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Location: As of 2022….back to SoCal. OC this time!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ginan
Is it OK to have realtors come out to give me ideas on how to increase value?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ginan
Even if I'm not ready to sell, or don't plan to for a while?
What is the etiquette or right thing to do with something like this?
And would I be obligated to "hire" one of the 3 agents when the time comes to sell (assuming I think they would do a good job).
A realtor would be looking for a listing. If they know you don’t plan on listing...I don’t know that many would waste their time. Staging is part of the process of selling ofc.
AND...what type of ideas are you looking for? A well maintained home is going to be worth more than one that isn’t ofc. Freshly painted, shows well & staged so that there is not much clutter. Remove extra pieces of furniture & a lot of personal items. Fragrances should be subtle. You want ppl to see your home & imagine their own belongings & pictures in the space. AND.. flowers outdoors & well kept landscaping for nice curb appeal too.
Most ppl don’t want to put a lot of money into new floors or remodels to sell & it might be something the buyer would have preferred to do themselves that you don’t even break even on. Only do remodels for yourself IMO. The biggest thing is a well maintained & well decorated home that shows nicely.
A realtor would be looking for a listing. If they know you don’t plan on listing...I don’t know that many would waste their time. Staging is part of the process of selling ofc.
AND...what type of ideas are you looking for? A well maintained home is going to be worth more than one that isn’t ofc. Freshly painted, shows well & staged so that there is not much clutter. Remove extra pieces of furniture & a lot of personal items. Fragrances should be subtle. You want ppl to see your home & imagine their own belongings & pictures in the space. AND.. flowers outdoors & well kept landscaping for nice curb appeal too.
Most ppl don’t want to put a lot of money into new floors or remodels to sell & it might be something the buyer would have preferred to do themselves that you don’t even break even on. Only do remodels for yourself IMO. The biggest thing is a well maintained & well decorated home that shows nicely.
Yet, multiple agents in this thread say, "No problem, glad to."
Location: As of 2022….back to SoCal. OC this time!
9,297 posts, read 4,584,857 times
Reputation: 7613
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish
Yet, multiple agents in this thread say, "No problem, glad to."
Ofc some say they would be glad to because they want to get their name out there for a listing. My point is that it really isn’t necessary....especially if the O.P. is keeping their house well maintained because a lot of it just has to do with staging. edit: AND ofc a realtor is going to put more into the staging if it’s their listing.
Top listing agents and top buyer agents are different categories. What I look for when sending a referral in no particular order:
1-Experience: I want someone with good experience but not too busy to handle a new client. I can look at number of closed transactions on zillow. Not great but better than anything else out there. I like someone that has a roughly 50/50 buyer and listing split.
2-Customer Service: If the agent has a team I'd like to know who's going to be working the file. One agent can only handle about 36 transactions a year, tops, without good support, and that's if they are really efficient. It's great to do a lot of business but some of my worst transactions are with busy, disorganized agents that never answer their phone. So I like to know systesm and support they have in place.
3-Relevant knowledge: Read their profile and designations on their bios. Designations and CE can help here, but more importantly I want working knowledge. In your case, OP, I'd want someone that works with investors that flip houses and/or owns some rentals and flips personally. Like MJ, said earlier, I'm looking for return more than anything if I'm getting a house ready to sell. Maybe it's better to keep your existing floor and have carpet put down when you're ready to sell?
I see plenty of people that have over-imrpoved. For example, no reason to install a high end wood floor if carpet gets the best return.
Thanks for those tips, and especially the closed transactions on Zillow, that’s a good way to see how your agent is doing in this red hot housing market. If they haven’t closed at least a dozen this year, move on. After reading your own bio, wish there were more agents like you to go around for the rest of us!
Yet, multiple agents in this thread say, "No problem, glad to."
