Jun 27, 2017
Pattie Lovett-Reid: How to get the biggest bang for your real estate buck
I love real estate and have bought and sold a number of properties over the years. Rule number one for us has always been: never fall in love with your assets. Rule number two: the day we move is the day we get the home ready to sell. Now, it doesn’t happen overnight, but over time, we focus on getting the biggest bang for our real estate buck. We just never know for sure when we will sell next.
If you are a home seller and worried the frenetic pace of home sales is showing signs of slowing, there are still ways you can have your home stand out from the crowd. Standing out might be as easy as changing the decor.
According to a paint colour analysis from real estate website Zillow, homes with a blue theme are leaving some sellers pretty happy. Shades of powder blue or periwinkle painted bathrooms garnered more than $5,400 than expected when sold. The analysis looked at more than 32,000 homes sold and compared sale prices of homes with coloured walls versus those painted white. By the way, it wasn’t just about bathrooms; dining rooms, kitchens and bedrooms all painted various shades of blue led to higher home sales.
Beware not all colours yield the same result. For example, a red brick dining room accent wall that was once in vogue, slashed a home’s price by more than $2,000. Experts also recommend staying away from yellow, pink and brown colours.
A few other trends to help you get your biggest bang for your real estate buck – stainless steel appliances aren’t likely to go out of style anytime soon and quartz countertops are considered timeless and required little up keep. If you can’t afford quartz you could explore marble (although experience has taught me this is a tougher one to keep up).
A number or realtors I spoke with highlighted the importance of curb appeal. As owners, we sometimes can become blind to the little things potential buyers will pay attention to. Gardens, flowers, trimmed trees and shrubs will help to make your home more inviting to others. Paint inside and outside can go a long way making an older home look new again.
Homes will sell if you price it right and do a few little things to spark some interest.
