What Price Can You Put on a Well Maintained Home?
When a seller asks a REALTOR® to do a competitive market analysis if given the opportunity of listing his/her home, many variables come into play. Square footage, comps in the area, remodeling that's been done, etc., but, one of the most valued amenities is how well the home has been maintained.
At first blush, a buyer without a well-seasoned, scrutinizing REALTOR® can miss some of the hazards of a home that hasn't been well-maintained.
This is possibly the deal maker or breaker when a buyer views a property they are interested in. A qualified REALTOR® will know exactly what fine details to look for. The roof and gutters are clean as they walk through the front entrance. The kitchen sparkles and there are no smells, cracks, scratches on the floor. The carpets don't show wear. They dig into the closets and find that these are clean as a whistle! The pantry is neatly organized. The oil furnace has a clean filter, the basement has concrete with no wear and tear. The foundation has no cracks. All items that can be pointed out to the buyer.
On the other side of the coin: sidewalks that are cracked from a tree's roots infiltrating. Moss on a roof that hasn't been cleaned in a long while. Water that sits stagnant in squishy ground around the perimeter of the home. Mold, pests; it can go sideways very quickly when you see these areas not being taken care of on a regular basis. These can all spell disaster.
The value of a well maintained home can be priceless. Having a notebook or folder that contains a history of what's been done regularly on appliances, or service contracts that have been kept up for the life of the home ownership is MONUMENTAL.Sometimes extended warranties can be passed onto new buyers while also supporting the maintenance of appliances, should something quit working.
This gives the buyer a running history of the home that they may be seeing for the very first time. It fleshes out an otherwise snapshot view of the property which may not be enough to show the underpinnings of a home. If the home has been remodeled, having photos of before and after are a huge selling point, especially if walls have been taken down to studs or removed altogether, for example. This works well if a home has flooded to view damage and the aftermath as well as how the home was repaired.
Of course having an accredited home inspector go through the home is imperative but they, too can only give a viewpoint of the home through their area of expertise in a few hours' time. If there is a written history of the home proving what's been done to keep it up to snuff then that can help answer questions brought up by a home inspection.
A seller can ask a better price and back it up if they can prove with a papertrail that they have maintained the home on a regular basis. For example, if you have had a roof treated yearly, or gutters cleaned throughout the seasons and invoices showing this, these two items can extend the lifespan of these exterior areas and can help a buyer get a loan as a result. If you have continued to have pest control come all year, then the likelihood of bugs, or other pests that can ruin a home are greatly diminished. Not only is a seller lessening their angst about the safety and upkeep of their home, but they are actually adding VALUE to it, should they decide to sell in the future.
If you are looking for a local expert as a seller or buyer at Fishhawk Lake, please give me a call, as I quite often know the history of these properties and can give you vital background information.
Gayle C. Rich-Boxman
REALTOR® Vernonia Realty Direct: (503)755-2905
Specializing in Fishhawk Lake Reserve and Community
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