Seller Tips

Enhance Your Home for a Quicker Sale 

In a competitive market your Summit County home needs to look its best to attract potential buyers.  And it all starts with curb appeal.  When your realtor accompanies a prospect to your home, you want that first impression to be outstanding!

You might ask a neighbor or friend to stand outside your home with you to gain an objective viewpoint.  You see your home every day, and little things can go unnoticed.  Things like peeling paint, weeds cropping up in your yard, or missing roof shingles can detract from your home’s appeal.  You want potential buyers to feel confident that you’ve maintained your mountain home in excellent condition.

Walk through your home with a critical eye to details.  For example, do all doors open and close smoothly?  Are your faucets working properly?  Anything that isn’t in good working order will be reported by a home inspector, and you’ll likely be asked to repair it anyway, so it’s better to be ahead of the game.  Here’s a quick checklist to get you started:

• Declutter your home.  Personal knickknacks and belongings should be minimized.  You want buyers to see themselves living in your home.  Put away toys, clothing, countertop items, valuables, and medications.
• Rearrange furniture to show off your rooms in their best light.  If needed, put some pieces in storage or hire a professional stager.  You realtor can refer you to a qualified stager to help with this process.
• A new coat of paint in a neutral shade works wonders.  Not all buyers will love a bright orange bathroom wall!
• Clean, clean, clean!  Nothing turns off a buyer more than a dirty home.  You might want to hire a housecleaning service to come regularly while your home is on the market to make it shine.
• Fix leaks, cracks, squeaky ceiling fans, and other small imperfections.

If your mountain home is older and could benefit from remodeling, do your homework before launching any major projects.  Your Breckenridge realtor can help you evaluate which improvements may be most cost effective for your home.

According to Remodeling Magazine’s 2009-2010 Cost vs. Value averages for mountain states, you can expect to recoup the most cost from the following improvements:

• Entry Door Replacement (steel): up to 128.9%
• Siding Replacement (fiber-cement): up to 83.6%
• Wood Deck Addition: up to 80.6%
• Attic Bedroom: up to 83.1%
• Window Replacement (vinyl): up to 76.6%
• Minor Kitchen Remodel: up to 78.3%
• Major Kitchen Remodel:up to 72.1%
• Roofing Replacement: up to 66.6%

Other projects ranging from bathroom additions to home office renovations, can bring anywhere from 48% to 76% returns.

Finally, when your mountain home is ready for the market, follow these steps to ensure the best showings:

• Open all curtains and blinds to allow natural light to flood your rooms.
• Turn on lamps and overhead lights to brighten every space.
• Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature.
• Use room freshener plug-ins or spray to eliminate lingering odors.
• Set a summertime photo of your home on an entry table or kitchen counter if showing during winter
• Leave the home and take pets with you before showings so visitors won’t feel they are intruding

By presenting your home in the best possible light, you’ll set your home above similar properties and improve your chances of attracting a buyer more quickly.

Carbon Monoxide Law

When selling a home, the owner must ensure installation of carbon monoxide alarms 15 feet or less from the doorway of any room designed for sleeping purposes. Owners of rental homes must ensure the operational condition of carbon monoxide alarms prior to new tenants moving in. Both homeowners and rental owners are also responsible for installing detectors if they complete any major renovations or additions.

Colorado’s law concerning carbon monoxide alarms applies to sales, rentals and remodels of single family and multi-family residences on and after July 1, 2009.  The law applies to dwelling units that have a fuel-fired heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage. Fuel-burning appliances that run on gas include, but are not limited to…  space heaters, furnaces, water heaters, ovens, stoves, and gas fireplaces.  Anything fueled by gas or wood (even coal and kerosene) emits carbon monoxide.

Smoke detectors do not detect Carbon Monoxide and vice versa.  Owners can buy CO2 detectors that plug into a standard wall outlet, or if existing smoke detectors are old and need replacement, they can be upgraded to combo units that detect both smoke & CO2.