Preparing Real Estate for the Market*

Chapter Three

Now it’s time to look at your home objectively. Look at it much the way you looked at the other Tucson real estate you viewed at the open houses you went to, or that you checked out online. Let go of your personal attachments, and see what is really there – what others will see.

Be prepared! Prospective buyers will be scrutinizing your Tucson real estate very closely. Has your house been taken care of - or neglected? Will there be expensive repairs necessary? Real estate buyers can be very suspicious, and often they view the house as though the owner is hiding something? Taking the time to clean up your real estate, and make prudent repairs will repay you with confident buyers who are much more inclined to make an offer – and offer much closer to what you are asking.

Herein is a brief synopsis, and some points for you to consider about getting Tucson real estate ready for sale. For a much more complete presentation read Selling Your Desert Home

Look around your house for loose doors. Buyers will open them. Check for squeaky hinges and leaky door sealing. Clean out and organize your closets and garages. Wash dirty walls. You might decide that a fresh coat of paint would go a long way to improving the appearance, and helping you get your price – it often does. If you have dark or brightly colored walls, paint them a neutral tone. It will lighten the look, and have a broader appeal to prospective buyers. Not all buyers have the same tastes, so being in the middle is usually best.

When you decide to sell your own real estate, it is not the time to start a major renovation. Many times buyers are planning to buy a new house, and put their own personal stamp on it – make it their home. A major renovation may actually devalue your home in your prospect's eyes.

As opposed to major renovations, 'freshening up' your home for placing it into the Tucson real estate market does not require expensive materials and can really only serve to better your position in the market. Yours is not the only house for sale, and a buyer's final decision may come down to something simple – like which house had the door's that didn't squeak, or which house had the cleanest windows to see the Tucson or desert views. If you do repairs or make improvements like painting, do good work! Shoddy workmanship can cost you.

You might also consider removing items that might be offensive or inappropriate to some buyers:

• Check the posters in your teenagers' rooms.
• Not everyone is drawn to looking at stuffed animals that have been killed and mounted – and that can include fish.
• Put away excessive amounts of magazines, and even books and knickknacks that can make an area look smaller or unkempt. Some people who decide to go the 'for sale by owner' route get a small storage area at the beginning of the project. There are storage areas located all around Tucson. You can then get some of the moving boxes you'll need anyway, and use them to start packing up some of your things. It can give a place a much more open, cleaner look and feel.
• If you are older, and no kids live with you, then make sure you check for materials that would be objectionable to children.

Removing family photos from the walls and tables is also a good idea. This is only temporary, and you want as many prospects as possible to envision themselves living in the home. That means they need to see the home, and not become too distracted by unusual or cluttered décor. Family photographs almost invariably attract attention.

Unless you are very knowledgeable on the subject, hire a home inspector to check out your home for any defects. In the Tucson real estate market, home inspections are expected. Not only will this alert you to potential problems, but will be good to show prospects who are concerned about major problems with the house, including structural defects. They will still have their own inspector check the home, but at least you will be prepared for what they will find.

If there are problems with major items such as the roofing, electrical, foundation or other expensive projects, determine the cost of the repair compared to the value of your home without it being done. Will the problem put buyers off? Or can you adjust your asking price to reflect the work that needs to be done? No matter what, never attempt to conceal or misrepresent anything that is wrong.

Have some estimates made for the cost of repair. Even if you decide not to do the repairs you will be able to offer these as proof for the purchasers. If the purchaser tries to bargain by claiming the job is an expensive and troublesome one you can show the quotes you’ve already obtained.

Cleaning Up Your Tucson Real Estate

When you are showing and selling your own real estate, which is to say you are acting as the real estate agent, you may receive a call (or even a knock on the door) at any time from interested buyers who want to see your house. You need to be prepared for this.

You don't need to transform your house into a "show home." Your prospective buyers will know the house is being lived in, and they'll make the necessary allowances, at least they will up to a point. However, they do not need to see the laundry piled up in hallways, or have to wade through cluttered rooms. Try to keep the house eye-appealing by seeing to the basics – regularly! Keep the dishes washed, the beds made, and the trash empty. Bathrooms and kitchens tend to get messy quickly, and they are also places that prospective buyers will look at closely. So keep the bathroom and kitchen looking good. Also, keep an eye on your primary living area, such as the den – where small messes tend to crop up quickly. If prospective buyers show up at a really bad time, you can politely suggest that they make an appointment. You can state this on the sign.

Don't forget you want to make it as easy for the people driving around and viewing Tucson real estate offerings to see your home. This will dramatically improve your chances of selling quickly, and at your desired price.

While you're getting your Tucson real estate ready to show and sell, you might come to the realization that you need to get rid of a lot of accumulated stuff. Now might be just the time. Old clothes, broken items you will not likely repair, cans of paint with a cup or two left in them, and excess furniture should all be considered for removal. You can have a garage sale, go to a Tucson flea market, or take them to secondhand shop. Maybe some of it can go to Goodwill. There are several 24-hour Goodwill drops in Tucson. Not only will this improve the look of your home, but it will make moving easier. Questionable things can go to that storage area – if you decided to get one.

Consider lightening the load of your closets, too. Removing clothes that don't work in the current season will make the closets look (and be) more spacious. You can easily store the excess or out of season clothing in boxes in another area of the home (or storage). You can also add a few empty hangers for the visual effect of having lots of room. If your closet isn't well lighted, consider adding one of the battery-operated lights. Good closet lighting is something buyers always like!

