Preparing Your Home for Sale
Q: We’ve been living in this house for decades. We have so much stuff that we need to go through and get rid of, and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to the house. We don’t know where to begin. Can we really get our house ready to sell in a reasonable amount of time?
A: Great question! A lot of sellers are in the same situation as you. I can help you make a plan to sort through your belongings and get the necessary repair work done quickly. I have long-term relationships with preferred, reliable vendors who can help you with everything from deciding what to keep and what to give away, to painting, electrical work, plumbing, landscaping—everything you need to get your house in shape and ready for the market.
Q: We know that we will need to do some work on the house and yard before we list it, but we don’t want to spend a lot of money. How do we decide what to do and what to leave alone?
A: It’s important to understand what you can do for the least amount of money that will have the biggest impact on your home’s desirability. Sometimes simple, inexpensive fixes like de-cluttering, a fresh coat of paint, replacing lighting fixtures, or planting a few flowers can have a big effect on buyers’ impressions. I have over ten years of experience working with sellers and helping them determine how they can get the most for their money when preparing their home for sale. I also have extensive experience helping clients with remodeling and construction projects.
Q: Our home is pretty dated. Should we undertake any big projects like a kitchen renovation? We’ve read that’s an area that can add lots of value when selling your home.
A: It depends. We need to take into consideration exactly what condition your kitchen is in and how much it would cost to re-do it. While it’s true that the kitchen is an important feature to most homebuyers, in many cases, a complete remodel of a kitchen doesn’t return your investment. But less expensive cosmetic changes, like repainting cabinets and replacing knobs or replacing old appliances with new ones can give a kitchen a whole new look for a fraction of the cost of a complete renovation.
Q: Is it really necessary to stage the home? That sounds expensive.
A: Again, it depends. While staging isn’t always necessary, we often recommend staging to show the home off at its very best. Studies have shown that buyers make decisions about a home in the first six seconds of seeing it, so we want to make sure that we make the best first impression we can. I work with a variety of stagers, with a range of styles, that are can offer very cost effective services. And the good news is that in a fast-moving market like the one we are currently experiencing, the home will only need to be staged for a brief time.
Q: Anything else that we need to know about preparing our home for sale?
A: Every home is different and each home has different preparation needs. A large value that I bring to my clients is my experience in knowing what needs to be done to prepare a home for sale and helping them get the best deal from reliable vendors who will do the job well and on time. I’d love to meet with you and give you a no-obligation consultation on how you can best prepare your home for sale.
High Service: We Know the Problems, How to Solve them and We Do it All for You.
We work hard to make the sales process easy for you. There can be a lot to do to get your house ready to sell, and getting it all done quickly and for a reasonable price can be a challenge. That’s where we come in. Need help finding a handyman, or someone to help you organize and move 40 years of stuff? We’ll not only give you referrals, we’ll get estimates, schedule the work and make sure that it gets done.
Home Walkthrough
Show us the state of the property, identify areas that have the most potential, areas that need attention and what work is needed to make the property look as good as possible.
Inspections
Order and schedule relevant inspections: property, pest and pool.
Staging Consultation
Evaluate staging needs and get bids and timetable from professional stager(s).
Improvement Assessment and Bidding
Evaluate home and landscape improvement needs, get bids and schedule work.
Buyers form their first impression of your house in six seconds. Whether that first contact is online or in person, it’s important to get it right. We know the difference that aesthetics makes in buyers’ eyes. We expand the buyer pool by making the house ready to move into and adding touches that win over potential buyers.
Insert Graphic: Impact of Home Preparation on Buyer Demand
Based on the target buyer we identify, Dreyfus recommends a custom plan to get your house ready to sell. We are keenly aware of trends and what potential buyers are looking for. We don’t take a vanilla, one-size-fits all approach like other agents. We recommend different stagers and home décor to make your home look distinctive and stand out from other properties on the market.
Worried about how to get it all done in a short amount of time for at a price you can afford? Leave it up to us. We have long-standing relationships with proven, dependable, crews of contractors, plumbers, electricians, painters, landscapers and stagers who can transform your house on time and on budget.
