Tips to Increase the Value of Your Burned House & Help It Sell Faster

In a previous blog post, we discussed how making certain outside improvements could help you sell your fire-damaged house faster.

However, the improvements shouldn’t stop outside. There are also things you can do inside your home to help it sell faster as well.

Of course, first and foremost, you need to repair the damage that was sustained in your home fire. Once that is done, here are some additional things you can do to help your fire-damaged house sell more quickly.

Decorating

Today, the world of real estate is becoming amazingly sophisticated. The idea of staging a home for sale has, in fact, revolutionized the world of real estate. It does not take a large amount of money in order to produce an effective result. It simply involves improving the current surroundings.

Begin by looking at your home through the eyes of a prospective buyer. Pretend you have never seen your home before this moment.

Create Space

Clearing out excess furniture is a great way to start. Pieces of furniture that are too large for the room in which they are placed or that crowd a room should be removed. Place them in storage for your upcoming move, give them away or sell them.

Work on clearing out excess accessories, also including collections. When it comes to opening up a home, there is truly nothing more effective than removing clutter. This provides your home with a more spacious appearance.

Surface Space

Next on the list is to go through the house and clear all of the horizontal surfaces in the kitchen and bathrooms. Do not leave any knick-knacks, magazines or other items. Pack them or get rid of them.

The Importance of Smell

Your home should always smell nice. Unfortunately, over time we tend to become accustomed to smells in our home. To help combat this problem have a non-pet owning, non-smoking friend come over to give your home the sniff test. When it comes time to sell the house; however, there should be no noticeable odors. Work on getting rid of smells such as:

• Cigarette smoke
• Pet odors
• Stale food smells

Smells can make a tremendous impact on prospective homebuyers when they first enter a home. Avoid adding artificial scents; however, such as using a spray air freshener as more and more people are exhibiting allergies. The best way to rid your home of odors is not to cover them up. Instead, remove them by:

• Scrubbing the entire house
• Replacing old carpet
• Smoking outdoors
• Cleaning the air vents

Remember, Home Buyers Are Just as Human as You Are

When selling your fire-damaged house, it is important that buyers are just as reluctant as most homeowners to take on large projects. Generally, they want to move into the house they have bought and be happy with it as it is.

If your property is in need of work, it really is better to go ahead and tackle the projects before prospective buyers begin seeing the house. You always want buyers to see all the house has to offer not envision all that needs to be done to it.

Projects might include:

• Removing old carpeting
• Replacing old, outdated wallpaper
• Repainting cracked or peeling paint
• Replacing cracked, broken or missing tiles

Keep in mind that with each change that a prospective buyer sees they may have to make to a property, the chances of selling the property for the desired price dwindles. Take the time to handle these projects to assuage any possible such concerns.

Smoke Damage

The smell of cigarette smoke, or any type of smoke, is the last impact you want a prospective buyer to have of your home particularly since it previously suffered a fire.

For this reason, you should hire a professional company to get rid of all smoke damage in your home following a fire. Then you should make sure that nobody smokes in the home.

This goes much beyond the smell of cigarette smoke; however, which can be quite offensive to many buyers. The look of ashtrays, even clean ones, as well as smoke stains on cupboards and walls can also be unappealing.

It is important to take sufficient action so that your home appears as though it has never been smoked in or damaged by fire.

If you do smoke, be sure to not smoke inside. Also, take the time to store ashtrays out of sight, clean the walls, ceilings and any other places that could retain vestiges of cigarette smoke. Cover or replace any carpets, upholsteries or fabrics that have burn holes.

Remember, if you feel you must smoke, do so outside but make sure you do not leave any stray cigarette butts behind.

Timeless Appeal

There can be a huge difference between a classic home and an old home in the world of real estate. Just as there is a comparable difference between vintage clothing versus old clothing, there is a huge difference when it comes to homes.

Two 40-year old homes are not necessarily the same. If your home still has 40-year old paint and wallpaper, 40-year old appliances and 40-year old appliances, sadly; you have an ‘old’ home.

If you have maintained your home with a good established look and kept everything fresh and up to date, then you likely have a ‘classic’ home; which is very appealing.

Light Things Up

Prospective homebuyers look for two things in a home: light and space.

So, while it is quite all right to have a home that is somewhat on the darker side, if the entire room is dark there could be a big problem.

When prospective buyers view your home, make sure you open blinds and drapes, turn on all of the lights and even add lights to rooms which might be darker.

You can also actually suggest sunlight in rooms by adding flowers and other touches. This can be helpful during the winter months or simply on days when Mother Nature is not that helpful in providing natural light.

Don’t Forget the Importance of a Professional Home Inspection

Generally, most homebuyers obtain a professional home inspection; however, if you make an effort to do this ahead of time you gain the ability to take care of any repairs before you home goes on the market.

Depending on the type of home you have and your area, you can typically expect to pay between $200 and $400 for a home inspection; however, it can be well worth the cost. Since your home was damaged by fire, having a professional inspection report can help ease buyers minds that all repairs have been made.

Want to Skip the Sales Process All Together?

If you do not want to go through all the work of making improvements and staging your house to sell, another option is to sell directly to We Buy Fire Damaged Houses.

We pay a great price and all in cash so you get your money fast. We also buy houses “as is,” which means you don’t have to make any repairs or improvements. You can sell your house to us and move on with your life.

Fill out the form below to see if your home qualifies to receive a free quote from We Buy Fire Damaged Houses.