Different kinds of sales avenues, while similar in many ways, still require different kinds of marketing and variations in preparation for sale. So do you need to prepare your house to sell to a direct buyer in Los Angeles?
Yes, you do – sometimes, but not always. Many direct buyers will often buy a house as-is, but, generally, you don’t get the best price in this situation.
Some basic prep work, then, may help you get a better price when selling to a direct buyer who wants to realize a good return on investment.
Direct Buyer’s Point of View
Very often direct buyers are real estate investors, and their sole purpose in buying a property is to make a profit. So look at your house from their point of view. Does it look a good investment? The answer to the question “Do you need to prepare your house to sell to a direct buyer in Los Angeles?” largely hinges on that good-investment appeal.
So, yes, doing some minor improvements and repairs can make your house more appealing to a direct buyer. Just don’t sink a ton of money into renovations. In fact, studies have shown that most of the time major renovations will not return as much as they cost for any kind of sale. So the biggest mistake most sellers make is investing way too much money in repairs and improvements – money that cannot be recouped in the sale price.
So let’s see what you can easily and inexpensively do to make your house seem like a good investment for a direct buyer.
Curb Appeal
What’s the first thing a buyer sees when she looks at your house? The outside, of course. So improving the curb appeal can do a lot to make your house appear like a better deal. You could, for example, touch up the paint on the front of the house (the most visible aspect), remove personalized yard ornaments, or do some minor landscaping. Other inexpensive things you could to improve curb appeal include:
- Installing a new mailbox
- Installing new house numbers
- Updating the front-door hardware
- Staging the front porch according to the season
- Pressure washing siding
None of these things are very labor-intensive or very expensive, but they will help a direct buyer realize that your house may be a good deal. It will help assure buyers that the house doesn’t need any major, cost-prohibitive renovations or repairs.
One-Room Painting
In trying to answer “Do you need to prepare your house to sell to a direct buyer in Los Angeles?” painting often comes to mind first. But just how extensive does the painting need to be? Not very extensive, actually.
Even though most of the rooms in your house may need repainting, you can maximize your painting efforts while keeping the cost down by a painting only the most important, most observed room (or rooms). Generally, buyers look most closely at the master bedroom, the kitchen, and/or the entryway. Painting just one these can do a lot to make your house look brighter and well cared for. If any or all of these critical rooms and areas are bright, clean, and freshly painted, it will improve buyers’ perception of the entire house.
Do you need to prepare your house to sell to a direct buyer in Los Angeles? It’s probably a good idea to do some preparation at least. Just carefully plan the prep work, looking at everything from the direct buyer’s point of view, and don’t sink too much money into it.