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I am wanting to sell my house ASAP and move on. Part of this might mean buying some rather large bushes to give an illusion of privacy to what has become very not private. Had it not been for my new neighbor building so close and high to me, this would not be necessary. However, it is what it is. I can get some clearanced items at a nursery that should do a lot to give that illusion of not being dwarfed by this new addition and give any prospective buyer a sense of not being encroached upon (as much). In this rough real estate market, I figure I have to do things to set my house in the best possible light, even if I don't really have the money to do it. I long for the old days and how it was when I bought this place, but those days are gone. I'll be lucky to get it sold at all without losing my shirt being next to what I consider to be an eyesore and not fitting in with the amount of space between the other houses in the cul de sac. So is this an example of when buying something not really necessary is actually really frugal in the long run? The plants have been discounted by $300 each and the other two are not much. This should cut off most of what needs to be cut off.
What is your opinion? Someone else might not care and maybe it's just me who misses the privacy and hence is wanting to do this, but I think it will be a plus in the selling department. It is true that one has to spend some money to sell a house to bring in the best price. Yes, I know the simple things can work miracles too and I've done all of them over the years - new light fixtures (always at a good price), painting (cheap), new flooring (had to be done due to pets ruining carpet and got it done for half or even 1/3 of what I would have had to pay the pros in installation and at a 99 per sq ft for some nice looking laminate) so I figure I've done the best I can. There are a few more things to do that will cost some money but must be done and pay off as this is not a new house. Anyway, I digress. Do you think it's worth investing in plants (i.e. bushes and tress) for privacy and does it make a difference in both the saleability and price to be fetched when selling?
I'll admit, part of this is emotional on my part as I miss what was, which is why I am running it by you. A prospective buyer won't know what was so might not care. Thoughts?
Prepping a house for sale is only tangentially a frugality matter.
Don't spend a buck if a dime will get most of the bang for you.
#1 is clean. Really, really clean EVERYTHING. Think hospital ICU inspection and then do more. The walls too.
#2 is clear. If you don't use it at least once a month... pack it up and put in storage.
This applies to all the things in closets especially and the big things like furniture too.
#3 is neutral. Take down the family photo's, the knick knacks. All of them. ALL
Use a neutral boring paint color if ANY room needs paint and anywhere the current color is loud.
#4 is working. EVERYTHING has to work... lights receptacles hinges drawers etc. Fix what is broken.
You don't have to replace ANYTHING (like light fixtures) to sell. Just be sure it all works.
Exterior is the same basic strategy. Clean and clear and thinned out.
Mulch not plantings. Paint not remodeling. Minimal, neutral, inexpensive, fixed.
As to the things that genuinely need to be replaced... appliances, carpet, plumbing or light fixtures, etc..
there is NO percentage in doing ANY of these things in advance of a having a known buyer... IF your price reflects this reality.
Conversely... when a buyer comes into a home with a lot of new things in it they'll think things like:
"uh, oh... they'll be wanting to get that money back in their price"
"damn, it would be a shame to tear all this new stuff out to put in the appliances, carpet, fixtures I prefer...
let's look for a place where I can do it all to my own taste"
If any of the more major expensive items are needed (eg HVAC equipment or roofing) then do the homework for the buyer.
Get two or three estimates from qualified contractors and be prepared to wheel and deal as contingencies.
-----------
Buyers come in two basic flavors:
1) Clueless gits who want it all done for them in advance for whom you have to take a big gamble that YOUR taste will please.
2) Self sufficient who want to do all the decorating and remodeling for themselves and/or have VERY clear ideas of what they want.
The latter already knows that the steak is more important than the sizzle...
the first group can be educated.
hth
Last edited by MrRational; 05-29-2011 at 06:41 AM..
Prepping a house for sale is only tangentially a frugality matter.
Don't spend a buck if a dime will get most of the bang for you.
#1 is clean. Really, really clean EVERYTHING. Think hospital ICU inspection and then do more. The walls too.
#2 is clear. If you don't use it at least once a month... pack it up and put in storage.
This applies to all the things in closets especially and the big things like furniture too.
#3 is neutral. Take down the family photo's, the knick knacks. All of them. ALL
Use a neutral boring paint color if ANY room needs paint and anywhere the current color is loud.
#4 is working. EVERYTHING has to work... lights receptacles hinges drawers etc. Fix what is broken.
You don't have to replace ANYTHING (like light fixtures) to sell. Just be sure it all works.
Exterior is the same basic strategy. Clean and clear and thinned out.
Mulch not plantings. Paint not remodeling. Minimal, neutral, inexpensive, fixed.