Quote:
Originally Posted by TashaPosh
Ofc some say they would be glad to because they want to get their name out there for a listing. My point is that it really isn’t necessary....especially if the O.P. is keeping their house well maintained because a lot of it just has to do with staging. edit: AND ofc a realtor is going to put more into the staging if it’s their listing.
I think you're both right... there's plenty of agents who will be happy to go out for a consult even if a listing isn't likely for some time. It's part of what we do.
And as far as investment goes, maintaining the home is probably the most important investment.
OP - There's a LOT of advice and example out there about updating and decorating homes for resale. HGTV has made people famous doing it. Of course, they're all just ideas, and opinions will vary as widely as tastes do on what should be done. Get a few for perspective. And I like the advice to remodel mostly for yourself, not for future buyers. Because I know from experience that different buyers will walk through homes and LOVE / HATE the same choices. You can't please everyone. They will LOVE or HATE dark cabinets, white cabinets, dark floors, light floors, agreeable grey and flipper tweed, farm sinks and white subway tiles. Once you do decide you want to update a few things, I like the idea of getting perspective from an agent who actually does his own flips, because they'll have a better idea on current costs to do things and what current buyers are saying about the options.
Last edited by Diana Holbrook; 07-09-2021 at 12:14 PM..
Location: As of 2022….back to SoCal. OC this time!
9,297 posts, read 4,584,857 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook
I think you're both right... there's plenty of agents who will be happy to go out for a consult even if a listing isn't likely for some time.
Yes ofc....they want to get their name out there. BUT they aren’t going to stage a home that isn’t their listing. Some will even hire a staging company...we had one. They would rather spend their money or time on their own listings & to get new ones because that’s how they get paid. There is only so much free advice you want to give or have time for in any profession.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook
OP - There's a LOT of advice and example out there about updating and decorating homes for resale. HGTV has made people famous doing it. Of course, they're all just ideas, and opinions will vary as widely as tastes do on what should be done. Get a few for perspective. And I like the advice to remodel mostly for yourself, not for future buyers. Because I know from experience that different buyers will walk through homes and LOVE / HATE the same choices. You can't please everyone. They will LOVE or HATE dark cabinets, white cabinets, dark floors, light floors, agreeable grey and flipper tweed, farm sinks and white subway tiles. Once you do decide you want to update a few things, I like the idea of getting perspective from an agent who actually does his own flips, because they'll have a better idea on current costs to do things and what current buyers are saying about the options.
ITA if they are doing a flip on a home & they need a contractor....subway tiles & engineered wood flooring are cheaper options that are super popular. But that’s not usually done for a person that is just selling their home. IMO if the O.P. didn’t invest in decorating for themselves while they lived there...it’s a little silly & a waste of money AND time to try to decorate for a buyer or make a top dollar home at the last minute if you didn’t care about making it look amazing or maintaining it while you live there.
Yes ofc....they want to get their name out there. BUT they aren’t going to stage a home that isn’t their listing. Some will even hire a staging company...we had one. They would rather spend their money or time on their own listings & to get new ones because that’s how they get paid. There is only so much free advice you want to give or have time for in any profession.
ITA if they are doing a flip on a home & they need a contractor....subway tiles & engineered wood flooring are cheaper options that are super popular. But that’s not usually done for a person that is just selling their home. IMO if the O.P. didn’t invest in decorating for themselves while they lived there...it’s a little silly & a waste of money AND time to try to decorate for a buyer or make a top dollar home at the last minute if you didn’t care about making it look amazing or maintaining it while you live there.
You bring up staging, but that is not at all what the OP was asking about. OP was asking about increasing value through owner actions.
In those circumstances, painting, carpet, fixtures, repairs, upgrades and updates are most common topics. Some people need an outside set of eyes on their house, either to confirm their concerns or to put a foot on the brake to avoid needless expense and effort.
Staging, other than offering some advice on decluttering ("You might take one of these chairs out of the family room to make it look bigger."), is part of the marketing and sales.
Location: As of 2022….back to SoCal. OC this time!
