We've lived in our home for over 25 years (and that's not it in the picture). There's not much about our home that's the same as when we bought it. We (okay, our contractors) completed gutted and remodeled both baths and our kitchen. Walls have been removed. Skylights replaced. Windows replaced. There's not an original exterior door left. We've removed a wall and opened up the floor plan. Even added an acre to our lot with a purchase from a neighbor.
And yet, if there was an emergency requiring us to move quickly, our home wouldn't be quite ready to have a For Sale sign in the yard. It's mostly minor work projects like replacing the laundry room floor, making some adjustments to a door's fit, patching a spot in the driveway, etc. Nothing too expensive or overly complicated, but they're things that would need to be done to have our home ready to be optimal for selling.
The good news? Everything major we've done to our home has been done well in advance of selling our home. We planned and have gotten to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Too often we see home sellers go into a remodeling frenzy just prior to selling their home. They'll pour tens of thousands of dollars into updating their home prior to placing it on the market. And while the buyers are going to love the changes, the seller may not see much of their money back in an improved sales price.
Let's say for instance that a seller purchased at the upper end of their neighborhood's price range. Now adding lots of dollars in improvements may not be able to increase the home's value because the rest of the neighborhood's values won't support it. Sure, the home should sell faster because of the updates, but that may be the main gain for the sellers.
In our opinion, you're better off maintaining your home through the years. Update, remodel, replace as you need to. Then enjoy the benefit of living in your improved home. And when it's time to actually sell your home? Just make the minor changes needed.
Got questions about knowing what you should and shouldn't change in your home? The answers are easy to get, just call me at 513-520-5305 for a chat. Like what you hear, we can meet in person and get even more detailed about determining the best path to take care of your future home needs!
We look forward to hearing from you!
Serving Greater Cincinnati home buyers and sellers,
Bill of Liz and Bill aka BLiz
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