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New Castle County DE listings decreased from 420 new listings in December 2016 down to 389 in December 2017. The average sales price decreased to $248,306, while days on market dropped by 11 days.
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Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.
Depending on whether you are planning to sell your home in the next year or if you are in your forever home, remodeling is a great way to get what you want out of your home, or what buyers want. There are things to consider before you jump into remodeling.
- Decide on a budget, and how you’ll pay for the upgrade. Consider hiring a financial planner who can help you choose which way is best.
- If you decide to do this project yourself, and you’re not in the construction business, plan on taking much longer than a professional. Be realistic about your skills and hire help if you need it.
- Acquiring an architect or designer is a good idea if you’re making major changes. You don’t want to run into major structural or electrical issues and not know what to do.
- Think about how long you want to stay in your home before you invest in big ticket items, like a six-burner range for the kitchen, or expensive hardwood flooring throughout the house. If your sole plan is to make money from a sale, or if you want and can afford the upgrades, go ahead. But if you’re not going to enjoy those items while you’re living there, consider a simple refurbishing or using what you have if it’s in good working order and won’t look out of place.
- When looking for a contractor, price isn’t necessarily the important thing. Ask for references, check their license numbers, and call the former clients and ask to see the work that was done, either in photos or in person. The research will be worth it in the end.
- Once you hire your contractor, start getting your paperwork in order. The contractor has their own responsibilities, and the homeowner has to take care of other items--check this list from realtor.com to see who is responsible for what.
- Planning a timeline with your contractor is especially important, and make sure you leave room for possible unexpected issues.
- Sit down with your family and figure out logistics, especially if you’re remodeling the kitchen or one of the bathrooms in your home. Remodeling can cause a lot of stress, but if everyone knows what to do before it all happens, things can flow better.
- As with moving, clean out the room before the renovation, giving away, selling or throwing out what you haven’t used in months. Wrap and store any items you’re keeping in a spare room.
- Before the construction team comes in to begin the project, sit down with your contractor to set location boundaries for the crew and your family, along with other logistics. The crew doesn’t want your children playing around with tools, and you don’t want your good bathroom towels used for grimy hands. Everyone needs to know what is okay, and what isn’t.
A home remodel is a big undertaking; watching renovation shows on television can give the idea that everything goes off without a hitch. It takes planning, communication and good all-around management to make the process go smoothly, even if you hit a few bumps along the way.
Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.
Photo credit: www.emagine.us
You’ve taken the plunge, and put your home on the market. How do you stage it for potential buyers, and keep it looking great while living your day-to-day? Follow this guide for some practical ideas.
1. Look at your front entry closely. Paint porch rails and columns, and your front door, if necessary. Replace the door, if necessary.
2. Landscaping is extremely important for first impressions--clean out the flowerbeds, put down some new mulch and fresh plants, if the time of year is right.
3. Get rid of clutter and anything that isn’t necessary. Go ahead and pack these things for your potential move so you’ll have one less thing to do when the time comes.
4. Clean out closets, and throw away, give away or store anything that you’re not using or haven’t used in six months. Buyers will look in closets and cabinets to see how much storage is available.
5. Clean, clean, clean. Your home needs to be spotless, but once it’s done, it’s easy to keep clean for realtor showings. If you don’t have time, consider hiring a cleaning agency.
6. Using decorative containers to store things that you need while living in your staged home is a great way to hide extra clutter. Totes, benches with storage, and inexpensive shelving with baskets are great ways to hide your can’t-live-without things.
7. Rearranging furniture to make rooms appear larger is a huge plus--even taking out lesser-used pieces makes a big difference in how open your rooms will look. If you’re unsure of this step, ask your realtor for the name of a decorator who specializes in rearrangement and using what you have to improve the space.
8. If your decor is bold and bright, go ahead and give the walls a fresh coat of neutral paint colors.
9. You don’t need to purchase new furniture once you’ve toned down the wall paint--slipcovers are an inexpensive way to make your pieces look like new.
10. Remove personal artwork/photos from your walls and replace with mirrors, inexpensive prints of landscapes or animals.
Once you’re ready for your realtor to schedule showings, give everyone in the house a responsibility schedule, and stick to it. Be diligent about keeping furniture dusted, floors vacuumed, countertops wiped off, and dishes stashed in the dishwasher. If you just take out an extra twenty minutes every evening or morning, your home will impress your potential buyers.
Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.
Photo credit: http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/
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