Home Improvement News Bureau

From “for Sale” To “sold”

Expert Tips to Sell Your Home in a Slow Real Estate Market

MONEY PIT NEWSBUREAU - March 20, 2006: Money Pit News Bureau: March 20, 2006 – You’ve decided to move – but your house isn’t – that is the “For Sale” sign has been in the yard for weeks.  Not surprising, according to Tom Kraeutler, home improvement expert and co-host of the syndicated radio show The Money Pit, as the real estate market for existing home has been showing a steady decline over the past year. 

“Sellers who once would have received multiple, full-price offers in just days are waiting longer for fewer – and much lower offers.  They are also competing against other homes in the neighborhood, and even their block, for attention,” says Kraeutler.

The good news is that there are fast and easy ways to improve the curb appeal of your home.  “There are proven ways to spruce up your home, inside and out,” adds Leslie Segrete, TLC’s While You Were Out cast member and Money Pit co-host.  “Little things can go along way toward making your home more appealing and draw potential buyers to at least look inside.”

Kraeutler and Segrete offer these tips to homeowners trying to make their home more “sellable”:

• Take stock of your curb appeal.  You won’t get an offer if potential buyers never make it through the front door.  Just by changing your front doors and architectural accents you can give your home a whole new, yet classic look.  Therma-Tru® Doors new Classic-Craft® American Style Collection™ door has vertical grooves, straight graining and clean and simple lines. These fiberglass entry doors are low maintenance and won’t rot or peel like real wood but provides a high level of thermal protection year-round.  Plus, an independent study done by NPD Group found that simply replacing the front door of your home can increase the perceived price by 6%.  For more information, visit www.thermatru.com.
• Landscaping is extremely important. You’ll want to clean up any dead plants and brush, overgrowth and dead tree limbs.  Black & Decker has two new tools that make yard clean-up faster and easier.  Black & Decker’s Grass Hog XP boasts being the most powerful electric trimmer/edger on the market with a 7.2 amp motor and a 14” cutting swath for fast trimming even in the tallest weeds and overgrowth.  Although a heavyweight in performance with dual .080 lines, it is a lightweight at only 6.9 pounds.  It also features Groom ‘N’ Edge ®, which converts it from a trimmer to an edger.
• For bigger trimming jobs, Black & Decker’s Alligator Lopper is a great new alternative to chainsaws, manual loppers, handsaws and clippers.  It offers faster and easier controlled cutting with scissoring metal jaws able to clamp tree logs and branches up to 4” in diameter.  Metal guards protect you from the cutting edge and immediately snap back into place.  It also features dual-handle safety switches to prevent accidental start up.  For more information on either tool, visit www.blackanddecker.com.
• Make sure your house smells clean and fresh.  Research has shown that buyers assume a dirty, smelly house will need repairs.  Start with a good cleaning and help keep it that with a Whole House Air Cleaner.   Aprilaire offers models that clean your air and your home clean, too, by removing contaminants such as dust, pollen and bacteria.  The whole house unit is less expensive over time, and more convenient, than trying to deal with and maintain portable units.  Other advantages of the Whole House Air Cleaner: they are out of sight, don’t take up valuable room space, produce less noise and require fewer filter changes than individual units.  For more information on whole-home air cleaners and which one is best for your home, visit www.aprilaire.com.
• Minor repairs can be a big deal.  Make sure to take care of squeaky doors, dirt and grime on knobs and dials and other marks or stains.  The WD-40 No-Mess Pen is a great gadget for cleaning and lubricating just about everything in the house.  The No-Mess Pen removes crayon, pen, scuff marks, and excess adhesive.  It also fixes stuck zippers and rusty scissors, gardening tools, squeaky wheels and cabinet hinges.  The Pen works well in tight spots, to clean dirt and grime from remote controls and dials, bathroom grout and even permanent ink from a variety of surfaces.  For more information and places to use the No-Mess Pen visit www.wd40.com

“Though most of these changes are relatively minor, even those that involve some additional cost more than pay for themselves by significantly increasing buyer interest in your home and the real dollars that you can get for selling it,” says Kraeutler.

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