George L. Duarte

Mortgage Loans Fremont California Horizon Financial Associates

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Considering a Major Home Addition? Why a Detached Garage Can Drastically Improve Your Resale Price

July 15, 2020 by George Duarte

Considering a Major Home Addition? Why a Detached Garage Can Drastically Improve Your Resale PriceBefore you make a major structural change to your property, it is important to consider how this will affect your resale value. While there are many steps that you can take to improve your property, the addition of a detached garage may be beneficial to you and may drastically improve your resale price when you are ready to sell.

You can contact a trusted real estate agent today to obtain customized information about how the addition of a detached garage may affect your property’s value.

Adding Square Footage to Your Home

As a property owner, you may be well aware that one of the most common ways the value of your property is determined is by the market rate for price per square foot of homes in the area.

While factors such as age of the property, condition of the property and amenities in the neighborhood may affect whether your property’s price per square foot is above or below market average, the kind of the improvements has a direct impact on property value.

While adding a detached garage adds overall square footage to the property, it generally won’t be considered at the same rate as finished square footage within the home.  However, outbuilding improvements do add value to your property and a real estate agent can help you to determine the true financial gain you may experience through this addition.

Increasing Appeal to Potential Buyers

Properties that are more appealing to potential buyers may sell for a higher price. When you add a detached garage to your property, you may be adding style and function to the property by adding a place to park vehicles and to store items like seasonal items and lawn equipment. You can also create a detached garage with a workshop or another functional area for added appeal.

Transforming Existing Space

Some home additions will add a detached garage to a property because a garage was never constructed on the property, but others will be added because the homeowner wants to transform the existing garage attached to the home into a more functional area. For example, a new home addition, may turn the existing garage into a living room, a bedroom or another functional area. With the addition of a detached garage, the property owner can retain the benefits of having a garage while also improving the functional use of the main area of the home.

The addition of a detached garage can benefit you and your family in a number of ways, and it can also improve the resale value of your home. By speaking with a real estate agent, you can get a better idea about how this addition will affect your property.

Filed Under: Mortgage Tips Tagged With: Home Sales, Home Valuation, Selling a Home

How To Stage A House For A Faster Sale At A Higher Price

October 10, 2019 by George Duarte

How To Stage A House For A Faster Sale At A Higher Price“Staging” a house means to prepare it for sale in ways that make it more attractive to potential buyers. Homeowners can do much of this staging work themselves and should get suggestions from their real estate agent. They can also hire a professional to do the staging work for them.

Value-Added Staging

A study of 4,200 sold homes, conducted by Home Staging Resource (HSR), found that 85% of the staged homes sold for 6% to 25% more than a home that was not staged.

Forbes reports that 95% of staged homes sell in 11 days or less. This is 87% faster when compared to the time it takes, on average, to sell a home that is not staged.

An average home sells for 10% to 20% less than the asking price. It may be even more beneficial to stage a home that would otherwise have to sell as a “fixer-upper.” When listing a home, which is in disrepair, the asking price must be at a steep discount from the market value of a similar home that is in a better condition. This steep discount may be reduced by staging the home properly.

The general rule-of-thumb is that every $100 dollar invested in staging may return up to $400 in a higher sales price.

Staging Priorities

The National Association of REALTORS® published the 2017 Profile of Home Staging, which says the staging priorities are:

  • Declutter: Decluttering a home creates more open space that makes the home look bigger. Remove at least half of the items in the home and two-thirds of the stuff in the closets. De-personalize the home by removing photos, kid toys, items for pets, etc.
  • Cleaning: The entire house needs to be immaculately clean, inside and out, to the level of a five-star hotel.
  • Carpet Cleaning/Replacement: Carpet needs to look and smell like new or it should be replaced.
  • No Pets or Children: Do not have children or pets in the home, when showing it to potential buyers.
  • Renovations: Repairs, re-painting, and re-decorating should be done tastefully and by using neutral colors that appeal to most people.
  • Rooms: Priority staging concentrates on these rooms, in this order: 1) Living Room; 2) Kitchen; 3) Master Bedroom and Bath; and 4) Dining Room.
  • Vacant Home: A vacant home will probably sell much easier when staged using rented furniture.

Conclusion

Staging a home for sale makes perfect sense and is worth the investment of time, energy, and money. The benefits are that the home usually sells for a better price, probably sells more quickly, and the investment in staging usually makes a profit for the home seller. Your real estate professional is available to offer guidance in selling your home quickly for a great price.

If you are in the market for a new home or interested in refinancing your current property, be sure to consult with your trusted home mortgage professional to discuss current financing options.

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: Home Sales, Real Estate, Staging

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George L. Duarte

MBA, CMC, CMHS
Call 510.377.9059
Fremont, CA

California DRE Corp Lic no. 01032295
DRE Personal Brokers Lic. No. 00943635
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