Top things to do to get the most money for your San Jose home:
May 27, 2010
This post is aimed at owners of the very common 40-50 year old ranch home found all over San Jose. Let’s narrow that even further by saying Cambrian, West San Jose, and the less expensive areas of Almaden Valley. These are great family homes, but they definitely very average in terms of price – let’s say $550,000-$850,000. That’s an important consideration when you are fixing up a home, because you don’t want to over-improve the home and decrease your ROI. This would be a much different post if I was talking about a more expensive or less expensive neighborhood.
Let’s get started. The homes I see that get the most attention and the highest prices in their neighborhood have the following:
- Energy efficient air conditioning, dual-pane windows, ceiling fans, new insulation in attic and walls
- Refinished hardwood floors (carpet is not as desirable to many)
- An updated kitchen with new cabinets – not just refaced – and new appliances ($20,000-$30,000)
- Bathrooms that are tidy and look new (don’t need to be expensive, but must be immaculate and attractive)
- New interior doors and plantation shutters
- Fresh paint inside and out with dual-tone paint inside
- upgraded baseboards (get rid of the 1-2 inch trim they put in when they built these places)
- Fresh landscaping front and back including a lawn in the back yard
- Newish front door with fresh hardware (doorknob, doorbell plate, porch light)
- A roof that is in good shape and won’t need replacing in the next 10 years
- A clean bill of health from the pest inspector
- Any major issues in home inspection fixed
- Style wise, avoid shiny gold fixtures, oak, and anything else that looks too dated
Now, you may not be able to do all of these things before selling your home, but it’s good to know what buyers in our area are looking for, ESPECIALLY in this market. Buyers tend to be very picky and are looking for any excuse to lower their bid or renegotiate price and terms during escrow. So, it’s always a good idea to invest in a pest inspection and home inspection prior to listing your home. It will put you in more control of the negotiations.
Hope this helps!
