Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Monday, May 19, 2025
There isn't really a one size fits all strategy that we can use to answer this question. As is often the case, it depends...
Here are some of the perspectives we will be considering when we discuss what improvements you might make before you sell your home...
Feasibility
We do need to start with what is actually possible given your timeline and budget. You might need to sell ASAP and thus might not have the time to make many or any improvements. You might have very limited cash on hand to fund improvements.
First Impressions
We'll want to consider which improvements that you might make would have the most impact on a prospective buyer's first impressions of your home. This might be landscaping, pressure washing, painting your front door or replacing the light fixtures outside your front door.
We want a prospective buyer to feel excited and optimistic about your home and its condition as they pull up to your house in their car and as they walk up to the front door.
Competition
If there are homes going under contract quickly in your neighborhood, we'll want to see what updates those homeowners made before selling.
If there are homes that are sitting on the market for sale, without having had interest from buyers, we'll want to see what updates those homeowners made (or perhaps did not make) before selling.
Buyer Preferences
You might not spend a lot of time and money painting or replacing carpet if you think a buyer will want to make their own decisions about the colors and styles -- so long as the current paint and carpet aren't too much of a detractor for buyers.
Perceived Costs
If a potential improvement to your home will cost $2K but buyers would assume it would cost $10K if it is not completed, then we might want to go ahead and make that improvement. We don't want a buyer to be rounding down their perceived value of your home too far based on their perception of the cost of upgrades.
As you can see, it's complicated... but it starts with walking through and around your house together and then thinking through and talking through how prospective buyers would be likely to view your home now as compared to if you made some or many upgrades before selling.
