Typical well staged Carver County home interior
Selling Carver County MN Homes may not be as straightforward as you might think. Buyers, especially in this market are more interested in turn key homes that are in move in condition. Sellers therefore are investing time and money into preparing their homes for sale in order to get the best price possible. The question is; Is it worth the time and money to fix up a property that is in dismal condition?
Normally it’s worth the effort to fix up a home that has a good location and good basic structure who’s appearance can be substantially improved with improvements in cosmetics. Most buyers are unable to look past the cosmetic defects to see the potential in a home and if they can they often times over estimate the cost required to perform the improvements. In addition much of the decision to buy a home is based on how people “feel” about the house.
One Carver County MN seller that I know of placed his home on the market prior to doing any improvements. His home was on the market for 8 months before he decided to change realtors and hire me as his realtor to take a different approach. I brought in a certified stager who I have worked with for year. She recommended removing the wall to wall carpeting, refinishing the underlying hardwood floors, repainting the entire interior, replacing all the light and plumbing fixtures trimming the bushes and planting some flowers. The seller performed all the recommended work.
The property sold in multiple offers within one week of being placed back on the market at a price well over the asking price. One of the bidders was a buyer who had seen the home during the previous listing. This bidder however was negatively influenced by his first viewing of the home and bid on the low side of those who bid on the home.
What can be learned from this experience? When selling Carver County MN homes, hire a realtor who understands the importance of staging a home. Don’t open your home up to buyers till it is ready. Buyers don’t rely on what you tell them the home will look like when fixed up. They remember what they’ve seen and are reluctant to return to a home that gave them a bad impression on their initial viewing.
As a Carver County MN home owner you may not be in a position to afford fixing up the property or you may not be able to wait for the work to be done. Be prepared then to accept offers that are potentially not in your preconceived price range. In this case it may be to your advantage to market the property as a “fixer upper” needing “TLC”. Most sellers find this difficult to do because they have an emotional investment in their home but in these cases it must be done. This approach will appeal to a smaller segment of the Carver County MN market but there are buyers out there who are looking for the opportunity to obtain equity in a home by investing their own “Sweat” thus the term “Sweat Equity”.
Get estimates for work that you would have otherwise performed so potential buyers will not inflate their impressions of what it will cost. Buyers also often have the impression that homes that are in poor cosmetic shape also have hidden defects due to neglected maintenance so have your home pre inspected If necessary again get estimates for repair of items that may not be cosmetic. Still however be prepared to sell your home for less than equivalent homes that are in better shape.
Even if you do market your home as a fixer upper, be sure to de-clutter the home so it is free of debris and is clean so the buyer does not mentally inflate what needs to be done.
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