you have knob and tube wiring and/or old fuses rather than circuit breakers? Has there been 'any' water seepage/damage that 's not been attended to? Ever have any pests in the attic? By telling me everything at the beginning, I can refer you to our trusted service providers to resolve these issues. It will save you money and heartache in the long run and beats getting a nasty surprise at the Buyer 's inspection.

For example, replacing an old furnace and/or central air conditioning are not that expensive but doing so “maintains” the resale value of your home. The same holds true for your roof and windows. I don 't recommend replacing everything but very old run down heating and cooling systems are the first items for which a Buyer will most likely ask money off the purchase price. A roof, at the end of its life-expectancy, follows as a very close second.

Coming up in my next Blog.... Part 2....