360 Real Estate Group

How to Sell your Home for Top Dollar…During a Pandemic!

Interested in how to sell your home for top dollar during a pandemic?  In order to do so you have to understand a few things about the way that the concept of a “home” has changed as a result of the pandemic.   Before the widespread shutdown of just about everything, you – like most Southern Californians – probably spent a great deal of time outside the house.  Commuting to work, dropping off kids at school, going to the gym, going out to dinner, attending concerts…all of these things pulled us out and away from the few odd bedrooms and baths we returned to at the end of the day.  And then Covid happened.

Overnight people needed their homes to stand in as a substitute for all those things that used to take place outside.  From gym, to restaurant, from home office to playground here are a list of things you can highlight to make your home “HOT” in eyes of the new market.

  1. Top Notch Media and Marketing – Unbelievable video and photos are the new curb appeal.  Gone are the days of open houses.  Instead, buyers are relying on how well your property is presented online.  This means professional photographs with drone shots, and stabilizers, compelling story-based videos, floor plans, and high end 3D interactive tours of the home.  Once these things are created, there is an entirely separate necessity: the know how to market these things online, so that anyone in the market to buy a home like yours will see them.

2.  Home Gym – Remember the days of waking up before the sun, and taking a Zumba group class, or pumping iron at the corner gym.  Those days are gone.  24 hour fitness just filed for bankruptcy, and countless small private gyms are struggling.  The need to exercise didn’t disappear though.  When selling your place, set up a space that is clearly delineated as a home gym.  You don’t necessarily need a dedicated room, but defined space in the corner of a garage, or family room with a gym mat, or some weights and swiss ball will go a long way.

3. Home Office –  Working from home is the new normal.  If you have a guest bedroom you never use, consider putting the bed in storage, and bringing in a desk, and filing cabinet.  A nice blank wall for a Zoom backdrop, and a printer with phone, and strong wifi.  A room beyond the standard bedroom count can be a valuable asset, distinguishing your home from all the others on the market.

4. Kitchens – Although kitchens have always topped the average buyer’s list of wants/needs, now more than ever before they make a home more desirable.  There are very few places in LA County where you can go out for a meal anymore.  People are taking their sense of culinary adventure to YouTube, and Cooking Shows, and recreating those events at home.  A kitchen that allows for multiple people to cook comfortably together, or has easy access to the rest of the family is the new Spago. Accentuate what you have, or make small changes that show off your kitchen’s “chef-factor.”

5. Outdoor Space  – These days, the more yard you have the better.  People are getting into gardening, working out under the sky, and if you want to entertain, a comfortable outdoor space is a must.  Show off the possibility for socially distanced socializing by setting up things like fire pits, outdoor speakers, small decks, and patio furniture.

6. ADUs – The Accessory Dwelling Unit is one of the most desirable features a property can have today. A separate space on one’s property can serve as anything from the list above.  A quiet, clean spot for working, exercising, meditating, or just about anything your imagination can come up with is in more demand than ever.  Even prefabricated sheds with a finished interior, insulation and electricity are bringing multiple offers from buyers looking for more space, and the feeling of getting away, even if for a few hours during the day.

These are some things I keep hearing about from clients. And whereas in the past they considered them luxuries, today they are considered essential.  Thinking about selling and want some advice on how to accentuate any of these things?  Give me a call and I’ll be happy to take a look at your current layout and give you some advice.

 

Until Next Time

 

Steve

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