Features

If you are thinking of selling your home, there is no time like the present. Buyers are swarming Berkeley listings. Interest rates are still alluringly low, allowing buyers to offer more than they would otherwise be able to afford. 

Berkeley homes are still receiving multiple offers, but just because you live in Berkeley do not assume you will get top dollar when you sell your home. Sellers always ask me what improvements they should make to ensure the best return on their real estate investment. After living in a house for a while it isn’t easy to see it in a fresh light. When visiting new listings I often see obvious opportunities that have simple solutions. You can fix those sorts of things before putting your house on the market, or you can let the buyer fix them and capture that slice of your equity. If you are about to put your home on the market consider doing the following: 

• Get out. Move out. Leave. I cannot overemphasize the value of your absence. As charming as you are, the new owners would rather have the place to themselves. Your home feels more like their home with you out of it. Certain improvements cannot be accomplished until the house is empty, such as refinishing the floors. If you can’t move out physically, do so spiritually by removing all of your clutter. Less is more. The 700 porcelain pig figurines that you have been collecting since you were six may in fact be worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records if not the National Gallery of Art. Surprisingly, some prospective buyers may see them as useless clutter. Get rid of your knick-knacks and offer buyers a serene setting where their imaginations can carry them into a state of heightened nesting. 

• Donate everything that you never use, but think you might someday, to a worthy charity. You might as well get started on moving what you will have to move anyway. National Geographic collections will never be worth what they will cost you by filling up your lovely garage. Hire someone to haul all your junk to the dump. Ask your brother to store your boat. 

• Remove carpet that is covering hardwood, no matter what the condition of the wood. Carpet is just not fashionable, especially that carpet your dog has been drooling on since he was housebroken. If you have moved out, have the wood floors refinished, and do this before painting the house. The dust from sanding will ruin a fresh paint job. 

• Paint everything inside and out. Paint is the miracle cure. And yes, appearances do matter. Refrain from painting everything white. The myth that white walls make a space appear larger has cost many sellers because buyers see stark white as primer, as work they must do. White walls have that sanitarium ambiance that is no longer the rage. Choose a neutral color scheme for the walls and paint already painted trim white.  

• Replace outdated fixtures whether they are broken or not—especially anything that reminds you of a pizza parlor or a Motel 6. Lighting fixtures and faucets are relatively easy to replace and new ones will go a long way in turning your “motel” into a “hotel”. Mini blinds should go too. I know you love them but they are dusty and clanky, and a great danger to infants and other small life forms. They should be removed and replaced with sheer drapery panels that allow light in and soften rooms.  

• Where there be Formica let there be stone. Several granite distributors along San Pablo are amazingly inexpensive. This is an investment on which you can expect an exceptional return. Just stay away from any stone with pink veins.  

• Hire someone to clean your house and your windows. You may think you can clean your house and your windows, but you can’t. I promise you will be shocked at the difference a professional deep dentistry-like cleaning will make. Hire a guru who moves the stove and fridge and finds nooks and crannies you never knew existed. There are cleaning professionals who exclusively provide pre-sale cleanings. They are expensive and worth every penny. 

• Hire a staging professional or have your real estate agent help you stage your house so it looks luxurious. Please avoid Ikea unless you want prospective buyers to fear that your house will fall apart in the next rain. Cheap materials suggest a cheap house. Small luxury items go a long way. Your real estate agent should fill your house with flowers that are long lasting. Roses are always perfect. 

• Have your yard spruced up and stage it too. Create spaces outside that extend the living space of your property. Create a dining area, a reading nook, and fill the yard with colorful plants. If you have trees that create too much shade have them pruned to allow light in. Make sure everything is blooming. 

• Finally and most importantly, hire an exceptional real estate agent and make sure you don’t overpay on real estate commissions. Professionals are ethical, market savvy, and ready to roll up their sleeves. Be sure your agent will spend a healthy portion of the commission on marketing. There is no point in going the extra mile on the work suggested above if you don’t have professional representation and exceptional advertising for your investment. 

If you have no intention of selling, go ahead with these improvements anyway. Many sellers are amazed at the transformation of their properties after they’ve made these changes. They often wish they had made them before deciding to sell. 

›