Part II: Get Your Home Resale Ready (Even If You’re Not Selling Now)
Certain homes are going to sell, no matter what the housing market situation or how the economy is fairing. How do these properties maintain their salability? Well, location is always important and, depending on your individual area, the size and type of house you have can make a big difference, too. For example, condos sell better in Chicago than in the suburbs and across the U.S. three-bedroom single-family homes are more in demand than two-bedroom places. Overall, detached houses do better than attached units because there is often a surplus supply of condos and lofts following a building boom, since they are quicker and cheaper to put up. Do some investigating on your own, or speak with a real estate agent to find out how your home compares.
As was mentioned in the last entry, it’s never too early to start preparing your home for resale. It is much easier to sculpt your home into a lean mean selling machine over time than right before you put the "for sale" sign up in the front yard. The research you do on what sells in your city and neighborhood can be a rough guideline for changes and improvements you can make in your own house to better position it for resale in the future. But be careful not to get sucked into any fads that may not be popular a few years down the road. Instead, look at the more fundamental features, such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Putting money into additions will not only provide you and your family with more space and amenities now, but will ensure your place is desirable to sellers later on.
An enhanced level of energy efficiency never fails to attract sellers. There are all sorts of appliances, heating and cooling systems, windows and other innovative upgrades you can install that reduce energy consumption and save the homeowner money on utility bills. Anything you can do to diminish the cost of a home’s upkeep is favorable to potential buyers. Green alternatives and high-performance everything are more available these days, giving homeowners countless options to boost their property’s value and cut maintenance expenses.
Thinking ahead is the best way to get your home resale ready. Then you can take your time, do your research and make smart investments that are sure to pay off in the end.
Posted at 09:24AM Apr 04, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General Comments[1]
Great site :)
Posted by gary ashton on April 04, 2008 at 03:27 PM CDT #