With so many choices on the market today, it's easy for buyers to feel overwhelmed. Especially if you're not 100% sure of what you want, having so many options can leave your head spinning. You may find yourself touring home after home, visiting a half-dozen open houses, and liking them all but not loving any.
In a perfect world, everyone would've watched "Designed to Sell" on HGTV, and would've already de-personalized, repainted, and de-cluttered their homes for buyers to see. As you know if you've spent more than 2 hours playing the real estate game, this isn't even close to reality. Sometimes I'm just glad if I take buyers in and the sellers' clothes aren't scattered all over the floor.
That makes things hard for buyers. It's easy to overlook a home's potential if you're distracted by clutter, general messes, or ridiculous design choices. Don't let yourself miss out on a great home just because it doesn't look like the great home it could be just yet.
It's important to know what's permanent and what's not. Of course, nothing is 100% set in stone with a house, but it's more difficult to say, move walls, than it is to repaint with a better color. The first thing to consider is the floorplan. If you think the home will need a remodel to become the home you need, you'll need to factor that in when making an offer.
First things first - Check out the walls. Don't spend too much time worrying about these, though, because wallpaper can be removed, paint can be covered up, molding can be fixed or replaced, walls can be torn down in many cases if necessary. This area doesn't bring huge issues usually.
Floors are another thing that are easy to overcome. If you don't like the carpet, don't worry - easy fix. Sometimes older homes will have hardwoods under the carpets. A quick sanding and refinish and you're good to go. Worst case scenario - purchasing new flooring can become a pricy investment, but dramatically boosts the value of the home.
Windows are a big deal. If you need to replace them, consider going with energy efficient windows. Most older homes won't have them. These new windows can dramatically decrease your energy costs, and will look better too. Although if the view is your Ernest Borgnine-lookalike neighbor who has a passion for sunbathing in the backyard...well, we'll discuss fencing when I get to landscaping.
Not a moment too soon - landscaping is not where you want to spend a huge amount of money. You won't get a great return on your investment. Best place to start here is with sod, if necessary, and moderate plant placement. Your best bet is to pick a house with the landscaping around 50% done compared with what you'd like. That way you're not spending too much right off. And like I said, if you need a fence, that might be a good purchase immediately after closing. For those of you looking for a pool in the backyard, try to find a home that already has one. As fun as they are for the kids (and for us adults, admit it), pools are a bad investment, and rarely allow homeowners to recoup their investments. Find one that's already there, and you'll save in the long run.
Staying outside, if you hate the exterior colors, don't worry. Shutters can be repainted; heck, even the whole house can be repainted if it's too ugly. Exterior painting is usually a professional job, but can be done pretty quickly, and it's not terribly expensive.
Saving the biggest for last - the #1 consideration is the kitchen. Kitchens sell homes, and often kitchens break up what would otherwise be a sale. Outdated paint can be fixed, cabinets can be painted and updated with new hardware for pretty cheap prices, and on even the high-end, countertops are a good upgrade that can often be affordable. Just because a home doesn't have the kitchen you'd like doesn't mean you can't make it that way pretty easily.
The bottom line is that just because you have searched and searched and still haven't found the home you're looking for, don't miss out on the potential of the homes right under your nose!
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - U2 (1987 - The Joshua Tree) - Peaked at #1 on the American Billboard Charts
In a perfect world, everyone would've watched "Designed to Sell" on HGTV, and would've already de-personalized, repainted, and de-cluttered their homes for buyers to see. As you know if you've spent more than 2 hours playing the real estate game, this isn't even close to reality. Sometimes I'm just glad if I take buyers in and the sellers' clothes aren't scattered all over the floor.
That makes things hard for buyers. It's easy to overlook a home's potential if you're distracted by clutter, general messes, or ridiculous design choices. Don't let yourself miss out on a great home just because it doesn't look like the great home it could be just yet.
It's important to know what's permanent and what's not. Of course, nothing is 100% set in stone with a house, but it's more difficult to say, move walls, than it is to repaint with a better color. The first thing to consider is the floorplan. If you think the home will need a remodel to become the home you need, you'll need to factor that in when making an offer.
First things first - Check out the walls. Don't spend too much time worrying about these, though, because wallpaper can be removed, paint can be covered up, molding can be fixed or replaced, walls can be torn down in many cases if necessary. This area doesn't bring huge issues usually.
Floors are another thing that are easy to overcome. If you don't like the carpet, don't worry - easy fix. Sometimes older homes will have hardwoods under the carpets. A quick sanding and refinish and you're good to go. Worst case scenario - purchasing new flooring can become a pricy investment, but dramatically boosts the value of the home.
Windows are a big deal. If you need to replace them, consider going with energy efficient windows. Most older homes won't have them. These new windows can dramatically decrease your energy costs, and will look better too. Although if the view is your Ernest Borgnine-lookalike neighbor who has a passion for sunbathing in the backyard...well, we'll discuss fencing when I get to landscaping.
Not a moment too soon - landscaping is not where you want to spend a huge amount of money. You won't get a great return on your investment. Best place to start here is with sod, if necessary, and moderate plant placement. Your best bet is to pick a house with the landscaping around 50% done compared with what you'd like. That way you're not spending too much right off. And like I said, if you need a fence, that might be a good purchase immediately after closing. For those of you looking for a pool in the backyard, try to find a home that already has one. As fun as they are for the kids (and for us adults, admit it), pools are a bad investment, and rarely allow homeowners to recoup their investments. Find one that's already there, and you'll save in the long run.
Staying outside, if you hate the exterior colors, don't worry. Shutters can be repainted; heck, even the whole house can be repainted if it's too ugly. Exterior painting is usually a professional job, but can be done pretty quickly, and it's not terribly expensive.
Saving the biggest for last - the #1 consideration is the kitchen. Kitchens sell homes, and often kitchens break up what would otherwise be a sale. Outdated paint can be fixed, cabinets can be painted and updated with new hardware for pretty cheap prices, and on even the high-end, countertops are a good upgrade that can often be affordable. Just because a home doesn't have the kitchen you'd like doesn't mean you can't make it that way pretty easily.
The bottom line is that just because you have searched and searched and still haven't found the home you're looking for, don't miss out on the potential of the homes right under your nose!
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - U2 (1987 - The Joshua Tree) - Peaked at #1 on the American Billboard Charts