The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper


Vol. 16 No. 47 - September 21, 2016

REAL ESTATE

Is your house ready for the competition?

 

Selling your home may not qualify as an Olympic sport, but you can bet there will still be plenty of competition. If this is the year you decide to sell and move on, you need to get your house in shape, and it's going to take more than a stroll around the block.

For most people, it really doesn't take a lot to get your house ready for sale. Of course, there are homeowners who have put off not only updating projects, but also maintenance projects, and they will be paying the price. But for the majority of us, it's a lot easier. This week let's talk about staging your home, and next week we'll tackle the not so much fun stuff like maintenance and renovations.

We'll start with the item that is always at the top of every "getting your house ready for sale" list – getting rid of the clutter. Getting rid of clutter doesn't only mean picking up the shoes, toys and stack of mail lying around. It also means getting rid of actual pieces of furniture and reducing the clutter in the closets. Storage space is always a selling factor. Professional home stagers frequently eliminate half of the owner's furnishings, making the house look much bigger and eliminating the distraction of furniture. In addition, too many personal items will also distract buyers who may be more interested in your daughter's wedding pictures than the fresh coat of paint on the walls.

Too many of us have rooms that either have no purpose or a purpose that is not customary to the average buyer. For example, bedrooms converted to music rooms and family rooms converted to formal dining rooms that may only be used on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Time to repurpose these spaces so they appeal to traditional buyers. Put the formal dining room set in storage and furnish this space with a few comfortable sofas and a large screen TV, and replace your son's guitars with a desk and some soft lighting.

Give yourself permission to move the furniture. Just because the armchair has been in the same spot for 10 years doesn't mean it's anchored to the floor. It may actually work better in another room, perhaps the former music room. Another staging trick is to float furniture away from the walls, creating conversational groups with a user friendly flow. Also add green plant elements to cozy things up along with a very few decorative items like books, baskets and neutral pillow accents. If you're an art collector, remember that every square inch of a wall does not need to be covered better to let the walls breathe a little.

Making a small investment in new bedding, bathroom towels and throw rugs to perk up older tile floors will end up being a great return on your money. It's also something you can take with you when you move.

Finally, staging is all about lighting, something that is frequently overlooked. The rule of thumb is a total of 100 watts of light for each 50 square feet. That should be spread out among ambient overhead, task lighting using pendant, under cabinet or reading and accent lighting using table lamps and wall accents. Sounds complicated, but the objective is to create a warm and welcoming space with great lighting.

Next week, we'll talk about some of the more practical things you need to do before selling, so break out the rubber gloves. You may not be able to buy your house running shoes to get it in shape, but you will be able to buy it a can of paint and a bottle of bleach. Good luck. The competition is fierce, and the games are just starting.

Real Estate Transactions
Real estate transfers of June 2016

Sponsored by Alan Galletto Island Real Estate

Sold Date | List Price | Sold Price | Address | Provision | Property Style

Anna Maria

16-07-11 625,000 525,000 122 Oak Ave 1176 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
16-07-08 745,000 689,000 405 Spring Ave 1696 4 Br/3 Ba SFR
16-07-01 899,000 850,000 302 Tarpon St 1878 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
16-07-05 1,099,000 919,000 525 Kumquat Dr 2288 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
16-07-22 1,200,000 1,100,000 116 Peppertree Ln 1996 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
16-07-14 1,250,000 1,153,500 229 Chilson Ave 1597 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
16-07-21 1,250,000 1,170,000 238 Lakeview Dr 2281 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
16-07-25 1,745,000 1,600,000 909 N Shore Dr 1868 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
16-07-25 3,500,000 3,300,000 825 N Shore Dr 3486 3 Br/4.5 Ba SFR
16-07-21 620,000 580,000 218 Palmetto Ave 1648 52x100 Duplex
16-07-15 399,000 350,000 710 N Shore Dr 60x85 Vac.
16-07-07 495,000 470,000 401 S Bay Blvd 76x105 Vac

Bradenton Beach

16-07-01 1,495,000 1,495,000 106 4th St S 3000 6 Br/5 Ba SFR
16-07-01 379,900 349,000 1301 Bay Dr N #5a 1079 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
16-07-28 610,000 585,000 1417 Gulf Dr N #1417 1524 3 Br/2.5 Ba Condo

Cortez

16-07-26 1,800,000 1,720,000 12614 Baypointe Ter 4677 3 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
16-07-12 123,500 107,500 12334 Baypointe Ter 110 x 151 Apx Vac.

Holmes Beach

16-07-11 489,000 475,000 406 Bay Palms Dr 1332 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
16-07-06 549,000 490,000 308 56th St 1080 2 Br/1 Ba SFR
16-07-12 579,000 575,000 208 Haverkos Ct 2181 65x98 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
16-07-18 619,000 620,000 5802 Imperiore Ave 1020 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
16-07-20 650,000 650,000 304 60th St #B 1150 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
16-07-15 849,000 790,000 206 67th St 2139 4 Br/3 Ba SFR
16-07-27 999,000 975,000 307 74th St 1676 3 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
16-07-11 1,299,000 1,185,000 671 Key Royale Dr 2885 221x78 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
16-07-19 2,190000 1,800,000 512 59th St 4544 6 Br/4.5 Ba SFR
16-07-11 2,399000 2,100,000 625 Key Royale Dr 3118 4 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
16-07-05 375,000 350,000 3215 Gulf Dr #3215 672 1 Br/1.5 Ba Condo
16-07-01 360,000 360,000 600 Manatee Ave #205 1187 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
16-07-01 389,000 375,000 3402 Gulf Dr #3 359 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
16-07-18 415,000 392,000 5806 Gulf Dr #204 1078 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
16-07-15 499,900 485,000 6006 Gulf Dr #111 1154 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
16-07-11 395,000 367,500 3009 Avenue E 751 2 Br/1 Ba Villa
16-07-26 469,000 425,000 5613 Guava St #A&B 1580 57x105 Duplex

Source: Mid Florida Multiple Listing Service


AMISUN ~ The Island's Award-Winning Newspaper