- Selling a Los Angeles home you’ve lived in for a long time can involve a lot of work and time
- Traditional home selling with a realtor involves marketing, making repairs for buyers, prepping and cleaning, and house showings to strangers
- Alternatively, selling your home to a professional direct buyer can simplify the process and reduce the stress, especially if the home has aged and needs repairs
Selling a house can be an emotional and difficult process, especially if you have lived in the home for a very long time. Not only is it hard to come to terms with saying goodbye to a place that holds so many memories, but it also requires careful planning and preparation to get that old house ready for a successful sale. If you’re determined to sell your house in Los Angeles despite the emotional attachment, please read the tips we’ve compiled for you.
We’ve gathered some basics to help educate you as you consider how to sell your home in Los Angeles. Is your personal situation due to a job relocation, a risk of foreclosure, divorce, retirement, elder care, or the the choice to start a completely new life adventure? Whether you are selling because you don’t need as much space anymore or are facing a financial crunch, selling your home is one of the most significant transactions of your lifetime, so you should take the time to understand all your options for the best outcome.
5 Tips for Selling Your Old House in Los Angeles
- Tip #1: Overcome the Emotional Attachment
- Tip #2: Marketing to Attract Buyers
- Tip #3: Repairs to Satisfy Buyers
- Tip #4: Prepping and Cleaning
- Tip #5: Make Yourself Available
Tip #1: Overcome Emotional Attachment
It may seem impossible at first, but acknowledge that selling your home will bring positive opportunities and financial benefits. Write down why you are selling the house so that you have an easy way to remind yourself on a day when you need that clarity. If it helps, start by making small changes such as updating furniture or giving the walls a fresh coat of paint.
Tip #2: Marketing to Attract Buyers
Marketing the unique qualities and character of your house is typically the key to bringing buyers to your door when you are selling a house in Los Angeles. Top agents hire video, photography, and drone professionals to leverage high-quality digital imagery and 360-degree virtual tours for the online marketplace. In addition, your agent would contract out to professional stagers to create the ultimate vision for new home buyers, particularly for the open house. This has become standard practice as it is worth the value added to the final sales price. However, all this marketing effort can be very time consuming, costly, and invasive to your privacy when you are still living in the house.
Tip #3: Repairs To Satisfy Buyers
When selling a home in Los Angeles in decent condition, some repairs might only cost a few hundred dollars. However, if you’re selling a rundown property, a select few repairs can be costly where you’ll need to put as much as $10,000 to $30,000 upfront to make your home as desirable as possible when listed on the open market such as the MLS. Below are the most expensive repairs owners make ahead of selling their house.
- Replacing or repairing outdated plumbing systems such as toilets, tubs, and faucet
- Repairing roof damage or replacement, or installing new flooring, such as tile or hardwood to replace worn-out carpets or linoleum
- Replacing or repairing outdated electrical systems such as wiring and circuit breakers
- Replacing or repairing HVAC systems that are outdated, inefficient, or not functioning properly
- Repairing foundational issues (due to earthquakes or shifting ground) that affect the stability and structure of your house
Similarly, if you are selling your Los Angeles house through the traditional sales process with a realtor, these very conditions below could affect the appraisal of your home, throwing off the ability for a buyer to qualify for a loan based on the condition of your house.
- Improperly maintained exterior paint and landscaping.
- Structural damage to the foundation or roof.
- Outdated kitchen appliances and fixtures.
- Excessive clutter or trash in or around the property that needs to be removed before listing the home for sale.
- Poorly functioning plumbing systems, such as water heaters, toilets, and drains
Whether it’s at the advice of your agent or at the request of your buyer, facing a mountain of expensive repair bills out-of-pocket and the drawn-out process of locating and hiring dependable contractors to complete the work promptly can be high stress and inconvenient. Whether it’s your home foundation, roof, gutters, plumbing, electricity, or other items, these repairs can be costly and time consuming. To prepare yourself, read more about 4 Things You Need to Know To Sell a Rundown Property.
Tip #4: Prepping and Cleaning
If your home’s style is outdated, this can turn buyers away when you are selling a house in Los Angeles you have lived in for many years. You should try to take a fresh look at your property through the eyes of buyers. A pleasant and more modern visual experience will give buyers an excellent first impression from the front curb to the backyard.
Tip #5: Make Yourself Available (Your Time)
No matter how much prep work or repairs you complete, you must be available for showings when selling a house in Los Angeles you have lived in for many years. Fair Sale Homes understands it can be draining to keep your home constantly ready and free of your valuable belongings for buyers to walk through.
Make It Easier By Working With Fair Sale Homes
If you want to save yourself on the cost of preparing your house for sale, while also saving yourself of the months to find a buyer and get a successful sale closed, contact Fair Sale Homes to learn more about how we can help you. We want you to have the information in hand to compare your options and make an educated decision about how you sell your house when you are selling a house in Los Angeles you have lived in for many years. At Fair Sale Homes, we have a policy of transparency because we not only want you to feel good about working with us, but ultimately, we want the final decision on how to sell your house to be yours. We live and work here in Los Angeles. We care about improving neighborhoods while creating housing stability.
Talk to one of our professional buyers at Fair Sale Homes today without obligation, and you can count on us to listen. At Fair Sale Homes, our professional buyers work with an in-house full-service team of industry specialists, including everything it takes to make the process easy.
Call Fair Sale Homes at (626) 863-7006.