How To Prepare And Sell A Home On A Budget
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How To Prepare & Sell A Home On A Budget
Selling a home can be a very stressful process and if a homeowner is attempting to prepare and sell their home with a small budget, the stress is magnified. There are many homeowners who simply do not have the capital to spend on preparing their home for the market.
It’s pretty obvious that a homeowner who has the ability to remodel their kitchen with granite counters, update their bathrooms, and install a new roof prior to listing their home has a much better chance to sell their home quicker. This does not mean that the seller is going to end up with more money in their pocket after you consider the amount of money they’ve spent on updates and improvements.
If you’re looking to prepare and sell your home but don’t have boatloads of money, take a deep breath, it can be done. By following some simple tips for selling a home on a budget, you’ll be on your way to a successful home sale without having to break your piggy bank.
Below you’ll find out what some of the low cost and potentially no cost tips for selling a home on a budget are. Take note and remember as you prepare to sell your home, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to be successful.
Top Budget Friendly Home Sale Preparation Tips
One of the most important things for the majority of home sellers is that they sell their home quickly and for top dollar. This doesn’t vary whether someone is selling their fifth home or whether you’re a first time home seller. Preparing a home for sale is one of the biggest factors that will determine whether a home will sell quickly and for how much.
Since this article is geared to help prepare and sell a home on a budget, below are some of the best budget friendly home sale preparation tips. If you’re selling a home and you’re not looking to spend a lot of money preparing your home for sale, the following tips are some that you should absolutely consider while preparing your home for the market.
Budget Friendly Curb Appeal Tips
Curb appeal is a crucial part of selling a home. A home that has an attractive curb appeal has a huge advantage over homes that look average or terrible from the road. For example, if you’re selling your home on a budget during the summer months, there are certain summer curb appeal tips that can be followed that won’t break the bank.
Below are some of the best budget friendly curb appeal projects to consider completing when selling your home on a budget.
- Mow the grass
- Pressure wash the driveway and walkways
- Weed the flower beds
- Trim shrubs and bushes
- Paint exterior door and trim
As you can see, the above budget friendly curb appeal tips will cost next to nothing. A seller who completes these tasks will spend very little money and a little bit of effort, but will see a very nice return when their home sells.
Budget Friendly Interior Tips
Budget Friendly Tips To Prepare For A Home Sale
Preparing the interior of a home for the market is also essential to a successful home sale. There are certain things that scare away potential home buyers, such as foul odors or a home that is cluttered with personal belongings. The great news is that preparing the interior of a home can be done on a budget as well. Like the budget friendly curb appeal tips, there are several things that can be done to the interior of a home for a small amount of money.
Below are some of the best budget friendly interior projects to consider when selling a home on a budget.
- Freshly paint rooms, if needed
- Wash the windows
- Clean floors
- Vacuum carpets
- De-Personalize
- De-clutter and organize
- Dust
- Wash and dust light fixtures and lightbulbs
- Stage the home to show functionality
One of the top home selling mistakes that is very common is that sellers do not properly prepare their home for sale. It can be avoided quite easily by completing the budget friendly interior projects that are listed above. While these projects may not cost a ton of money, they will make a monumental difference when a buyer walks through your front door.
Budget Friendly Exterior Tips
The exterior of a home is often neglected by homeowners who are preparing their home for sale. The exterior of a home needs to be prepared for the market just as much as the interior. This is especially true if you’re selling a home with pets, such as a dog. The exterior of a home can be prepared on a budget as well and if done properly, can make the difference between a home selling or lingering on the market for months.
Below are some of the top budget friendly exterior projects to complete when selling a home on a budget.
- Clean and organize the garage, shed, or any outbuilding
- Stage the exterior living space
- Inspect the condition of the roof and repair as needed
- Clean gutters
- Paint any fencing as needed
- Wash the windows
If you don’t see a trend, preparing a home for sale on a budget can be done by simply cleaning, washing, and properly staging. One of the best staging tips to maximize the sale price is to stage the outdoor living space to help paint the picture for potential buyers. This project can be done with no money if you already have some outdoor furniture.