As to the things that genuinely need to be replaced... appliances, carpet, plumbing or light fixtures, etc..
there is NO percentage in doing ANY of these things in advance of a having a known buyer... IF your price reflects this reality.
If any of the more major expensive items are needed (eg HVAC equipment or roofing) then do the homework for the buyer.
Get two or three estimates from qualified contractors and be prepared to wheel and deal as contingencies.
Conversely... when a buyer comes into a home with all these new things they'll think things like:
"uh, oh... they'll be wanting to get that money back in their price"
"damn, it would be a shame to tear all this new stuff out to put in the appliances, carpet, fixtures I prefer...
let's look for a place where I can do it all to my own taste"
hth
Thanks, hth. I've done several things wrong and several things right based on your post. Yes, everything is neutral except for one bedroom I painted a teal blue (including the ceiling), but it was that cloth wallpaper before in shades of mauve that was completely outdated and my bathroom is a shade of teal. Cleaning - Ugh! Not big on that but yes know it needs to be done. Not quite sure I'm on board with the washing the walls though. How are they to know if they are washed or if that is just the color paint? Too, when you say put it in storage, do you mean rent a storage place? I confess I have a LOT of stuff that I would want packed away anyway as it is valuable to me (even if only for sentimental reasons and I don't want it to disappear) so I had planned to do that but do not know where to put the boxes. Was thinking the garage.
As far as everything working - well, I did pull up too close to the cabinets in the garage and now they won't shut right so guess that has to be fixed and there is a plumbing issue to be fixed and I don't know how much that will cost. So based on your above response, maybe I can skip the plumbing? Although that is a rather large unknown so hard to negotiate in the price. Basically, the pipes clank as far away as the kitchen when the master bedroom shower is turned on. I've been told it's nothing to worry about and to use it, but I stopped using it a long time ago.
Also, just got new countertop stove (only one burner was working in last stove and was 30 years old), new refrigerator as old one was going (although sometimes that goes with the owner) and new dishwasher as last one broke too.
So I guess I hear you saying that to buy the bushes/trees I'll be spending a dollar when I could spend a dime. I know I am supposed to NOT be emotional in this whole process, but I left one state to escape crowding only to have someone move in next to me and crowd me out. So in addition to wanting to make things attractive to a buyer I'd like to do what I can to keep what little privacy I still have myself.
Thanks for all your wise thoughts and #1 I must clean, clean and clean. BTW, I really think I only have done the necessities. When I bought this place it was total early 1980s everything (along with the color schemes and light fixtures) so I had to update it. I am sure that is going to pay off even though I did not spend a fortune. I think for someone to walk in here and see fixtures from the early 80s it would translate into "this house has not been taken care of."
Cleaning - Ugh! Not big on that but yes know it needs to be done. Not quite sure I'm on board with the washing the walls though. How are they to know if they are washed or if that is just the color paint?
A good wall washing will remove stains and grease and smoke and make the room look fresh and bright... and often fresh enough to not need painting (for a while). Walls should always be washed before painting in any case.
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Too, when you say put it in storage, do you mean rent a storage place?
... Was thinking the garage.
I mean wherever you can stash the boxes so strangers don't have to stumble over them. The main point is that when they open a cabinet or closet they should be able to see how big it is... not how many dusty glasses you own or your prom dress from HS.
A neatly stacked group in the CENTER of the garage might be a nice compromise rather than renting expense.
But NOT around the perimeter. Those walls area should be cleaned and cleared of detritus too.
Quote:
...and there is a plumbing issue to be fixed and I don't know how much that will cost. So based on your above response, maybe I can skip the plumbing?
No... You don't need to re-pipe or put in a whole new bathroom.
But you absolutely need to FIX the plumbing.
Quote:
Basically, the pipes clank as far away as the kitchen when the master bedroom shower is turned on. I've been told it's nothing to worry about and to use it, but I stopped using it a long time ago.
that might be "air hammering" or it could be physically loose pipes .
KNOW which it is and fix it.
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So I guess I hear you saying that to buy the bushes/trees I'll be spending a dollar when I could spend a dime.
I really didn't address this Q.
But this is still not the time of year to be planting bushes anyway.
Do the rest and come back to this later (if needed).
Quote:
So in addition to wanting to make things attractive to a buyer I'd like to do what I can to keep what little privacy I still have myself.
These are separate matters with VERY different rationales to the choices you might make. Focus on which you actually want to accomplish.
But buyers do NOT need to see an attractive HOME.
Buyers need a minimum of distraction from seeing the HOUSE.
Quote:
I think for someone to walk in here and see fixtures from the early 80s it would translate into "this house has not been taken care of."
