Original Content by Patricia Feager, 9/3/18
HAVE SOME SKIN IN THE GAME
As mentioned in my previous blog post on 8/28 Now is the Time to Buy A Home a strong economy doesn't last forever. If you're in the market to buy a home and your only option is pre-existing, have some skin in the game, knowing that you have to take a monetary risk to achieve your goal, choose wisely. Buyers looking for the perfect house may overlook something really important to know, the pendalum shifts, seasons change, low interest rates are never forever. What's more valuable to you? Is it the location, structure, near-by schools, and everything you're looking for but you don't like the floors or the paint colors? Then may I suggest you start looking at what I coined The Cosmetic Approach. Study the houses that are available to you now like you would a beautiful face that has the perfect make-up.
"Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them."
William Ward
THE COSMETICS APPROACH
Foundation is key to any building structure. It needs heat, air conditioning (applicable to your climate), roof, doors, windows, plumbing, running water, sewer, electricity, insulation, a good frame, doors and walls. Just as a home begins with a strong foundation, people who wear make-up knows that a flawless foundation with full coverage does more for the skin on your face than anything else. Wearing a neutral foundation gives the base for all creativity whether it is a face or the interior or exterior of a home. Don't let a pretty face fool you. It's what is down the road that really counts.
CONCEALERS
If a face that has wrinkles or dark spots there are a zillion products called a concealer to hide the flaws or change the appearance. But if those dark spots are cancerous, no concealer can make them go away. On the surface, cover-ups work great on faces and walls if applied artistically and done right. If a home is pre-existing, there is nothing more costly to sell a home than things that need to be replaced due to aging or end of a life cycle. Cosmetic improvements don't cost as much. For example a new furnance, replacement windows, plumbing fixtures, bathrooms, kitchens are all costly. However, finding the right painter to conceal all the flaws, such as using tape and bedding to repair seams and cracks and then paint over to give it a fresh paint job, may get a buyers attention, but what about future costs? Sitting on a broken toilet that won't flush and staring at pretty bathroom walls, isn't so pretty afterall.
RAISE THE BAR
If the eyes are the windows to the soul on a human face, updating basic household hardware (such as towel racks, hardware pulls, new door handles) than make-up artists will tell you pluck your eyebrows, it raises your eyes to look brighter, and while you're at it, apply highlighter by your cheekbones, ladies, you don't need a mustache, let's swipe those hairs and contour your face to look more appealing. Same is true in a house, new pulls, lighting, and towel racks are the jewels in the kitchen and bathroom. But the sad truth is, cosmetic jewery is just what it is - cosmetic.
THE VALUE IS IN THE PRICE
When buying a home, if the bones are good, cosmetics are a quick-fix to get instant gratification and a quicker sale. But paying for all new windows, plumbing, up-to-code electricity, a complete bathroom overhaul, foundation, and other major components to a house is far more costly than a pretty make-over. What's your attraction? Is it value or cosmetic make-over?
