How maintenance affects your home’s value like it does with cars.

How much more is your home worth if you take care of maintenance items? This is best represented with a car analogy. 

Recently, a friend of mine went to a couple of dealerships to try to sell his car, and he shared with them that he had the windshield, wipers, and tires replaced recently. All of the dealerships said those were great things to get the car to sell faster, but they wouldn’t allow him to ask for more money. When someone is buying a car, they will already expect those things to be good. 

The same is true when selling a house. Many sellers have asked me if they could price their homes higher because they recently updated the paint or replaced the furnace or hot water heater. However, when buyers are looking for homes, they expect the mechanicals to work properly. You can’t necessarily ask for more money because of basic maintenance items. 

Know that you will attract better offers and fewer lowball offers when you maintain your home. Maintenance will net you more value, but you can't ask for more money. If you have any questions about this or want help buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can call or email me anytime, and I would be happy to help you.