We've decided to sell.....need input (long)

[mudnuri]

DH and I have been tossing the idea of selling our house back and forth for a few years now. Well, it's become more important to DH to have land, and more important to me to get our kids into an area that offers more for kids. Our elementary school here is fantastic, but our area has a very high poverty level, so high in fact that 75-80% of kids here qualify for free/reduced lunch!...

There is a city about 20 minutes from here, though across the river into NH that we are interested in. This is the city where we do all of our grocery shopping, wal-mart, home depot, car dealer, etc... are located in.

It is also 1/2 way between our current house and DHs store.

So we know where we're going, know what we're looking for house/land wise, but need some input from you all about the house we're selling.

DH has owned this house since 1989. It's a 3 bedroom 1 bath ranch on 1/2 acre in 1 of the best neighborhoods in this town, and the only one with these sized lots. We're in a development that was built in the late 70's, the majority of our neighbors have children in elementary/early middle grades. The other's are original owners, and now have grandchildren the ages of our DD's. It truly is a great neighborhood, and my neighbors are wonderful. We're in a neighborhood of single family- owner occupied homes...no rentals etc.

Anyway- back in late fall, we gutted our bathroom- so thats "new"...floor, counter, tub surround, paint etc.

DD's bedrooms were painted in 2000, our bedroom was last painted in 97 since we have a water bed that needs to be drained and moved to paint..read that as a BIG pain! DD7's bedroom is a mint green with a boarder on the top that is floral, DD6's bedroom is pink, no boarder. The pink looks dingy and I want to repaint that...the green is perfect.

The house had hardwood floors through out- except the kitchen and bathroom. These are the original floors, and could use refinishing. They are not dirty looking, but do not hold a shine for very long. We had wall-wall carpet from 96-02. DD's bedroom and living room now have area rugs.

The windows are original, and are not energy efficent by any means...they're not drafty, but they're not super tight either.

The kitchen floor has that peel and stick vinyl squares, which was put down over linoleum, which we now know you arent suppose to do. we plan on removing the tiles which "move", and the original linoleum and putting down the "snap lock" laminate wood floor. Kitchen cabinets and counter are original.

House has a 1 car garage, and totall level lot. Lot has mature shrubs, which are kept trimmed, and mature perrenial flower beds, flowering tree's etc.. House was painted in 2002

Roof was put on in 96, along with a 15'X25' deck. wood fired/oil back up furnace is original, however is serviced each year, along with the chimmeny.

Water heater is owned by power company, we rent monthly, current water heater is less than 2 years old.

Basement is 1/2 finished, 1/2 unfinished, along with seperate office.

okay -now for the questions- the rooms that I need to paint, DH says dont paint them because if they dont like the color they're going to paint them anyway.... I say if they look "freshly painted" they look better, and if the person has limited money after the sale, can "live with" the color...I want to paint ours off-white (egg shell) and DD6's a lighter shade of pink...the cellar stairway needs to be painted again white.

We've discussed replacing the windows, DH can get the windows at cost, and we can install them ourselves (DH owns a Manufactured Home Supply store, but the manufacturers make house windows too)......we could probably recoup the money we spend on the windows- since it would be a LOT less than buying them at say Home Depot, but is it a big selling point? Having never bought/sold before we're stuck...

The kitchen floor- with the rest of the house being real hard woodfloors, will the kitchen, which has an open doorway to the living room look "odd" with laminate wood? If yes- should we just pay someone to lay new linoleum sheet?

Wood floors through out- I say- no way, we're not refinishing them...this can cost us upwards of $5K to do, and I dont think we can justify not only the cost- but also having to move all the stuff out of the rooms, not to mention try to live in a house with floors being refinished...

Were also thinking of listing this house in the For Sale By Owner magazine in our area. When DH bought this house, it was from an ad in the paper from the seller, no agent. DFIL had his real estate license, and handelled all DBIL's houses, and the 5 houses that DH's family built and sold, so he is a help. I know also that there are real estate lawyers etc... Anyone done this?

We are not planning on listing this house until after we return from WDW, since it will then be May, we have the summer to sell/buy....plus we will have a chance to do some curb appeal outside, since right now theres just giant snowbanks covering everything.

Any advice is appreciated...even you pop daddy whose going to say "long post" LOL

Brandy

 

[Pin Wizard]

Hi, Brandy! I got through most of your post. If you're painting, I'd stick to neutural colors. If you paint your daughter's room pink, suppose a family with only boys wants to buy? I just received an appraisal of my house in the mail today. I'm also planning on moving.

