Selling your house? Evaluate its condition
This afternoon, I received a phone call from a client who will be listing her condo for sale.We spent 10 minutes talking about her options regarding a window shade that was broken. Thinking about it after the fact, I realized that the discussion was a vivid depiction of just how many tiny decisions require a seller’s consideration when listing a property for sale. While you can make any choice you like, the point is that you should understand which things merit your decision-making attention and evaluate your options.
A summary of our conversation will best illustrate my message:
Identify the problem
The seller told me that she had a (large, expensive) window shade that had a broken string. She also mentioned that it was faded and looked a little dirty, despite efforts to clean it. She asked if she should leave it as-is, have it fixed, replace it or remove it entirely. She said that she could just leave it (and disclose it was broken) because a buyer might want to replace it. In that event, she said, it wouldn’t make sense to spend money to fix it if the buyer were planning to get rid of it anyway.
Consider the options/scenarios
I couldn’t fault that reasoning, but, I said, many buyers are turned off by things that are disclosed as broken, because they not only know that they have to repair/replace something, but it can also negatively color their view of the general condition of the property. So, from that perspective, it might make sense to repair it. She had been quoted about $250 for a repair, IF it could even be fixed.
She expressed concern that it might still look a little dirty/shabby–was she better off spending a little more and replacing it altogether? Maybe. Again, though, was that money “thrown away” if a buyer were planning on getting all new window treatments?
Then I mentioned that she could just remove it which would have no cost to it. Then the buyers wouldn’t see anything broken or in less than perfect condition. She pointed out that the window in question is very large and that any savvy buyer (or buyer agent) who noticed it had no window covering would realize the cost of purchasing a new shade/blind, which might be a turn-off, especially if it might not match.
Lots of small decisions
As “down the rabbit hole/in the weeds” as you might characterize the above conversation, the reality is that the seller DOES need to make a decision about the shade. It will come as no surprise that this example represents only one of several issues that will come up and require her to make choices. Selling a property “as-is” is absolutely an option. However, you should be aware of which aspects of your property might deter a buyer and consider ways in which you could remove or mitigate those obstacles. Then, think about time, effort and money/return on investment and make informed choices.
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