Top 5 things that devalue your house, when selling real estate in Bucks County
I have written a number of posts in the past, about various ways to improve the value of your house, if you are considering selling real estate in Yardley, Newtown or anywhere in Bucks County.
In this post, I am going to take the opposite approach, and suggest 5 things that decrease a home’s value, when compred with other properties.
Clearly, there are a lot of factors that go into trying to decide what a house is worth, in a given area and market. Things like location, overall condition, size, ammenities, etc, help to determine how one house compares with another. Lets look at 5 things that will devalue your house:
1. Location
This would seem obvious, but if you have a house that is in a weak position in a neighborhood, it can significantly decrease the value. For example, a few years ago, I sold a house for a seller, that back to railroad tracks. The house sold for approximately 15% less than it would have, had it been on the opposite side of the street.
The same can occur is a house is on a main road.
The other issue, in terms of the neighborhood, is how are the surrounding homes maintained? If you are trying to sell a house, and it is next to a property that is an eyesore, it will afect a properties value.
2. Curb Appeal
Again, this may seem obvious, but when I am showing real estate in Yardley or Newtown, I can often tell how a house will show inside, by what the exterior looks like. If the gardens are full of weeds, and the exterior needs painting or other upkeep, it will absolutely affect how much the house is worth. If your house makes a poor first impression, it will impact how much a prospective buyer is willing to pay.
3. Paint
This sort of goes along with the observation above, which is that first impressions, are critically important. If a buyer walks into a house, and finds peeling wall paper, or rooms that need to be painted, it often sends a signal of distress, that can translate into lower values. The same can be true, if your house is painted with garish color schemes. The lesson is, make sure that your house is freshly painted, if you want to maximize its value, and if you do need to paint, pick soft, neutral and warm colors, that will appeal to the widest audience.
4. Kitchen
Once potential buyers get inside your home, the kitchen represents one of, if not the most critical space in the house. Sinks, contertops and cabinets, are extremely worthwhile investments, when getting houses ready for sale. If the kitchen is cluttered and disorganized, it will negatively effect the value of the house.
If your counters and/or backsplash are stained, it will impact the perception of value that the buyer has.
Even minor kitchen improvements, can make a big difference in the value of a house. You really want your kitchen to sparkle, when you are selling a house.
5. Baths
As with kitchens, old and tired bathrooms, will detract from the value of a house. It is well documented, that the best investment that one can make in a house, is in kitchens and baths. These are important spaces, and when a buyer looks at bathrooms with chipped or old tile, or sees areas in need of new grout, etc, they will lower their sense of what a house is worth. Again, these things send a message of distress, which reduces a homes value.
These suggestions were taken from a wonderful website called, “How Stuff Works“. Check it out for lots of other good ideas.
As always, I welcome your thoughts or comments.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |