Have you inherited a house that is falling apart? Perhaps you have been living in a home that is simply not presentable. The way a house looks can have a major effect on how quickly you will be able to sell it and the price it will fetch. There are several different ways to unload that eyesore. Time and money will be the major factors in the sales method that you choose.
Hire Contractors to Fix Up Your House
If you have some dough and you do not need to live in the unattractive property, you can hire people to help. If your house simply needs its air ducts cleaned, weeds pulled, and a paint job you can probably get it done on the cheap. The national average rate for painting a house is $2,578. It will generally cost between $300 to $500 to clean the air ducts in a house and weed removal may cost an average of $150.
If your house needs a major overhaul, it can cost thousands of dollars and take months. You can hire individual contractors to do each job or you can hire a contract manager who will take care of hiring workers. Make sure to check out any contracting company before you hire them. They should be licensed and bonded. Find out if any other homeowners are using them.
If they need to make modifications to the home such as rewiring electrical outlets or installing new pipes, they may have to obtain permits from the city which may make the process take longer.
DIY
If you are handy with a paintbrush and a hammer, you may want to try fixing the house up yourself. If the home simply needs painting and you feel you can do a professional job, you may be able to do it yourself for a few hundred dollars.
If your home needs major renovations, you will want to look at the amount of time each individual project will take and how much money the materials will cost. If you are a novice you should also take any mistakes you might make into consideration.
For example, you may try to install a roof yourself and that roof could fall in, costing you thousands of dollars. If you put in your own shelves and they collapse. You will not only have to put new shelves up but replace anything that was sitting on them.
Professional contractors will also know what is and is not permissible in terms of housing codes and zoning laws. Be sure to check these codes and laws before making the additions to your house. If your home is part of a Housing Association, you will also have to check with them to make sure what you are doing does not violate their rules.
Sell Your Home as-is for Cash
If you don’t have a lot of time or money to fix up your home, you can simply sell it the way it is. There are companies that do nothing but buy houses for cash and they will make you an offer within a day or so.
Because they make cash deals on houses every day, they have the know-how to complete the transaction in a timely fashion. If you are selling your house because you need fast cash or because you are relocating, this may be the best option for you.
Whenever you sell any piece of property, you should take the housing market into consideration. There are websites that can tell you if there is a seller or buyers market. You may list your property when it is a seller’s market and still not be able to get rid of it until the tides have turned in favour of the buyers.
Obviously, your ultimate goal should be to get the most cash for your house. A house that is pleasing to the eye will sell for a higher price than one that is not. However, you will want to weigh the time and expense of the renovations against the amount of profit you are likely to make when you sell the home.
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