Selling Your Home in Laconia: Some Why’s and How’s

If you own a single-family home or condominium in Laconia, it might be a great time to sell. First let’s look at some reasons why. Then we’ll consider some “how to” tips.

Reasons why it may be a good time to sell your home in Laconia:

Single-family homes are selling faster and for better median prices in Laconia. Year-to-date 2017, median “sold” prices are the highest in nine years, and the median number of “days on market” for single-family homes is just 20. That’s 59 percent faster than 2016 and the fastest pace in at least ten years.

Last year Laconia also sold 141 condominiums, the highest number in eleven years. The median days on market for condominiums year-to-date is just 22. That’s 45 percent faster than last year and the fastest pace in at least ten years.

These trends suggest Laconia homes may be close to peak. When you then consider the possible impact that increasing expenditures at city and county levels may have on future property taxes, and the very real possibility of increased interest rates, it could be time to capitalize on your most important investment. For those of you who are thinking about scaling down or moving, it might be a perfect time.

Now that we’ve looked at a few of the “why’s” of selling, here some tips on how to economically get your home ready for the quickest sale at the best possible price.

“How to” tips for selling:

Work from the outside, in.

If prospective buyers like what they see on the outside of your single-family home, they’ll be enticed to see the inside. If they don’t, they won’t.

Clean gutters, a tidy lawn and well-maintained grass, flowers and shrubs go a long way toward creating favorable impressions. Keep in mind that first impressions don’t just occur during scheduled showings; curious prospective buyers drive by homes all the time. It doesn’t have to cost owners any money to maintain their landscaping, but it could cost them a lot if they don’t.

Decorative shutters and window mounted flower boxes offer affordable options to immediately add charm and color to your home’s curb appeal.

Finally, if you have a functional but boring concrete walkway, you might dress it up with stone, clay or concrete pavers that can add complementary color, texture, and appealing width to your walkway.

Clean and cut clutter to close

Whether you own a condo or a single-family home, a clean, clutter free interior makes an amazing difference when showing a property to buyers. It sounds obvious, but it is crucial that your home looks livable. Prospective buyers can be easily distracted by clutter. Clean and declutter as though you are expecting very important visitors… in this case visitors who may want to give you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for your property!

Pay special attention to cleaning windows so your property looks great from the outside looking in and inside looking out. Consider removing drapes, curtains and valances so every possible ray of natural light penetrates the interior of your home. Just like lighting is important when filming actors, models or products, proper lighting will help your REALTOR® take the best pictures and give the best showing possible.

Paint for profit

Everyone knows you can cover up wear and tear, crayon marks and other sales distractions by painting walls. But did you know that paint color is an important factor that can affect a home’s selling pace and price?

Experts often advise choosing neutral colors when painting rooms, but some recent information suggests that fresh paint in the right color may actually help you sell your home more effectively. Zillow’s 2017 Paint Color Analysis studied over 32,000 photos from homes sold nationwide, in order to determine how certain paint colors impacted average sale price versus comparable homes with white walls.

Their findings suggest that homes with:

• blue or soft gray-blue kitchens sold for a $1,809 premium
• powder blue or soft periwinkle colored bathrooms sold for $5,440 more than expected (white bathrooms sold for an average of $4,035 below similar homes)
• light cerulean to cadet blue bedrooms can earn a $1,856 premium
• slate blue to pale gray blue dining rooms sold for $1,926 more on average than homes with white dining room wall colors
• front doors painted in shades of dark navy blue to slate gray sold for $1,514 more
• light beige, pale taupe or oatmeal-colored living room walls sell for $1,926 more

Brent Metzger is a sales associate at Roche Realty Group in Meredith, NH and can be reached at (603) 229-8322 or brent@rocherealty.com

Please feel free to visit www.rocherealty.com to learn more about the Lakes Region and its real estate market.