The property market is a buyers one and will be for the foreseeable future. Until the economy, and then house prices start increasing again, vendors are having to fight hard for every sale. Real estate agents and realtors are really having to earn their commissions at the moment!

When preparing your home for the market there are many considerations you must give thought to. The most important is the value of your home, and what else is available in the price bracket. It might even be worth your while posing as a purchaser and having a look around some of them, just to see what you’re up against.

If your home is old and needs some work, you have to weigh up the cost of having the work done versus the probability to making it back in the sale price. In Naples, remodelling is a popular choice for increasing the value of property. Much thought must be given to whether it is worth it in your particular case or not. A realtor may be able to offer valuable advice on what is worth money and what is not. As a rule of thumb, anything that improves the look and feel of a kitchen, bathroom or living room is likely to be worth the expense.

Ask a realtor about any work you plan on doing, how much it will improve kerb or visitor appeal, whether it will improve the overall saleability of the house, and of course the value. Compare this to the cost of doing the work, or having it done and make a decision based on that. Even a close call between the cost and the value may be worth proceeding with just to make the property more saleable. Vendors have to use every trick in the book to make a sale nowadays so make sure you do the same.

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of financing the money. If you have savings then it will be nil but if you’re borrowing the money to do the work, the cost should be added to the total build cost. This is something that can easily be overlooked when costing a project but can be quite expensive. Short term loans can be more costly as there is no longer term return for the lender. If you are considering borrowing the money then it may be worth looking into the 203(k) loan underwritten by the government.

This is a home improvement loan issued by commercial lenders but controlled and underwritten by the government.. If you meet the criteria for the loan, the lenders should give it to you, so may be something worth exploring further.

If you home is dated, worn out or just needs a tidy up, it is essential you get the work done before putting the house on the market. The saying “you have to speculate to accumulate” is relevant here. Spending a few hundred dollars on your home could mean the difference between getting a quick, near price offer and it languishing on the market for months.