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• Reputation: 63 Q&A: 2 0 0 28 5 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 1 topic Real Estate Business WaLaw Realty is a business on Questionland Seattle Follow Following 0 WaLaw Realty

  2 0 As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. This rule applies to selling a home just as much as it applies to interviewing for a job. Accordingly, you want to focus on those cosmetic changes that will have a direct impact on any potential buyer's first impression of your home. What exactly should you change? That's impossible to tell without looking at your specific house and taking into account your specific budget. For example, rickety old windows would certainly be an option, particularly if they are so rickety that they stand out when looking at the home. But if the windows are about the 8th thing you see when you look at the home, or if you simply cannot afford to replace the windows, at least not without foregoing many other repairs, then there are several other changes that should probably take priority. Other possible repairs or "upgrades": new paint, either inside or out or both; a new fixture in a bath or kitchen, particularly if you are replacing one that obviously needs it; or landscaping, particularly if your yard is an ocean of weeds. Finally, I would not worry about "big ticket" items that will be seen only by the home inspector. Some people think you should pre-inspect so that you can correct all the flaws before the buyer inspects. The reality is, though, that every inspector is unique and, regardless of the work done, every inspector will find defects. So you have no guarantee whatsoever that the "big fix" would have been called out by the buyer. Instead, focus on the "curb appeal" of the place to elicit an offer. Once you've got a signed offer in place, you can -- and will, in this market -- renegotiate following the inspection. WaLaw Realty answered in Real Estate about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by infernactual… 1 0 Cool. That is super helpful. Thanks. infernactual commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 My mom wants to buy a house and has cash. I have looked at a TON of houses with her. Number one cheap thing you can do: CLEAN IT. If it's not really, really clean, it makes us think the people probably don't stay on top of maintenance either. coda answered in Real Estate about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 2 Q&A: 0 0 0 8 6 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 1 topic Real Estate Business Rhino Roz Realty is a business on Questionland Seattle Follow Following 0

  1 1 New Windows & Doors Boost Curb Appeal & Get you the Most Bang for your Buck. The front of your Home is what Neighbors, Guests & Buyers see first. Installing a new steel entry door or garage door is a quick fix and an easy project that has a high rate of return on your investment. Moderately Priced Vinyl Windows also produces one of the highest rates of return for 2010. To see more Projects that have high rate of returns you can view the National Association of Realtors 2010-2011 Cost Versus Value Report for the Seattle Area. This can been seen at: http://www.remodeling.hw.net/2010/costvsvalue/division/pacific/city/seattle--wa.aspx Rhino Roz Realty answered in Real Estate about 1 year ago | Report 4 comments by infernactual, Sparky, and SPG… 1 0 What a great list. Thanks. It seems like investing anything non-minor at this point doesn't make sense really. I guess most people have been taking a loss on their upgrades because the overall price of houses continues to drop. infernactual commented about 1 year ago | Report 3 0 I wanted to give a "thumbs Down" for excessive capitalization. Sparky commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 A steel door? Maybe out in the counties, but in Seattle proper nothing says cheap and tacky like a steel door. Buyers here are looking for the charm more than a maintenance free feature and steel doors are pretty charmless. Clean up and paint the door that already matches the style of your house. Beyond looking at some generalized chart, the key to bang for the buck is to make a fix or improvement that shows immediately and costs little. Something as simple as pulling weeds and putting down paver stones to slightly widen your front walk will cost less than $50, take a couple hours and will make your front entry more welcoming in that moment that a first impression is formed. That's bang for the buck. SPG commented about 1 year ago | Report 1 0 Thank you for your comments. Most doors being replaced are being done with Steel Doors that are painted and might actually looked like wood doors. They are more secure, last longer and don't warp compared to wood doors. You might be surprised how many you see around Seattle if you started paying attention! Rhino Roz Realty commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 Rarely does a buyer decide whether or not to buy the house based on the windows. New windows make them feel better about a house they have chosen for other reasons, but that doesn't mean they will pay more for it because it has new windows. The #1 easy thing to do is "stage" it well. That can include some repairs as part of the process, but not usually expensive ones. Many agents offer staging services for occupied homes included in the commission price. Always have an agent walk through the house and make you a list of the changes that would add value. Then you can do ALL the ones that are free or cheap and prioritize the others that cost more. Often if people do even 1/2 of the things on the list, and only the free and cheap ones, they can increase the value by 5% to 10% of the home's price. ARDELL answered in Real Estate about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 7 Q&A: 0 0 0 7 0 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 1 topic Real Estate Business Rosemary Pham and Kristen Meyer Lapriore is a business on Questionland Seattle Follow Following 0

  0 0 To chime in with the previous posts, a simple thing that goes a long way is to paint. It's an extremely cost effective solution to make any space feel updated and clean. The right color can also maximize the use of challenged spaces and can make any room feel warm and inviting. Rosemary Pham and Kristen Meyer Lapriore answered in Real Estate about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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