Neglecting the exterior of the home must be avoided at all costs. Just because a seller is selling their home on a budget does not mean it is a good idea to not prepare the exterior of their home.
Other Tips For Selling A Home On A Budget
Now that you’ve learned about some of the best low cost tips to prepare a home for sale, it’s important you know what some of the other tips are for selling a home on a budget. Below are some other tips to consider if you’re selling your home and don’t have a ton of money.
Avoid Budget Friendly Real Estate Agents
Avoiding Budget Friend Real Estate Agents Is Highly Recommended When Selling A Home On A Budget
There are tons of ways to sell a home on a budget but one thing that should be avoided at all costs is hiring a real estate agent based solely on commission rates. Hiring a real estate agent is one of the most important steps in the home sale process.
Depending on your location, there is likely several hundred to several thousand real estate professionals in your area. Every real estate agent uses different marketing techniques to sell homes and also provides a different level of service. There are real estate agents who offer discounted commission rates and since you’re looking to sell a home on a budget you would think that would be a good idea but that is not true.
If you want a real estate agent to only put a sign in your front yard and enter your home into the local real estate database (MLS), then hiring a budget friendly agent may be exactly what you’re looking for. The problem is that simply putting a sign in front of a home and waiting for the home to sell is not going to lead to a quick sale for top dollar. There are not many budget friendly real estate agents out there who will do more than the bare minimum to sell a home.
Since the marketing and exposure a home receives is one of the top factors of whether a home sells or not, hiring a budget friendly agent is a poor business decision. It’s vital that you know how to interview real estate agents when selling a home, even on a budget.
Don’t Be Unrealistic In Negotiations
If you’re selling a home on a budget, it’s important that you remain realistic during negotiations. For example, if a buyer is requesting a seller concession towards their closing expenses, shooting down a purchase offer is a poor choice. It’s a better idea to attempt to negotiate with a buyer to hopefully come to terms that are acceptable to all parties.
Other parts of a real estate transaction that sellers need to remain realistic include any inspection negotiations as well as negotiations in determining possession dates. Bottom line, one of the most important tips for selling a home on a budget is to remain realistic with negotiations. Not doing so is a surefire reason your real estate transaction will fall through.
Don’t Underestimate The Importance Of Preparing Your Home For Showings
Preparing a home for private showings is very important and doesn’t have to cost anything other than some effort and time. There is no comparison between walking into a home where a homeowner has taken the time and effort to prepare for a showing and one that was not prepared. Since there is only one opportunity to make a positive first impression, it’s critical to properly prepare your home for showings.
Below are some great tips for preparing your home for showings on a budget.
- Turn on all lights
- Open windows if cool and breezy outside
- Turn on heat if cold outside/Air condition if hot outside
- Stowe away personal belongings
- Make beds
- Fold throw blankets and organize pillows on couches and chairs
- Check for odors
Preparing for a showing doesn’t have to take hours and hours, but it is very important. If you’re selling a home on a budget and have children or animals, it may take a bit longer to prepare for showings, but is well worth the extra effort and time. It’s recommended to ask your real estate agent for their tips for selling a home with kids or with pets and how they would suggest preparing for a showing.
Final Thoughts
Preparing and selling a home on a budget is not impossible. Many sellers believe that it cannot be done, but this is simply not true. A lot of the tips for selling a home on a budget come at a cost of personal time and effort. Even though the tips for selling a home on a budget cost time and effort, they end up leading to a quicker sale and more money.
Other Top Home Selling Resources
- Property Presentation Checklist via Selling Warner Robins
- 10 Things To Know Before Selling Your Home
- Inexpensive Ways To Improve Curb Appeal When Selling via Huliq
- Small Home Improvements That Make A Big Difference via Frederick Real Estate Online
Are you looking to sell a home in Rochester NY on a budget? If so, the above tips on preparing and selling a home on a budget will be very helpful. It’s always important to keep in mind that cutting corners to save money can end up costing a seller more money in the long run. If you haven’t hired on of the best real estate agents in Rochester, NY, contact me and I’d love to discuss your real estate circumstances.
About the authors: The above article “How To Prepare And Sell A Home On A Budget” was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise.
We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.