Tips For Selling An Old Home
Many homebuyers get apprehensive when presented with an opportunity to buy an old home. As a seller, therefore, you have your work cut out for you if your home is relatively old compared to other homes in the neighborhood. Here are a few tips to help you sell your old home:
Don't Let Is Scream "Old"
Just because your house is old, it doesn't mean that every person seeing it for the first time should realize its age. There are many old homes that don't look their age because of the way they are maintained. One way of masking your home's age is to improve its curb appeal and general aesthetics. Also, make sure the home is clean and smells nice because old houses are associated with moldy or musky smells.
Buy a Home Warranty
It may also help to buy a home warranty. The purchase gives your potential buyers the assurance that they won't have to suffer a financial loss should they buy the house and find out that something is wrong with it. This makes sense because no buyer would want to move into an old home only for the heating system to fail the very next month.
Pre-Inspect the Home
If you are selling an old home, you should be conversant with its defects or any issues it may have. That way you can prepare yourself on how to explain the issues to your potential buyers when the buyers discover them. You don't want to learn that the basement is showing signs of water damage from the buyer. A good way to get this information is to have the home inspected before putting it on the market.
Prepare Renovation Information
If your home is truly old, then the buyer will most likely have to renovate it before living in it comfortably. Many people exaggerate renovation difficulties and costs, and they may try to use those exaggerations during purchase negotiations. You can put their fears at rest by researching and availing renovation information to your potential buyers. For example, you can suggest renovation plans or even provide the buyers with information on how to get renovation loans.
Highlight Neighborhood Positives
Lastly, you can also boost the sale's prospects of the home by pointing out the positive things in the neighborhood. You can talk about the good schools, the clean environment, the low crime rates, and the nearby shopping centers. Hopefully, your buyers will be attracted by these positive neighborhood attributes and overlook the age of the home.
Reach out to a professional at a place like Northwood Realty Services for more tips!