How to Get the Best Price for Your Run-Down Home With the new year comes new opportunities. If you’re trying to sell a home that needs a good deal of work, it can seem like every other home in the area is getting listed – and selling – with a higher market value. Unfortunately, fixing a home up to get it to that higher selling point often requires a sizable investment not only monetarily but also in terms of time and energy. If you’re not a professional house flipper and aim to move on without a major renovation investment, Bill at Bill Buys Houses can help. Check out these tips for getting a better price for your rundown home, and call Bill when you’re ready to sell your home fast! Assess Your Property’s Value There are a few ways to assess your property’s value. You can call in a professional to perform an appraisal, which will give you the best idea of how much your home is worth. You can also consult a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about the area and type of property you’re trying to sell. Finally, you can do your research and search for comparable homes in the area and see what their prices are. However, if your home is run-down, comparing it to other homes may not give you the best idea of how much your home is worth. Understand Your Buyers One great thing about the current housing market is that it’s a seller’s market. That means you don’t have to put in a ton of elbow grease or pay contractors a mint just to get a decent sale price out of your home. Many buyers are out there looking for a place to personalize and make all their own after getting a great price on a home they love. These fixer-upper buyers are more interested in purchasing a layout they love and features they find appealing. Instead of focusing on making significant changes to a home’s look, you want to sell buyers the concept of a home with potential. When it comes to renovations, the only thing you really need to focus on is addressing safety concerns and any existing structural issues. Cleaning Your Property There are a few steps you can take to sell your home “as is.” Even if you’re planning to do the bare minimum as far as renovations go, it’s crucial to get your property looking as cleaned up as possible to attract potential buyers. At the very least, this means getting rid of clutter and thoroughly cleaning your property. One of the fastest ways to turn off potential investors and homebuyers is to show them a dirty home. Even if it isn’t necessarily true, this conveys that the property has likely been neglected in important ways. Remove Any Personal Items If you look through enough home listings, you’re bound to come across a bad property listing. The rooms are still filled with busted furniture, old appliances, or even trash. While it’s true that in a seller’s market, you’re bound to eventually come across someone happy to have all of that junk carted off, most people can’t look past it to see the diamond in the rough. Having all of the personal items and junk removed from a property is quite literally the least you can do in terms of getting it ready to sell. If no one is living in the home as you’re getting it ready for sale, get rid of everything. You also want to make sure there are no safety hazards anywhere on the property. If a tenant previously occupied your house or you plan to live in the home until after the sale is complete, you’ll need to purge everything you can. Go through the house room by room to identify anything that can be donated to a local nonprofit charity. Anything else should be thrown out, including furniture that isn’t explicitly used for staging. Finally, don’t overlook the attic, basement, and shed. No one wants the added chore of removing junk when purchasing a home. Cleaning the Rooms Prioritize the most visible rooms first when cleaning up the property. Living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and dining rooms will be the most obvious to potential buyers. Pay a professional cleaning team to come in and get the property ready for the show. If you’re handling it yourself, clean first from top to bottom and then from left to right to ensure no surface, detail, or molding is missed. Whether you’re cleaning tile, marble, Formica, or hardwood, be sure you’re using the most appropriate cleaning products for the surface you intend to clean. Find the right products to remove residues like food, grime, and soap scum, but be careful not to etch or damage any surfaces during the cleaning process. Finally, make sure not to leave any film or cloudiness after cleaning mirrors and glass. Use this checklist to make sure you’re thoroughly cleaning every surface in a home: ● Walls ● Mirrors ● Baseboards ● Corners of ceilings ● Chandeliers and light fixtures ● Light switch plates ● Windows and sills ● Fan blades ● Plumbing fixtures ● Inside appliances ● Toilet, sink, and bathtub staining ● Behind and underneath the refrigerator, stove, washer, dryer, and dishwasher ● Inside of cabinets and cupboards ● Closet corners and shelves ● Vents ● Grout ● Stained carpet Minor Updates While it really doesn’t pay off to heavily renovate a home if you’re likely to sell it in less-than-perfect condition, you should see to any needed minor updates: ● Check all of the home’s windows and doors for broken doorknobs and latches. ● Repair any damaged caulking. ● Patch sizable holes in the walls. ● Repair broken cabinets and missing drawer pulls. ● Fix any plumbing problems. Curb Appeal With a fixer-upper, you’re not going to invest in significant landscaping or siding updates. But you should make sure the lawn looks clean and attractive and get the front porch and door in good shape before you list the property. Hire a professional lawn team to get rid of any unsightly weeds or brush, especially if the property has unkempt flower beds. And always appreciate the value of a coat of front door paint and a couple of simple planters flanking the entrance. Consider Your Home’s Potential Buyers sometimes need help visualizing what the home can look like after renovations. You can help them out by emphasizing your home’s potential. If you can, create a virtual representation of what the home could look like later on with fresh paint and a few updates. This can help potential buyers see what the home could be. Highlight Location Benefits Some people will buy a house simply because it is located in a desirable neighborhood. In your listing or even a flyer in the home, highlight the located-based benefits of your home, such as access to public transportation, fun nightlife, grocery stores, desirable schools, etc. But I Need to Sell My House ASAP! As you can see, even selling a home as a low-cost investment property can require a whole lot of elbow grease and more than a little pocket change. Property owners wanting to avoid the hassle and investment of getting it ready for sale often connect with companies that buy houses for cash. There are many reasons to sell your home for cash. The process is fast and easy, and you don’t have to worry about making major updates and changes. You can also avoid showing your home to potential buyers or dealing with whatever comes from a home inspection. You can get your cash faster than a traditional real estate sale. You can also avoid real estate commissions, which means more money in your pocket. Sell Your Run-Down Home As Is with Bill Buys Houses At Bill Buys Houses, we can help you get rid of your run-down home fast by connecting you with a cash home buyer fast! Rather than deal with an investor, work with a local home buyer like Bill Buys Houses to get the best deal on your home. We have many years of experience in the real estate industry, and we care about our Minnesota neighbors, whereas investors only care about dollar signs. We care about your situation and want to help you move on with your life, which is why we can handle buying run-down homes and inherited homes and help people avoid foreclosure. Our process is very straightforward, usually only taking a few days from start to finish. Then, you can be on your way to purchase a new home or whatever the next chapter of your life looks like. Get an offer today by calling Bill at 651-270-9191 or contact us on the web.