getting ready to sell Archives - The Jacobi Team, Century 21 Select Real Estate, Inc.

Have you thought about what makes your home so special?

It’s a good question to ask when you are thinking about selling.

What led you to purchase this home?

Highlighting the unique features and benefits of your home is essential in ensuring that it receives the value it deserves. To do this it is important to help your real estate professional get to know your home as well as you do.

Let’s explore – from your point of view as the owner – what might be most attractive about your property to a potential buyer.

1. What made you purchase this home? Was it location? Was the neighborhood special or is the home convenient to shopping? Are there natural features that enhance the area such as parks or streams? Is the home sitting on a corner lot with large trees? What were some of the specific things about this home that made it attractive?

2. Which features of the home have you enjoyed the most? Maybe the property has a pool in the backyard; outdoor grilling station and/or a fire pit. Could be the layout of the home – open floor plan, fireplace, indoor laundry. Maybe the kitchen is large and inviting. Could be the basement playroom.

3. What are the features that a typical buyer might miss when they walk through? Put yourself in the place of a buyer who is unfamiliar with the home and you were doing a guided tour. What special features would you point out? Walk-in closets? Extra deep cupboards? Built-in storage in the garage?

4. What other features or benefits should be highlighted? Your real estate agent will be of great help in suggesting what other ways your home will shine when it is listed.

Deciding to sell your home is a big decision. After all you bought it and enjoyed it and now you want someone else to see and appreciate all the cool features that you have over the years. Emmett and Kim Jacobi, The Jacobi Team, are experts in navigating the ins and outs of home selling and buying. Give them a call today.

Let’s talk laundry rooms

Are they essential?

A survey done in 2018 indicated that the first two features for a home that buyers consider essential are living rooms and laundry rooms. Interestingly the survey showed that for first-time home buyers, the living room ranked first and laundry room was second; but for 2nd+ time buyers that reversed with laundry rooms being first and living rooms ranking second.

A 2019 report showed that laundry rooms rated top spot for most wanted home feature for home buyers. The humble laundry room – a place for washing and drying clothes – has now the potential to be so much more. According to a September 2020 article in “Kitchen & Bath Design News” the laundry room can become a flexible space that includes being a hobby and craft area or even a home office.

Sellers, remember when getting your home ready for sale, that the laundry room – no matter where it is located in the home – deserves as much attention as everywhere else so that buyers will be attracted to the home. Whether the laundry room is in a little closet off the kitchen, in the basement or even in the garage:

1. Clean, clean, clean. Make sure the washer and dryer are clean both inside and outside the machines. Move them out from the walls and clean behind and don’t forget the floors! Go outdoors and check the dryer vent, making sure that area is as clean as everything indoors. It doesn’t matter if the appliances are remaining with the sale, what matters is that they are sparkling so that the buyer can appreciate how beautiful the laundry area can be.

2. Spruce up the laundry area. Paint, if possible. Organize, put up shelving. Add attractive lighting. If the laundry area is in the garage make the laundry area appear separate. Organizing the garage wouldn’t be a bad idea before potential buyers show up.

Forget the days of the dark, dank and dingy spot where the washer and dryer was located. Laundry rooms can be bright, functional and inclusive spots for all kinds of household uses. House Beautiful has an June 2021 article listing “50 Small Laundry Room Ideas.”

Looking for a home to buy? Have a home to sell? Let Emmett and Kim Jacobi, The Jacobi Team, help you with all the details, from location to loans. Contact them today.

Getting Ready To Sell Part Two

Addressing the home’s interior

Last week we looked at the exterior, now for the interior

It’s exciting to think about selling your home but it can be a little overwhelming. Where to begin? In last week’s post we looked at 10 points to think about regarding the exterior of the home. Let’s turn that same thinking to the interior of your home. Again, your budget and the time you can spend will determine how much of these things you can do. Doing all of them will ensure that your home is a shining star once it hits the market. Doing most of them will ensure that your home is ready for buyers to come and look and fall in love with your home. Doing none of them means you have to adjust your price to include an “as is” or “fixer-upper” sale.

Here goes, 10 points to consider for the interior in getting ready to sell:

1. Get a storage unit or clear a space in your garage and start packing! It’s time to declutter and open up the space. Pack up all knick-knacks, personal photos, clutter, etc. Your goal is to have your bookshelves, closets and surfaces have barely anything on or in them. Kitchen and bathroom counters need to be completely bare except for hand soap. You want potential buyers to see the home and envision themselves living there.

2. Replace any burned out bulbs or faulty light switches. If a prospective buyer goes to turn on a light and it doesn’t turn on because of a burnt out bulb, they may think the worst and figure there’s something wrong with the electric system in your home. You might consider getting a whole house inspection done to find out all the little things that could be fixed. A buyer usually gets a whole house inspection but if you get to it first then they won’t have anything to request from you to fix during escrow.

