Present your Home for Maximum Value

By Fred Golden

Prudential Douglas Elliman

This is the beginning of the Spring selling season. This time of year, inventory expands rapidly as growing families make the decision to move before the start of the next school year and put their homes up for sale. If you really want to sell quickly and get the best price, you need to prepare your home for sale. It is usually not necessary to spend a fortune to get your home ready for the market

CLEAN: Get rid of the stains, the dust, the mold, the mildew. Clean those carpets. Wipe down the walls. If necessary, wash the windows and get the upholstery cleaned too. Much of what determines if a home will sell and how fast is the first impression it creates in a potential buyer’s mind.

PAINT: A new coat of paint can work wonders. And, if you are painting, lighten up the colors and the atmosphere at the same time. Dark and depressing are not sales tools. If you have outside doors and trim, paint them as well. A home that sparkles on the outside can help draw buyers.

LIGHT: Again, dark and depressing are not sales tools. Replace blowout bulbs, think about replacing 60 watt bulbs with 75s, 75s with 100 watt bulbs. If necessary, replace fixtures that provide insufficient lighting. It is no necessary that they be new, just tasteful and bright.

OUTDOORS: If you have a yard, give it a little attention. Spruce it up, trim the plants, remove the weeds. Make certain that the lawn and hedges are trimmed. These are the 1^st thing potential buyers see. If the outside is unkempt, they are entering the home with a negative already on their mind. They are likely to feel that if the outside has not been cared for, the inside has not either.

WORKING APPLIANCES: Again, as soon as a potential buyer sees something that does not work, they will mentally start to question the upkeep of the entire house! We all know how hard it can be to regain credibility once you lose it. Be sure you do not lose yours.

REPAIR: Leaks, blown fuses, tripped breakers, slow flushing toilets… Make these problems go away before you start showing your home.

Fred Golden is part of the Field-Golden team at Prudential Douglas Elliman and can be reached at 917.620.4907. The team may also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Field.Golden. Prudential Douglas Elliman is an independently owned and operated member of The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

About Fred Golden

After 30 years as an executive in the world of finance, Fred Golden chose to enter real estate in 2002 because he not only likes working with numbers and people, he enjoys puzzles as well. "I liken buying a home to fitting together the pieces of a puzzle. Finding the right place to live can be difficult and sometimes contradictory. Purchasing a home is a big decision that involves many elements that must align to meet a buyer’s real needs, if they are to be happy with their purchase." Having owned single-family homes, and condos, and having sold many co-ops, Fred is certainly familiar with the process. Understanding the financial implications and the emotional overtones of this important transaction, he endeavors to help buyers express what they really want in a home, and to educate sellers on the market, pricing and competition so they can make informed, confident decisions. Originally from Philadelphia, Fred graduated from Temple and Fordham Universities. He holds a BBA in Finance and an MBA in International Management. His extensive corporate background at domestic and international companies involved roles in finance, information technology, internet marketing and manufacturing. While selling real estate in New York, Fred was also a licensed broker in Florida. He has lived in New York City for 15 years, and thoroughly enjoys the diversity of people and ideas, as well as the "infinite choices" the city provides. When you work with Fred as your real estate partner, he will guide you through the process with sound advice and honest answers - not promise the impossible. With him you will know your options as well as the procedure for buying or selling a home so there are no surprises, only a good experience and a rewarding outcome. Fred is a member of the Real Estate Board of NY, and the NY State MLS as well as the National, New York State and Westchester-Putnam Association of Realtors, Fred and his partner, Barbara Field have pooled their skills, expertise, and 25 years of experience to help their clients and customers alike. Outside of his commitment to serving clients, Fred is most interested in skiing, world travel, photography, and the diversity of today’s digital world.

View all posts by Fred Golden →

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.