Be careful of the "upgrades." I received a community newsletter the other day. Someone on my street put an ad in that they are selling their home for...$313,000 furnished! And something like $300,000 unfurnished. When I told the appraiser, she laughed. There's no way they'll get that in this neighborhood. They had put in granite counter tops, tile flooring, etc., etc. Gee...it may be the perfect time for me to sell! I'm told there's more of a demand for my neighborhood than what's available. And I can certainly up my price and come in under that one! LOL! Good luck!!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We lived in a great neighborhood also. We sold because I wanted a bigger house and DH wanted land. Well now 2 1/2 yrs later, we're ready to move again. I've hated it here since the day we moved in and DH is also sick of how time consuming having land is. We are looking for a house in a housing development again. Our kids are still young so we feel do it now. As far as painting, if you are keep it neutral or give an allowance. We bought our house directly from the owner with no problems. Good Luck!

 

[tar heel]

If walls are dirty, definitely paint. I'm not sure what you should do about the kitchen floor -- probably inexpensive lineoleum, but I would get advice from a realtor. You don't have to sign a contract with them to get their advice -- they will be offering lots b/c they want you to sign. Otherwise, be very careful about expensive upgrades. They might help you sell your house more quickly, but they are much less likely to increase the selling price. Unless your current windows are just horrible, I wouldn't even consider replacing them.

 

[JESW]

Paint nuetral colors - egg shell is a good choice.

This is just me, but when we were looking for a house I would never look at one that was for sale by owner. I just didn't trust that the people would know the right things to do - prefered to go through a realtor. (not that you and your DH don't know what you are doing - just my preference)

Good luck!!

Jill

 

[AMClvsMKY]

As others have said - I would be careful about putting alot of money into the house just to sell it. As a mom of 2 boys, a pink bedroom wouldn't appeal to us at all. We have sold a couple of homes now and what we have been told is that the kitchen and bathrooms are what sells the house. Fixing the kitchen floor would probally make a big difference.

Good Luck!!

 

[my3kids]

If you need to repaint one of the kid's rooms, then paint. Paint is cheap. I would NOT do the windows and almost certainly not the kitchen floor either.

 

[Desnik]

I have bout 3 houses and sold 2 in the past 2 years! Here's my advice:
PAINT!! Everything that looks "shabby" put some paint and it makes it look great! People like freshly painted houses. One less thing for them to do and most people don't want to deal with it. Paint only neutral colors. Do not paint that room pink again!!

As far as the kitchen floor goes do what looks the best but doesn't cost you too much. If that means linoleum, then go for it! My house has wood floors throughout every room. The kitchen had linoleum and we put a laminate wood floor down. This room has the dining room and living room that is net to it with real hardwood floors and it looks great. You can by laminate wood floors at a good price sometimes at home depot. There are different brands and sometimes you can get a good deal.

Windows, don't bother. You won't make back enough to justify the cost/labor. Bathrooms, kitchens, that's where you can make a big profit over what you put into it. Make sure those are in good shape.

What you might want to do is get a home inspector to your house. They can tell you what things your house may need fixed. Sometimes it could be major things you didn't even know about! You will have to pay for it but, it could pay in the long run.

Don't refinish the floors. During the move they can get scratches anyway. It will cost you too much and personally I don't think that is too much of a selling point. I did buy my house with all the floors needing refinishing!

List the house in the spring. People like to start looking then, and be able to move in in the summer before school. Do yourself a favor and use a realtor. You'll get so much more exposure and it will save you time/energy from all that is involved with selling it on your own.

Basically people like to come and look at a home that is clean and freshly painted. Major appliances in working condition, no "major" things wrong. Have scented candles burning and a hint of classical music in the background when showing the house. People love it!!

Good luck and if you have anymore questions let us know!

 

[Robinrs]

There is a television show that actually helped me a lot in this business, it's called Sell this House and it's on afternoons on A&E. It is just absolutely priceless to give you hints as to how to merchandise your home in an inexpensive and effective way to attract more buyers.

Good thing you have direct access to a realtor. He can give you some great advice if you choose to sell it buy owner. Ask him to supply you with a CMA to get an idea of what your home is worth.

I agree, sell it in the spring, high season for home shoppers. If your school is a selling point you can market that.

HTH,

Robinrs

 

[Girls Scout Leader]

Ok, I am a Realtor, and everyone's advice has been right what I would have said, especially about light, neutral colors.

One great thing about listing with a Realtor, is the advertising that comes with the deal. Here, if I were to sign on a listing agreement with someone in the morning, say tomorrow, by 5 pm it is on the MLS (multi-list) for this part of Michigan, including 3 counties. This is a service that every Realtor uses daily, with an updated hot sheet every few hours of all the new and changed lisitngs. Then, also by 5 pm it will be on 12 diferend web sites that are accessable to the general public. We are in a resort-vacation area, and I get alot of calls monday mornings by peole who are surfing the net from Detroit and see something they like.
We also advertise listings in area newspapers, and a freebie real estate magazine.

And this is all free. If your home does not sell, it still costs you nothing. Try doing that on your own! It's east to let us do all the work!! Check out your local Realtos to see what they offer.

Ok, off my soap box.

 

[Disney Doll]

Paint anything that looks shabby white or eggshell. Do not paint anything a color!!!! Whe people are looking at your house, they are trying to imagine their stuff in it.

