WASHINGTON — Home sales rose nearly 12 percent nationwide during the past year.
Prices are on the rise and money is cheap. The Federal Reserve suggested on Jan. 28, 2015 that rates, now at historic lows, are unlikely to rise in the near future. The real estate market is considered attractive to both buyers and sellers.
To make the process of selling a little easier, Consumer Reports offers some home seller “Dos and Don’ts.”
Recommendations based on surveys of 303 real estate professionals brokering nearly 90 percent of residential U.S. sales include:
- Get professional pictures of the home’s interior/exterior.
- Consider hiring a professional organizer to eliminate clutter.
- Eliminate household odors but not with intense air fresheners.
- Spruce up exterior with landscaping even as simple as potted plants.
- Update kitchen with paint and new appliances but not a full renovation.
- Update bathroom with new floor and tile caulking and water efficient toilet.
- Paint rooms only in high traffic areas such as the kitchen, bathroom and busy hallways.
Only 16 percent of the real estate professionals surveyed by Consumer Reports considered interior paint a high priority for things needing to be in perfect shape.
People shopping for homes can save time by identifying red flags quickly:
- Carpenter ants leave sawdust along baseboards.
- Spongy floors suggest water damage from leaky pipes.
- Termites often shed wings along windowsills, walls and exterior entry points.
Home prices in the Washington area are rising more slowly than the national average but as of Dec. 2014 are up 2.5 percent compared to last year.
Jennifer Nycz-Conner of the Washington Business Journal contributed to this report.
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