If you have a yard you should clear it of all unsightly debris. While you're showing the real estate, keep it mowed and do trimming and upkeep to the garden, shrubs, bushes, and trees. Thoroughly check the outside of your house (buyers will) for any needed, minor repairs such as shingles, screen doors concrete cracks, and so forth. Check decks and walkways for loose boards or stones. You might even consider some very minor yard additions such as a shrub or plant to improve the house's ‘curb appeal.’ Don't go crazy here, but in Tucson buyers expect to see nice yards, and an inexpensive bush or cactus can make all the difference.

Replace or repair torn screens and dim or burnt out bulbs. Tucson real estate owners are big on nighttime outdoor lighting, if you have it – make sure all the wires are buried. This next one is important: Make sure that your house number is CLEARLY visible even when it is completely dark. You want buyers to be able to EASILY find your house for an appointment, even in the evening.

Do all you can to keep your home and yard looking well cared for. You and your family are no doubt very busy, but the extra attention is very important. First impressions are the only ones you'll get with buyers.

The Devil's in the Details

Before you throw your home into the Tucson real estate fray, there are just a couple of things you need to create, and some to get together. You want all of the information on your house ready, available, and correct when you're preparing your advertising, answering questions from buyers who call or stop by, and filling out the details for the sale.

Measure Everything
You may well still have the measurements of your house that were provided when you bought the home. Irrespective of that, you should take them again. Do it yourself. Actually, it's quite interesting for most homeowners to see what's really there.

Don’t include the non-living spaces: patios, garages, basements, etc. These will be listed separately on your features list. It's a very nice touch to have a rough overhead of each floor that includes your dimensions. People love this so they can go home and 'compute' their things in the new spaces allowed. It also helps those buyers who already know they want to add-on. Before you just decide not to do this, you should know that the Tucson real estate market has sophisticated buyers and sellers, and you need to have your best foot forward to maximize your profits.

Measure from the outside surface of your walls – it makes a lot of difference. If you share a common wall such as a town home, row house, measure from the center point of the shared wall.

List the Materials
As in all real estate markets, in Tucson, the materials used to build your house are important to buyers. Is your home constructed of wood, brick, or concrete? Are the water pipes in your house made of copper, iron, or plastic? What is the facia (exterior material) used: field stone, stucco, aluminum siding, brick, wood, or plastic siding? What kind of insulation do you have, and what R-value is it – in the roof and the walls? It will be different in the two, almost surely. Is your house on the Tucson sewage system, or do you have your own, or a shared septic tank? What kind of heating do you have? Common types include forced air, hot water, baseboard, and radiant. Is your heat fueled by gas, electricity or fuel oil? And here's an important one in the Tucson market: What is the roof material? If you can’t answer some of these questions, the inspector you hire should be able to fill you in.

What is the Style of Your House?
Do you know what style of house you have? This will be important. Here are some basics, but if you're not sure, the additional research necessary will be worth it.

Bungalow and Ranch styles: Single level home. Sometimes with a basement. Bungalows have the narrow end facing the street whereas Ranches face the street with the wide side of the home.

Split Level style: This style has variables. Basically, in this style you enter the main door and have stairs going up to a level or down to a level – or more depending on how many levels there are: two, three or four. Your house description should describe the plan to the extent of the number of floors.

Duplex and Semi-attached styles: Two homes that share a common separation: either a wall or ceiling. These can be built either side-by-side, or one over the other.

Condominium style: These are common in the Tucson real estate market. These are 'apartment-style' dwellings. Multiple homes in a multi-level building. Sharing several common walls and public areas.

Time to Collect the Paperwork
Gather up all the utility bills for heat and water costs for the past year and turn them into a presentation that includes totals. Computers are very helpful for this project. Buyers will want to see proof of these costs, so keep those receipts handy.

You will require a title search, and this will cost you some money. The title search will have the legal description of the home, including any restrictions such as how high your fence can be, trash can rules, if recreational vehicles are not allowed in driveways, etc.) If these restrictions aren’t disclosed to the buyer and written into the sales contract, you will be creating a loophole for them to back out of the contract when they find out. As well as other possible negative consequences. Get the title search done by a Tucson real estate attorney. Really, remember that you are saving thousands of dollars. It will work out to be a very good hourly wage – even with the unavoidable expenses.

You should create what care called "feature sheets." These list the details of your real estate including size and features. Pass these out to buyers who visit your house. If you have a color printer, you can make some very nice presentations on two or three pages. It might be what closes the deal!

You will also need "offer forms." You can see some of these forms online. You will again need that Tucson real estate lawyer when it comes time to complete these, so you should just get them from him or her. If they do not provide them, they will tell you where you can get them easily.

If you own a condo or townhouse you will also have to provide details about who manages the buildings, takes care of all the common property such as any pools or gardens, and attends to the services including garbage pick up and various maintenance tasks. You will need to be ready to provide the paperwork that shows the monthly maintenance payments, the bylaws, rules, regulations, annual budget information, contingency reserve funds, limited common property, and also a certified statement that all fees are up-to-date.

So, you know what style of home you’re selling, you've gathered the necessary paperwork, and you’ve gotten the homestead ready to show. Congratulations! Now it's time to start selling your house. And as a good real estate agent, you need to start formulating your marketing strategy.