The costs can vary greatly depending on the state of your property before selling and whether you hire out. Are you considering hiring a house cleaner? Do you have carpets that need to be professionally cleaned? And if you’ve neglected your home’s maintenance, you may have to hire a handyman to handle minor fixes, especially if you can’t do it yourself or don’t want to cut corners. Likewise, remember that even if you do the work yourself, you still have to consider the cost of supplies to make some upgrades.
While it might be tempting to forgo this expense, it’s imperative, especially in a tough market or if you’re selling a vacant home. Staging a vacant home can be more expensive, considering the cost of furniture rentals and other services. If you want to save some money, you can stage your house on your own or with the help of your real estate agent. While you won’t likely achieve the same design quality that a professional home stager can bring, you can make an impact by making sure you remove as much clutter as possible and designate a clear purpose for every room in the house. Adding little touches such as fresh flowers, a new doormat, a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter, and scented candles can go a long way too.
However, professional real estate photographs don’t come cheap. While the cost varies by area and the size of your home, you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $500 for photos. Rates go higher for other services and packages that may include twilight photos, aerial drone photographs, real estate videos, and virtual tours. Since having professional real estate photos is a powerful way to market your property, don’t forget about this expense when listing your home for sale.
These unforeseen repairs can be one of the worst hidden expenses when selling a home since the buyer will often request for the seller to address at least a handful of them. Depending on your trusted real estate agent’s advice, you can always negotiate the issues and split the cost of repairs with the buyer to a predetermined amount. You can also flat-out refuse the requests and just lower the sale price so the buyer can make the repairs themselves. If you want the deal to go through and ensure a smooth closing, you’ll need to cover the total repair costs yourself, which could be thousands of dollars. This proves that regular maintenance can seriously pay off when it comes time to sell.
Here’s a reality check: selling a home costs money. Before putting your property on the market, it’s best to familiarize yourself with the hidden expenses associated with selling to avoid being taken by surprise. With strategic thinking, careful planning, and the help of an experienced real estate agent, you can prepare for these costs and effectively allocate your resources so you can pocket your target profits at closing.
