Why Is Preparing Your Home So Important? First put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Assume two homes are virtually identical. They are both the same price and in the same neighborhood. Except, one of them is un-kept. Which one will you buy? If you chose the un-kept one because it was 3 blocks closer to work, how much less would you be willing to offer because you know you will have to spend time and money to freshen it up? There can be a thin line between upkeep and repair – condition and cleanliness, but sharp homes usually sell faster and for more money.
Remember you are competing with other neighbors who are also trying to sell their homes. Every move you make either benefits you – or benefits your competing neighbor. Comment to me with your questions and I’ll try to answer all of them. Click here to learn the details.
Let’s look at some specific questions sent in by DearMonty readers from across the country. Read more Q&A articles about the “Preparing Your Home” stage of the Home Selling process:
Reader Question: We are preparing to sell our home by owner and had it pre-inspected. The inspector flagged a potential $2,000 problem with the plumbing and suggested we have a plumber investigate. We did so. The plumber was quite emphatic that the issue is not a problem. He also had some outside advice on how […]
Reader Question: Are there eight common for-sale-by-owner mistakes? We are planning on selling our home this year. When we see how fast homes are selling in our neighborhood, the idea of just hanging our sign in the yard is something we are considering. If we go ahead with this, what are the significant mistakes for-sale-by-owners […]
Reader Question: We need some tips to sell our home during COVID. We are planning to sell come spring. We have noticed surging home sales across the US, so we know home sellers are active in the market, even with COVID. We want to be prepared to show our home considering COVID. What should we […]
Reader Question: We own a 45-year old home in a development. The house is well-built, with a full basement and sits on more than a half-acre of land. We have made some significant renovations, and the house is in great shape. The major problem we have is a leaky basement when it rains very hard, […]
Reader Question: I have a condo unit facing an empty residential lot which has a stockade fence bolted on top of an eight-foot-high concrete wall. My second-floor unit is level with the top of the wall and all of the fence. I believe the terrible condition of the fence and the fact that my deck […]
Reader Question: My wife is selling a home she inherited. It has been shown multiple time with no results. The house needs updating, and it has a bowed basement wall. It was listed for $69,900 which was below the market value. We’ve had several offers, but they are flippers who have offered $20 – $25 […]
Reader Question: We are planning to sell our home and asked a handyman to give us an estimate of the costs to fix several issues that are likely to cause a buyer to offer less money. He did provide us with a detailed estimate of the cost and also offered to buy our home as […]
Reader Question: Monty, we are getting our house ready to put on the market. The advice from different agents has generated a variety of contrasting opinions about how to prepare the house for showings. We feel like two of the agents are asking for way more tasks than is necessary. Do you have a specific […]
Reader Question: We own a one-acre lot on a street with mostly half-acre lots. We are considering splitting the lot into two half-acre lots. The only problem is the house is in the middle. It would cost about 75k to move the house to one side. Would it make sense to divide the lot? Elizabeth […]
Reader Question: Hello, my house has the garage in the lower level basement. We would like to transform that space in a family room with bathroom and a bedroom but some people tell us if we do, the house loses value if we sell in the future. Is it true, or not? Michael S. Monty’s […]
Reader Question: We have been remodeling a single-family country home and right now we are at a point where we have to decide on either a 1 bedroom apartment or extra family room/office. We are looking for the best resell options. We could have a 1 bedroom-1 bath apartment along with a huge 3 bedroom 1 1/2 […]
Reader Question: I am selling my deceased parents home. Should I dispose of items such as the refrigerator, chest freezer and professionally installed gas heating stove before showing the home? Is it better if they would be included in the sale? Mike T. Monty’s Answer: Hello Mike, and thanks for your question. The information provided is not […]
Reader Question: We are about to remodel the upstairs bathroom, which is quite small (9 feet x 6 feet). We currently have a 30-inch shower stall, 30-inch by 19-inch vanity, toilet and a small linen closet. There is also an entry door in the hallway for all bedrooms to access the bathroom and a private entry door […]
Problems with your well and septic systems? It is no secret that problems with a well and septic systems can result in much inconvenience, danger, and expense. Fortunately, prior knowledge can help reduce or avoid these common problems. This article is designed to provide you with the proper information and assist rural buyers and sellers […]
Unless consumers are somehow familiar with construction methods and techniques, knowing which signals require follow-up when viewing or selling a home can be difficult. Here is some general information for both buyers and sellers regarding what to look for with a home’s condition. For example; It is not unusual for home sellers (who were once […]