Nope. At least not if they're very clean and work well.
People have seen old fixtures and appliances before.
The idea is for them to say:
"you know, we could move right in to this place and do the work a bit at a time..."
Quote:
Thanks for all your wise thoughts and #1 I must clean, clean and clean. BTW, I really think I only have done the necessities.
No... You don't need to re-pipe or put in a whole new bathroom.
But you absolutely need to FIX the plumbing.
that might be "air hammering" or it could be physically loose pipes .
KNOW which it is and fix it.
Ok, I hear you. Yikes, this is one expense I have been putting off as I've no idea what it is or how much it will cost. Plumbers can be expensive and I don't know of one here to trust.
Quote:
But buyers do NOT need to see an attractive HOME.
Buyers need a minimum of distraction from seeing the HOUSE.
I don't understand this at all. Could you please explain? Are you talking about my house, neighbor's house or something I am not getting?
Quote:
Nope. At least not if they're very clean and work well.
People have seen old fixtures and appliances before.
Well, if it's any consolation, I have an ancient oven. It's so ancient it's called a Modern Maid. Betcha you've never heard of it. But it still works so it stays. I still defend my change of light fixtures though if for no other reason I couldn't stand the 80s chandelier types.
Quote:
You're welcome. Now get to work!
Yes sir! I had the most unpleasant task yesterday of clearing out all the cupboards as they have bugs and so I bought some spray hoping to eliminate them myself (in line with being frugal ). If it doesn't work though, that'll mean a visit from a pest control service.
I don't understand this at all. Could you please explain?
Are you talking about my house, neighbor's house or something I am not getting?
ANY house that is for sale.
I assume that your customer is "an informed buyer" or in the absence of that they'll have an agent or family member who IS informed to be advising them that the steak is more important than the sizzle.
Buyers do NOT need to see an attractive HOME. <-- sizzle
Buyers need a minimum of distraction from seeing the HOUSE. <-- steak
ex: That the windows operate freely with no gaps for air and no holes in the screens is head and shoulders more important to focus on than the blinds and curtains in front of them.
ANY house that is for sale.
I assume that your customer is "an informed buyer" or in the absence of that they'll have an agent or family member who IS informed to be advising them that the steak is more important than the sizzle.
Buyers do NOT need to see an attractive HOME. <-- sizzle
Buyers need a minimum of distraction from seeing the HOUSE. <-- steak
ex: That the windows operate freely with no gaps for air and no holes in the screens is head and shoulders more important to focus on than the blinds and curtains in front of them.
Ah, thanks. You just reminded me I need to replace some screens with holes in them too. Gosh durn it. Those plants are looking less frugal with each of your posts.
Before you do any of that -- look into the realistics of selling right now. Contact a few realtors and ask about the market in general and more so the market of your neighborhood.
A good realtor should be able to tell you how long the house might take to sell, and what exactly the buyers in your neighborhood are looking for. That privacy issue just might be you, and you might be able to spend those dollars somewhere else.
And if they tell you to sell might take a year, you might want to put in the trees and stay.
That would give you enough time to figure out where you want to move to next....
Before you do any of that -- look into the realistics of selling right now. Contact a few realtors and ask about the market in general and more so the market of your neighborhood.
A good realtor should be able to tell you how long the house might take to sell, and what exactly the buyers in your neighborhood are looking for. That privacy issue just might be you, and you might be able to spend those dollars somewhere else.
And if they tell you to sell might take a year, you might want to put in the trees and stay.
That would give you enough time to figure out where you want to move to next....
Yes, Tallysmom, you're right. I am really thinking after talking with MrRational that I need to focus on the musts and absolutes that are not negotiable. I had forgotten about the screens and the plumbing and a couple of other things. When I bought this house there were no screens on many of the windows and doors! so I had to have them made only to have my pets poke their way through them and ruin them so they have to be replaced.
As good as it is to be frugal, at times it isn't so much fun. It feels (at times) like it's more about responsibilities and paying bills and not having debt (which never seems to go away) and not having what you really want in order to ensure that you'll stay on your feet (and especially in this economy). I can't lose sight of that.
I knew I could count on you all in the frugal forum to help me get my priorities in order even if no one said "ah, go on a shopping spree today."
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Too, when you say put it in storage, do you mean rent a storage place? I confess I have a LOT of stuff that I would want packed away anyway as it is valuable to me (even if only for sentimental reasons and I don't want it to disappear) so I had planned to do that but do not know where to put the boxes. Was thinking the garage.
I still defend my change of light fixtures though if for no other reason I couldn't stand the 80s chandelier types. 
). If it doesn't work though, that'll mean a visit from a pest control service.
