Top factors buyers use to determine home value

 

Part 2 of First-time success story

 

HONOLULU ADVERTISER , June 26 2005

BY LISA SCONTRAS

Custom Publishing Group

 

Want to make your home more attractive to buyers? When putting your home on the market, it is important to know what attracts perspective buyers. Here are five suggestions to improve your home’s marketability by adding value.

 

1. Update the kitchen. “Kitchens are critical,” says Robert Irwin, author of Home Buyer’s Checklist. “Today, people like a big kitchen with a lot of workspace.”

 

2. Modernize the bathrooms. Whirlpool tubs, multiple shower heads and even steam rooms have transformed some bathrooms into at-home spas and are big selling points.

 

3. Give the master suite a luxurious feel. Alan Hummel, past president of the Appraisal Institute, says “People are really excited about master suites.”  Wish lists often include a walk-in closet

 

4. Materials in good condition. “If there is carpet, it should be a good product and well maintained so that a person doesn’t have to walk in and think ‘I’m going to have to spend five grand right off the bat,’” says remodeling expert Don Strong

 

5. Curb appeal. “A good first appearance on a home can add as much as 5 to 10 percent to its value,” says John Aust, president of the National Association of Real Estate Appraisers..

 

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