Saanich

If you’re shopping for a new van to haul around the kids and I say to you, “Hey, I’ll give you a great deal on my completely re-built, newly painted, refurbished from stem to stern 1958 Cadillac Salon DeVille for a third of what you’ll pay for a new van!”, you might take me up on the offer.

More than likely 8-9 others out of 10 will not.  Why? Because it’s anachcronistic, which is another way of saying, outdated, out of style and more importantly, it’s design function has been passed by with superior technology and newer features that people demand today.

A lot of the time, it’s the same with homes.

Here’s today’s tip for those of you who are wanting to sell a home that for whatever reason, is out of style; maybe it’s a three/four level split, maybe your basement is low, maybe your one level home is on a slab instead of an insulated crawl space, maybe your condo has no laundry or has a galley kitchen you can walk into but not thru, maybe…

You’re probably getting the point.

In a town like Victoria, there are WAY more older houses than there are newer ones. Of course with the growth of the West Shore and infill housing occuring in all municipalities, more newer houses are coming on line and also eventually for re-sale, but it’s still the case where older homes outnumber newer ones.

Older cars look great when they’ve been restored, even if they’re goofy looking, it’s still cool to see a unique or even a redundant car in top shape.  However, that’s why they don’t change hands that much, it’s a passion for the owner. Vintage clothing, if it’s in fantastic shape, looks great all the time on the “model”, as long as it fits.

However, the same can’t be said for housing. Let’s look at a few examples.  It’s unlikely that people are going to want to go back to kitchens that are, a) cut off from the rest of the house, or b) too small to have 8 or so (minimum) in them at any one moment. Even if you are not entertaining all the time, consider the busy couple who both work, arrive home to dine together, work on the meal together and try to debrief at the same time. The family with children who try to maintain a schedule where they can at least be together once a day, or the single parent who comes home to engage their kids over dinner preparation. 

In today’s world, the kitchen is often the make or break room for securing a sale. If you don’t have a great one, don’t sweat it, your house will sell, but don’t overlook that people will want to buy other homes before yours as a result. So don’t be surprised or try to believe that yours is as valuable as one that has a superiour cooking area. With today’s virtual tours and pictures/floor plans, check for yourself, esp if your realtor advices that this could be a problem when selling.

You’d be amazed at how many people consider their current lifestyle as they evaluate a floor plan while walking thru your house for sale. (Another good reason not to be there when you’ve allowed a showing, by the way).

This doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to sell your outdated house that is less functional for the next owners than it has been for you. But keep in mind, you’ve adapted your life around the surroundings and the new owner wants the home to be a match for their lifestyle. Not to be a shoe they have to fit into.

Bottom line is, if you’re house lacks the basic elements of what people are looking for today, it’ll still sell in a timely fashion but only if its priced right.  You’ve got to leave room in your price for the next person to come in and budget accordingly for the changes they want to make. 

Here’s what I’ve seen over and over again in thirteen years of selling homes; People, for the most part, want their homes to be as new as possible OR they want them priced to allow them to spend what it would take to make the house look as new as they are willing to compromise.

Apart from repairs that have to be made in order for your house to be presentable, it’s rarely wise, i.e you won’t get your money back,  to do anything more than the following, especially if your house may be dated or out of style.

1. Declutter by getting rid of everything that’s not coming to your new home.

2. Clean the heck out of it, hire people to give it a deep clean. This means everywhere, inside and out and have some gardeners come by to clean up your yard and give it a professional “haircut”.  Ignore cleaning up the garage at your selling peril my friends.

3. Paint the inside, opting for neutral colors over any wild fashion moments you’ve allowed. Stand back from the street and look at your house, honestly and with an open mind, ask yourself; would I stop to look at this one? If the answer is no, consider painting the outside as well. It’s the best money you’ll ever spend to prepare your house for sale. Again, you won’t get it all back, but it’s the highest return you’ll get on almost anything you do to get your house ready for sale.

4. Stage it! Doesn’t cost that much, and almost always you can get your realtor to help you with that expense. Often times people think that staging involves loading up your house with rented furniture…nonsense! You can choose to do that if your home needs to be vacant but the most creative stagers will help you work with what you have and will also have an inventory of really cool accent pieces-it’s worth it!

Check out this article I found by an American realtor, very much the same advice we need to give our sellers here;

http://ht.ly/3dTGi

Call me anytime and I look forward to your feedback.  Your realtor in Victoria, BC, Fergus Kyne at 250-216-1217