Real Estate Information Archive

Is your Burlington,Vt. area home still sitting on the market? Why? Location? Condition? Price?

Here are a few quick things you can do to spruce up the "condition."

Changes to Consider for Your Home

Many home sellers feel overwhelmed when they are trying to sell their home for a number of reasons: There is the daunting task of decluttering, the sometimes unexpected repairs that have to be made, and the seemingly endless list of squeaky doors and minor fixes that buyers would notice almost immediately.

And all of this happens in a short time. (Read this Popular Mechanics article about what surprises this first-time home seller experienced to get an idea of what can happen.)

 Feel Less Stressed Later

You are in the perfect position right now to do what many Burlington,Vt. home sellers do not think to do while their home is on the market, It may feel like going backwards, but if done properly, these little things can make a big difference in your end result.

1. Necessary Repairs?

Free yourself from future stress by making any major repairs now, whether that is repairing the HVAC or replacing the hot water heater. If you have an aging HVAC system you might consider replacing it now for several reasons. First, new and modern systems are way more efficient than they used to be. That means you’ll start saving on your fuel bill right off the bat and buyers will be more generous with an offer if they see a shiny new furnace instead of that rusty old clunker you used to have. Some pretty simple things like adding extra insulation overhead will pay you big dividends too. You can probably bring your current insulation up to R-49 or higher for under $2,000 dollars. And remember, when those guys are in your attic blowing in insulation, it costs very little to go a few inches deeper. If your house is old and the insulation has settled over time, you should see a big difference immediately in both comfort and reduced heating and cooling costs. Insulation not only keeps heat in but it also keeps heat out on those hot summer days.

2. Go for Neutral Colors

If you want to give your walls a fresh coat of paint, opt for more neutral colors. During home showings, neutral colors and decor make it easier for home buyers to picture themselves living in your home, which is your ultimate goal. If you’re not a good, neat painter this might be one project worth talking with a professional about.

3. Start Decluttering Now

Home sellers often find that decluttering is one of the more frustrating and overwhelming tasks, but if you start cleaning the clutter now, you will thank yourself later. Buyers can't envision their things in a space completely dominated by your belongings. Less, in this case, can mean more.  A good rule of thumb: If you don’t love something and use it, lose it. It’s a perfect time to go through all your closets and get rid of clothes you no longer wear or have gone out of fashion. You can bundle up all your unwanted clothing and donate it to a local thrift store or someone like the Salvation Army and take a tax deduction for your donation in most cases. That not only leans out your closet but could put more money back into your pocket at tax time.

4. Deep Clean Your Home Periodically

Sometimes it feels like the little things pile up quickly, don’t they? Try to stay ahead of minor maintenance and cleaning tasks by:

• cleaning fixtures and light switch covers
• fixing broken doorbells
• repairing squeaky doors
• dusting high and low
• cleaning floors and windows

5. Refresh Your Front Entrance

During the home selling process, making a fantastic first impression is the key to getting buyers in the door. Refresh your home’s curb appeal by purchasing a new welcome mat, painting the front door, and polishing or replacing the doorknob. Be sure and look all around your front entry and remove cobwebs,  bird nests, etc. from over door sills, outside light fixtures, etc. This can mean the difference between an offer and a drive by.

List Your Home with Us for a Smooth Experience

We hope you found these home selling tips helpful. We know that selling a home can be overwhelming, especially if the unexpected happens. But we want to make sure that you have as painless of a sale as possible, so we will do everything we can to help you sell your home for top dollar and in a short time. So when you do decide to list your home, just give us a call.

The Matt Hurlburt Group       Expect More.

A large part of our data research for our sellers is arriving at a suggested price we believe we can sell a home for in the Burlington, Vermont area.  

Not a week goes by that we don’t hear from a buyer or seller insisting that a property is worth a different amount than the bank appraised it for. We get it: everyone wants to gain the most value from their transaction… so why do the home valuation sites tend to get it so wrong?

Here’s why: they don’t see the whole picture.

It’s the real estate equivalent of looking at an iceberg from the surface.

AVMs are only the tip of the iceberg- (insert disastrous Titanic analogy here.....)

To truly understand the value of a Burlington, Vermont area home requires more than just knowing the number of bedrooms, baths and square footage. To get the full picture, you need the advice of an experienced real estate professional.

Essentially, if you think accuracy is important, you need to know the difference between an AVM and a BPO:

AVM stands for Automated Valuation Method. Essentially, it’s software that reaches out for publicly available data and then uses that data to offer a suggested value. This is what Zillow’s popular Zestimate is– a quick result produced by software that can’t see the whole picture.

BPO stands for Broker Price Opinion, and it’s a much more thoughtful and market-informed process. Here, a real estate professional who knows, works, and  lives in the area, uses their actual brain to improve upon the data provided by an AVM. A BPO allows us to take into consideration what we know to be true about intangible values like good design and tasteful upgrades– stuff that requires human understanding in order to derive a meaningful conclusion. You can trust an algorithm, or you can have over twenty years of experience in your corner, working in your best interest.

We also take into consideration current, local market conditions like an area’s Absorption Rate, current interest rates, current inventory of comparable homes for sale,  pending sales, and many other factors about Burlington real estate that a robot cannot do.

The bottom line is that AVM’s are fine until you’re serious about buying or selling. Then, it’s time to call your local real estate professional (yep, I’m talking about the MHG!). Do you know anyone that would like to know what their home is actually worth? We can help.

The MHG not only offers Risk Free Listings, but also our own home valuation system to get you started in the process. Using your information, we complete a Comparative Market Analysis to give you the most up to date and thorough BPO possible. Better yet- once we have given your home our careful attention-we sit down face-to-face and walk you through how we came to our value. Lets see an online site do that. You are not a robot, so why trust your home value to one?  

Shouldn't you Expect More? Call or message today to see the difference a family group of professionals can make for you!  

www.MattHurlburtGroup.com  Expect More.