First impressions count
Will Rogers famously said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” We all know he was talking about personal relationships, but making a first impression when you’re selling your home is just as important and can translate into real dollars.
If you think back about what your first impression was of the homes you’ve fallen in love with, something about the property always stands out – an emotional connection that triggered the reason you bought the house. It could have been the sweeping stairway in the entry or the sunset going down at just the right time or the gourmet kitchen you always wanted. But sometimes the trigger is more quiet, a trigger that you’re not really aware of.
You can talk forever about the pros and cons of investing large sums of money upgrading your home before selling it. The Internet is full of information and charts comparing how much more your house will be worth if you upgrade the kitchen and baths, which are the hot buttons of home renovation. However, it’s frequently the little fixes that make the most difference and cost the least amount of money.
Sellers have been preached to for decades about how much of a turn off dirt and odor is when selling your home. It’s certainly true that grimy light switches, door handles, pet odor, musty smells, cloudy windows, dirty dishes, soap scum encrusted showers and cigarette smoke are driving that potential buyer right out of the house. Once outside, the buyer is also looking for at least a minimal level of maintenance. Peeling paint, mold and overgrown landscaping are sure to eliminate your home from the buyer’s list.
But what about the features that may be perfectly functional and clean, just a little dated. The first things that come to mind are sinks and faucets, especially in the kitchen. For a relatively small investment, kitchen and bathroom sinks that may be clean, but chipped and scratched, can be replaced and topped off with a sparkling and functional fixture.
The same applies to doors and door handles, things that you live with on a daily basis just become part of the scenery, but to a potential buyer 1970s flush doors and tarnished brass knobs jump out. In the 70s and 80s, ceiling molding was out of fashion, but today’s buyers notice crown moldings right away, and they want it. Again, adding crown molding in the main living areas and replacing doors with updated panel or French doors and new handles represents a small investment and will give your home a sharper with it look.
According to a University of Texas study, between 2007 and 2009, after the housing bubble burst, homeowners upped their maintenance spending by an average of 63 percent compared with 18 percent during the years when house prices were on the upswing. Sellers understood that the market was more competitive and wanted to give their properties an edge, and although the market is somewhat back, keeping a competitive edge is still the name of the game.
The key is to brighten, update and repair wherever possible so that potential buyers can see that although you home may not have been renovated to within an inch of its life, it has been loved and maintained and is just waiting for a new owner to put his/her touch to it.
First impressions count, whether it’s that first handshake or that first knock on the front door. Eliminating the negative plus reducing the days on market equals money in your pocket.