by Shane Thompson, Asset Vu Real Estate Brokerage, Roseville, CA
8 Seconds – The time you have to make a first impression. Also the time that it takes the average buyer prospect to decide whether or not they want to pursue your home any further. These tips are merely the basics for which a seller in today’s real estate environment might best benefit from their monetary investment. The numbers I have listed in this article are based on averages collected from other reports. Even though I limited this list to only three pre-list recommendations I believe that these will provide you with the highest yield for your investment.
As a Real Estate Investor and Licensed Real Estate Broker I have had numerous opportunities to apply this advice to my own projects with great success. I have also done the same for multiple private and corporate sellers who were seeking a fast sale. Most sellers don’t like to invest a lot of money in a home right before they sell it, but I think you will find these recommendations to be of great value if you give them a try.
Bark
Planter beds full of newly installed bark adds a fresh look to what might otherwise be an aging or possibly even neglected looking landscape. Whether your planter beds are full of colorful plants or not, a new coat of bark will surely add color and dimension to these areas. It also provides a nice contrast to concrete, stone, or lawn areas. For the best results you should try and match your bark to the exterior color of your home. For example, if your home is painted an earth tone color you may want to go brown or black on your bark selection. If you have a stained wood exterior on your home you may be able to go with a reddish brown or brown bark to compliment it. Any homes that are painted in the grey tones should stick with black bark as this material will compliment that homes exterior the best.
Bark can sometimes produce a smell which is a result of the dying process. For example some bark has been double or even triple dyed and these materials will have the deepest color and as such come at a slightly higher price. Don’t worry about the smell however, because the smell is something we associate with newly installed landscaping materials, so it’s a good thing. Even though some bark materials can get rather pricey your return on this investment will be well worth it. Not only will it get some of those buyer prospects to stop their car, but the average return on this investment is upward of 200%* with a reduced time on market of 10 – 15%*. That is money well spent!
Lighting
Let’s start with the first and foremost principle when it comes to lighting. EVERY light bulb throughout the home both inside and out should be operational! I can’t stress this enough. This should be done before any listing photos are taken by the listing office. Have you ever looked at an agents listing and noticed that there were lights not on in some of the photos? This is a problem for multiple reasons. One is that the home is not represented in its best form thus affecting all marketing materials online and in print as well as any in person tours of the property.
If you have any new home developments in your area make it a point to drop by one of them and take a tour of their homes. You will notice that every light is on in their homes and that many if not all of the light switches have been disabled so that the lights can not be turned off by those taking a tour. Why is this you ask? Because all homes look better when well lit. It even improves a prospective buyers mood encouraging them to spend more time at your listing or online viewing your marketing materials.
Lastly, I would recommend investing in lighting elements that sell. This can be something as simple as the type of light bulb you choose. The hot thing right now is LED. You can now purchase LED style light bulbs in just about any shape or size to fit your lighting fixtures. They produce a very clean and attractive looking light and operate at only a fraction of the cost when compared to incandescent bulbs. They also have a very long operational life. Most LED style bulbs look a lot like an incandescent light, unlike the tubular CFL style bulbs that aren’t so attractive when installed in fixtures that expose the lighting element.
Regardless of what lighting elements you choose, having your home lit up for marketing materials and showings will surely add to your overall marketing strategy and most likely result in a faster sale.
Paint
You don’t get a second chance at a first impression! Whether inside the home or out, if your walls are dirty, stained, or cracking it is time to seal them up with a new coat of paint. Fresh paint not only gives a home that clean appearance, but it also produces that new home smell which prospective buyers love. Buyers want a move-in-ready home and nothing says move-in-ready like clean floors and fresh paint! Color schemes consisting of two or three colors which include at least one contrasting trim color are what most buyers desire right now. Earth tones and anything in the grey color pallet would be very desirous. Keep it somewhat light and neutral so that it provides for a positive and upbeat viewing experience. Try and also think about the flooring when painting your walls. You don’t want to paint the walls in a color scheme that works against your flooring colors.
Dollar for dollar, paint is one of those investments that return some of the highest yields to sellers of real estate. During the time that we occupy our homes we may choose to do different paint schemes throughout as a way of customizing the rooms for our children or customizing rooms to our decor. Unfortunately this breaks up the flow of the homes floor plan by creating visual separation between rooms. This is usually not in your favor when trying to sell the home. When it comes to pre-list paint schemes keep it to only a couple of colors that are carried consistently throughout the home. This makes for a better viewing experience. Even though your paint may still be newer in appearance a busy color scheme could unknowingly hamper your sale. This little trick should help you reach an escrow faster and as we all know a faster sale usually means more money.
I hope you find this short article useful and I wish you the greatest of success on your future real estate projects.
For questions or comments you may contact the author of this article directly by clicking HERE. Thinking of buying or selling? Check out our FREE MLS ACCESS tool!
Asset Vu Real Estate Brokerage is licensed by the California BRE – ID 01803537
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