Time to get the townhouse ready for sale

Bolts Rock · Apr 7, 2014

Needs paint and one minor drywall repair.
Kitchen cabinets & countertops.
Outlets & switches replaced.
Floors.
Toilets.
Bathtub refinish.
Ducts and coils cleaned (still has minor zombie apocalypse odor).

It's currently vacant. Anyone on MDS do any of this?

PS- I'd much rather pay a pro-2A person to do these things.

bkuether · Apr 8, 2014

Where do you live? I have someone in mind that can do all that, at a reasonable rate. But depends on the local. He lives in Southern Carroll.

Good guy, we go shooting together at AGC every once in while as we live in the same neighborhood.

Jaybeez · Apr 8, 2014

I think we talked about this on facebook, maybe it was your ex's place.

anyways, dont do any fixes or improvements that your realtor didnt recommend. let the realtor tell you what the house needs to sell for the price you need, otherwise you might just be throwing money away.

RileysDad · Apr 8, 2014

Jaybeez said:
I think we talked about this on facebook, maybe it was your ex's place.

anyways, dont do any fixes or improvements that your realtor didnt recommend. let the realtor tell you what the house needs to sell for the price you need, otherwise you might just be throwing money away.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with this. Let's face it, most people buy things that look good. If we're talking about fixing holes in walls and painting, I'd say go ahead and do it. I definitely agree you shouldn't put an addition on or start knocking down walls but sprucing the place up may make for a much faster sale. Just my two pennies.

Bolts Rock · Apr 8, 2014

bkuether said:
Where do you live? I have someone in mind that can do all that, at a reasonable rate. But depends on the local. He lives in Southern Carroll.

Good guy, we go shooting together at AGC every once in while as we live in the same neighborhood.

Burtonsville is where it is.

Jaybeez said:
I think we talked about this on facebook, maybe it was your ex's place.

anyways, dont do any fixes or improvements that your realtor didnt recommend. let the realtor tell you what the house needs to sell for the price you need, otherwise you might just be throwing money away.

It really needs most if not all of it unless I want to sell as is.

Jaybeez · Apr 9, 2014

RileysDad said:
I'm going to respectfully disagree with this. Let's face it, most people buy things that look good. If we're talking about fixing holes in walls and painting, I'd say go ahead and do it. I definitely agree you shouldn't put an addition on or start knocking down walls but sprucing the place up may make for a much faster sale. Just my two pennies.

im a licensed contractor, that happens to know Bolts IRL. are you a contractor or realtor?

Bolts Rock said:
Burtonsville is where it is.

It really needs most if not all of it unless I want to sell as is.

have you spoken with a realtor yet? find one that sells a lot in your area, they know what the homes in your area look like inside when they sell. the difference between what people "think" a house needs to sell, and what it really needs is often dramatic.

I get calls every month, from people looking to sell, with long lists of improvements they want. I give them all the same advice, instead of taking their money for home improvements that wont pay off.

for instance, you said kitchen cabinets and countertops. thats basically a while kitchen. well, we would want the realtor to pick the grade of replacements, so that you spend the least amount to still comp in your neighborhood, because a kitchen job can cost $7k or $30k. or would you just be better off giving an appliance and carpet allowance?

RileysDad · Apr 9, 2014

Jaybeez said:
im a licensed contractor, that happens to know Bolts IRL. are you a contractor or realtor?

Yes, I'm a licensed real estate agent that's done over $25 million dollars worth of business. Like I said, that's my two cents. YMMV

RileysDad · Apr 9, 2014

squirrels said:
Sometimes it is worth it to put lipstick on a pig.

When I sold my townhouse, we repainted the kitched cabinets, replaced all of the appliances with (low cost) stainless replacements, and did paint and drywall in pretty much every room. Night and day.

You may not want to get into an expensive floor or countertop replacement, because the buyer will likely want to put their OWN preference of sh!t in there anyway. That is, unless the existing is TOTALLY trashed. But a fresh coat of paint goes without saying. And CLEAN the place and light a few scented candles.

It may or may not get you a higher asking price. But it WILL make a difference in the buyer's first impression when they walk in. Things like paint and drywall are easy to fix, but the buyer will be thinking, "wow, if they didn't give a damn enough to make the place LOOK presentable, what condition are the REALLY important things in??"

Been shopping for a house for 6 months. You would not BELIEVE what condition people are content to show their houses in. Been to places that looked like they had just seen a frat party the night before. Or places where the current owner's personal effects were strewn all about...makes it very difficult for you to envision it as YOUR space if you're the buyer. Or even believe that the owner gave a damn about taking care of the place.

Most people ask whether the buyer can afford to buy the house. Very few consider whether the seller can afford to sell it.

Absolutely. Even if it doesn't net you a higher asking price, it may make your place stand out and reduce time on the market. As we all know, time = money.

Another simple thing that people often overlook is air fresheners. A pleasantly smelling house gives the impression of cleanliness, even if the place isn't spotless. What you're trying to achieve is a feeling from the buyer, one that they'll remember when they leave. They'll (and even more so women) remember the feeling they got more than any individual characteristic about the house, barring gaping holes in the walls, missing appliances, etc.

Am I up to four cents now? :lol2:

PapiBarcelona · Apr 9, 2014

Drywall, painting and cleaning carpets sounds like a good start.

I would also try my best to correct anything that would be listed as not proper in a home inspection report. Like if you installed a new water heater a couple years ago but didn't buy any fittings and pipe to plumb in the relief valve extension to the floor. Stuff like that gets written down, pictures taken and a buyer may request to be corrected.

Time to get the townhouse ready for sale

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