If the windows and kitchen floor can be done relatively inexpensively, then do them both. If not, do the kitchen floor. I would try to clean and wax/buff the hard wood as best I could, and leave it at that. I wouldn't rrefinish. Some folks don't like hardwood, and will just cover it with carpet anyhow. Rent a buffer with one of those green scrubby pads on it (like a Scotchie pad that you use on your dishes). It's gentle enough not to scratch and stiff enough to get more of the ground in dirt out than a regular spongy type pad would be. Once you cleaned the flooors really well, do a good waxing and buffing, and then try to keep up with it while the house is on the market.

As far as selling on your own vs. with a realtor... There are 2 trains of thought on that. Obviously, if you list with a realtor, you get the benefit of experience, advertising, the house being in the multiple listings and therefore exposed to the entire real estate community to show/sell. The downside is the commission, which the seller pays. If you don't list with a realtor, you have to do all the advertising, open house sitting, wheeling and delaing, appointments etc by yourself, which can be a pain. You do have relatives with some rela estate experience, so it might be OK. I am of the mind that when I am sick, I go to a doctor, whe I have a leaky pipe, I call a plumber. If I was selling my house, I'd call a realtor.

My only other suggesiton is to get the house on the market ASAP!!!! The spring market is NOW!

 

[Pembo]

We sold last May. I didn't repaint and I had a pink bedroom, a blue bedroom and a blue & gold dining room. It was all nicely done and didn't look shabby until after we moved out all the furniture.

Windows-that's a big job. If they leak horribly, replace otherwise just let it go. The floor - another big job. I'd let it go. It that's the only thing they need to do, that's not a big deal.

As for the realtor thing - as GSL said, the computer listing part is so important. I looked at LOTS of houses online before ever going to see them and all that advertising was a plus. My brother used a company called Next Home, not sure if they are in your area. Basically they do the ads for you and put you in the computer and you are responsible for all the showings, open houses etc. They only charge a nominal fee as well.

Best of luck, whatever you decide to do. House hunting and house selling haven't been real fun for me. I hope it goes great for you!

 

[arminnie]

Besides the paint, floors, etc modifications - don't forget to get rid of the clutter. My realtor (who was also a close friend) made me put half of my stuff in the garage. My kitchen counters (which were fairly small) had nothing out on them - not even a coffee maker. They were granite, and I admit the kitchen looked much better.

Extra chairs, small tables, etc were all removed. The house looked so much bigger.

I touched up the paint on the walls and woodwork and thought about replacing the carpet which was stained in several places. It was a neutral berber. My realtor just had me put down small area rugs over the stains. She said we could negotiate for the carpet but I sold it w/o the new owners requesting a carpet allowance.

I sold in a tight market for buyers, but I am so glad that I used a realtor. I got about $12,000 more than I would have w/o the realtor. Also in CA people come back and sue the original owner all of the time for things that go wrong 2-3 years later. I've known people that had to pay so you want a realtor who knows how to write a good contract and who has liabiity insurance.

 

[Lisa F]

You've already gotten some great advice here. If you are going to paint, i would paint as soon as possible as the smell of fresh paint can make people think you are trying to cover something up or hide something (water stains from a leaky roof/bathroom etc). It's nice to have a house LOOK freshly painted more or less but you don't want people to be suspicious of why you did it, especially if it's just to freshen the place up.

I would also NOT refinish the floors. Unless they are in completely unliveable condition (which it doesn't sound like they are) this is something that buyers who look for wood floors in homes that are not brand new typically need to deal with anyway and it's really easily done when no one is in the house, before they move in. If it costs you $5k to do it, you will definately not get another $5k on the cost of your house for having newly refinished floors vs. floors that are in good condition but not brand new.

As far as the windows go, I would NOT replace them. I'm linking a report to cost vs. value and in all markets except those SUPER hot markets (where I don't think you can really tell because housing prices are appreciating so quickly) it seems like windows will at best return 60-70% of their value when you sell your house. To me, it seems like a lot of effort to go through for not much return. I'd say it wouldn't be worth it unless you could do the job for maybe 40% of retail cost. Here's the link: http://www.realtor.org/rmomag.nsf/pages/costvaluedec03k

Anyway, good luck. From what I am hearing it's going to be another hot spring/summer (for the RE market, not thermally) and interest rates are still low. Now would be a pretty good time to sell.

 

[CarolA]

If it were me, I would hire a realtor and put the house on the market while I was at WDW and hope it sold while I was gone. Trying to show a house with kids in it is a nightmare.

I will say you cut out a LOT of the potential buyers when you do a For Sale by Owner. I did not look at a single one of these either time I bought a house. I don't like to tour with the home owner and I want to deal with my realtor. I feel like I can't frankly discuss issues with the home owner.... I don't want to hurt thier feelings.


I would not worry about the floors or windows.