San Francisco Real Estate - Residential

To repair of not to repair... that is the question

A reader asks:

I have a question for your blog. The question is, is it better in today's market to take your time and repair and do simple remodel your home if you want to sell it rather than sell it "as is" for people who are looking for "fixer uppers"?

- Margaret K.

Our reply:

There are some things that will return value to you without a lot of cost or risk of over-improvement:

First of all—“de-clutter”. Remove extra books from bookcases, things on kitchen and bath counters, extra items on shelves and extra furniture from rooms. Rooms need to be furnished so that people can see how furniture will fit but not too much so that the rooms look crowded. Clean out closets. This is a good time to pack items that you will need to move anyway.

If you can afford it, put a fresh coat of paint in the main rooms and even paint the front door.
You might also have fragrant flowers or potpourri so that the home smells inviting.

If there are hardwood floors beneath old carpet, take up the carpet and polish the floors. If you keep the carpets, clean them. If the carpet is worn, you can replace with a neutral color.

Wash the windows. Make sure the front of the house is clean and tidy. Put plants in nice pots and put in corners where color might be needed.

If you have a lot of pictures or items on the walls, take some down so that the walls do not look cluttered. You can make even a “fixer” home look pleasant with a little effort. Prospective buyers may not think it needs as much work if it looks like they can live in it while they work on it.

The answer to your question really depends on the state of disrepair. If, by doing the things above you can give your house a fresh look it will sell for more than you would get by selling it as a fixer and it will not cost all that much in improvements.

In a general it is better to do a simple remodel than to sell something that needs fixing. However, that is not always an easy or simple decision. Sometimes you start to remodel and it is a difficult decision as to when to stop. Remodeling one thing can make other things look worse.

I do think there are some general things that can be done to update many homes and add value.
For example, we are going to be selling a condo we own in Tahoe that was built in the 70’s. So to prepare it for sale we are replacing the light fixtures, replacing the kitchen formica counter top with Silestone (a granite like surface) and replacing the gold colored appliances with new black appliances. We have also decorated it with mirrors and silk plants. We will let you know the buyers response when we put it on the market again this year.

- Janis Stone

posted by SFResidence.com @ 9:36 PM