3. Pet or smoke odors can lose you thousands of dollars off the sale of your home, so if you have a pet or you smoke, consider waiting to deep clean the home until a week before your home goes on the market and then the cleaning smells will be fresh for the rush of buyers when they come the first couple weeks.

4. Deep clean the entire house: windows, sills, blinds, curtains, carpet, cabinets, walls, baseboards, trim, ceiling fans, surfaces, tub and toilet stains, grout stains, etc. And remember the oven! Consider having your carpets professionally cleaned and have any sections that have stains or rips repaired. If your budget allows, hire professional cleaners to come in and do the deep cleaning.

5. No cobwebs anywhere. Especially just before open houses or showings, take a duster and go over everything.

6. Paint brightly colored walls a neutral color like beige, sand or off white. This will help prospective buyers to better imagine their own color schemes in the home.

7. Patch and paint any holes. This is a good task to do just prior to deep cleaning.

8. Repair leaky faucets, loose doorknobs, cabinets that don’t close all the way, etc.

9. Small updates that pack a big punch could include new, modern faucets in kitchen and bath; newer, modern ceiling fans and light fixtures; new throw pillows and area rugs and new towels for the bathroom.

10. If your home is in the City of Chico and was built prior to 1991 and you bought it more than 10 years ago then you will need to ensure that you have R30 ceiling insulation in order to sell your home. The buyer can take responsibility for that but that is something that the typical buyer will expect a seller to do. So if you do it ahead of time then you will be better off. This is something you can discuss with your real estate agent.

There are many ins and outs to getting a home ready to put on the market. Emmett and Kim Jacobi – The Jacobi Team – are experts in navigating the intricacies of selling a home and also of buying a home. Contact them today to start a conversation.

Getting Ready To Sell

First Let’s Look Outside

We’ll look at the interior in next week’s post.

Getting ready to sell your home? Here are 10 points to think about. Your budget and time will help you to prioritize the list and help you to make decisions on which items can actually be done. Doing all of them will ensure that your home is a shining star once it hits the market. Doing most of them will ensure that your home is ready for buyers to come and look and fall in love with your home. Doing none? Well that means you may need to adjust your price to make it an “as is” or “fixer-upper” sale.

Okay, here we go, a 10 point to-do list for the exterior:

1. Landscaping: pull weeds, trim bushes and trees and mow the lawn. For a finished look to the flower beds add fresh bark and a pop of color with some annuals planted near the front door.

2. Power wash the exterior and touch up areas of peeling paint. If you can afford it, paint the whole exterior if your home hasn’t been painted in over 10 years. Make sure all cobwebs are removed from the exterior at the very least. Shake out the welcome mat and dust down the front door.

3. Clean all the windows and replace any broken or missing screens. If you have windows that are cracked – or missing – have them replaced if you can. The windows are the eyes of the home and you want yours shining brightly.

4. Get a roof inspection if your roof is over 15 years old. Get any repairs done that will ensure that a buyer can get a loan on the home.

5. Get a pest inspection done and have all dry rot and wood destroying pest issues addressed. This will ensure that a buyer can get a loan on your home as well.

6. If you have a septic system and are not connected to city sewer, ensure that your septic tank is pumped and inspected. If the inspection shows major problems with the septic and you do not have the money to fix it, ask your real estate agent about a “buyers a credit” to go towards septic repair.

7. Replace any missing or broken bricks, pavers, shingles or stones anywhere on the exterior or walkways. Now is a good time to look at the driveway – is it cracked? Buckled? If you can afford to, give your driveway some loving attention as it will increase the curb appeal of the home.

8. If you have a chimney make sure there is a properly installed chimney cap. The roofer can do that when he goes up to do his inspection. There are many points to be considered about chimneys, here’s an interesting article.

9. If your heating and air system is older than 15 years consider having it serviced and inspected. You might consider have the home’s ducts checked, cleaned and repaired if needed.

10. Does your property have fencing? If so, take a walk around and check for possible wear or damage. Maybe all that is needed are a few new boards here or there. Or, if you can afford it, you may need a whole new fence. Broken down fences can be a negative to a buyer, whereas a newly painted, repaired fence can make the property look loved and cared for and increases its value.

There is much to consider when thinking about getting a home ready for sale. Emmett and Kim Jacobi, The Jacobi Team, are experts at helping people navigate the ins and outs of home selling. Contact them today.

Have you thought about what makes your home so special?

It’s a good question to ask when you are thinking about selling.

What led you to purchase this home?

Let’s talk laundry rooms

Are they essential?

Getting Ready To Sell Part Two

Addressing the home’s interior

Last week we looked at the exterior, now for the interior

Getting Ready To Sell

First Let’s Look Outside

We’ll look at the interior in next week’s post.

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