9,297 posts, read 4,584,857 times
Reputation: 7613
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish
You bring up staging, but that is not at all what the OP was asking about. OP was asking about increasing value through owner actions.
In those circumstances, painting, carpet, fixtures, repairs, upgrades and updates are most common topics.
Because having a well maintained home that shows well is what brings the most value to a home without investing a lot of money. Staging is part of that process ofc...AND I was assuming the O.P.s home was in good repair. If it’s not tho...ofc making those repairs are necessary but you don’t need a consultation with a realtor for that. Ppl were suggesting remodeling & redecorating tho...AND that’s just silly to do for a buyer if they didn’t make the effort to remodel or decorate for themselves. ITA with the ppl in the thread that say only remodel for yourself.....tho flipping is a different story ofc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish
Staging, other than offering some advice on decluttering (”You might take one of these chairs out of the family room to make it look bigger.”), is part of the marketing and sales.
Yes..AND that’s why IMO a realtor isn’t necessary until the O.P. wants to list. AND I don’t know the price range of O.P.s home or circumstances, but staging is more involved than taking one chair out or decluttering...especially in higher end homes. There are staging companies who will do your home to help increase the value...especially if the O.P. is unsure about her current decorating style edit: or she moves out early...which can help too.
Because having a well maintained home that shows well is what brings the most value to a home without investing a lot of money. Staging is part of that process ofc...AND I was assuming the O.P.s home was in good repair. If it’s not tho...ofc making those repairs are necessary but you don’t need a consultation with a realtor for that. Ppl were suggesting remodeling & redecorating tho...AND that’s just silly to do for a buyer if they didn’t make the effort to remodel or decorate for themselves. ITA with the ppl in the thread that say only remodel for yourself.....tho flipping is a different story ofc.
Yes..AND that’s why IMO a realtor isn’t necessary until the O.P. wants to list. AND I don’t know the price range of O.P.s home or circumstances, but staging is more involved than taking one chair out or decluttering...especially in higher end homes. There are staging companies who will do your home to help increase the value...especially if the O.P. is unsure about her current decorating style edit: or she moves out early...which can help too.
So, as a licensed agent, you would not help the OP?
As a licensed agent, I would, without hesitation. It is a service industry.
The OP has expressed a want/need.
I do it routinely.
Location: As of 2022….back to SoCal. OC this time!
9,297 posts, read 4,584,857 times
Reputation: 7613
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish
So, as a licensed agent, you would not help the OP?
As a licensed agent, I would, without hesitation. It is a service industry.
The OP has expressed a want/need.
I do it routinely.
I’m not a realtor...tho any realtor looking for work would have to be crazy to say they wouldn’t help the O.P. because it’s getting their name out there. They would also be super crazy to admit they would rather do work they get paid for...like a real listing ofc...because it might lose their opportunity. edit: No one can be successful at their work if they spend too much time giving free advice tho. I would think a good realtor would try to get the listing.
Tho my point was that the O.P. doesn’t need a realtor to make repairs that haven’t been well maintained..AND especially not if the home is already in good repair. It’s not like the average seller remodels the kitchen or bath just to sell...unless it’s a cheap flip. You have to think of the comps in the area too AND unless it’s a generic flip, it can be super hard to remodel & guess the tastes of the buyer or get all your money back. You may only break even. AND DIY shows have become so popular that a lot of ppl would prefer to do a small remodel themselves & pick their own materials. What buyers look for IMO is that the home has been well maintained & updated while they lived there. As a matter of fact, I would take it as a red flag if they lived in the home for years & they make all kinds of repairs & updates the last couple of months before listing it.
Last edited by TashaPosh; 07-09-2021 at 05:39 PM..
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Yes ofc....they want to get their name out there. BUT they aren’t going to stage a home that isn’t their listing. Some will even hire a staging company...we had one. They would rather spend their money or time on their own listings & to get new ones because that’s how they get paid. There is only so much free advice you want to give or have time for in any profession.
