Fort Lauderdale Real Estate | Small Repairs equal a More Successful sale

Posted by Eric Miller on Sunday, October 17th, 2010 at 8:43am.

Selling my Fort Lauderdale Home 

I am assuming when you go to place your Fort Lauderdale Home or Condominium on the market, you will be seeking the highest price you can possibly get for your Ft. Lauderdale property. There are simple ways to improve your chances, without investing a great deal of time or money.

You do not need to be skilled in carpentry or plumbing, to make your Ft. Lauderdale property stand out from all the Fort Lauderdale area homes and condominiums for sale. Modest effort, a few common tools, and a great marketing campaign can help you to make your homes stand out in what is basically the beauty contest of Fort Lauderdale Real Estate.

The first thing a potential buyer will notice when they come to visit your Fort Lauderdale Home is the condition of things around your front door. In a single family home, look to the right and look to the left. If the neighbors look untidy encourage them to straighten up a bit making them part of the team. Remember to explain to them that the higher the price you receive for your Fort Lauderdale property the better it is for the entire community. If need be, offer to help. A simple starting point is reminding everyone on your block when the next Fort Lauderdale bulk trash day is.

When selling a Fort Lauderdale Condominium most buildings have rules against anything being stored out in the hallway. Make sure your Fort Lauderdale Condo is enforcing this rule. If the hallway needs paint touch up, become the advocate of your floor and ask the building manager for a little extra attention. Once again if you need to, offer to help in order to get it done in a timely fashion.

If the lawn to the right or left of you is not showing well, offer to cut it.  You can do it yourself or have your lawn service do it. Be upfront and explain to everyone you are doing it to improve the chances of selling you home. The effort may become contagious. If you find a neighbor unwilling to accept your help, as a last resort offer them an incentive if you sell, such as paying for the lawn service for 6 months. This may go a long way in gaining their cooperation.

If you are in a situation where the property next door is owned by a bank and not being taken care of, call the realtor who is marketing it and ask for their help. If that doesn’t work call Fort Lauderdale code enforcement and ask for their help, you will find them very responsive.

If you’re in a Fort Lauderdale Condominium the conversation changes a bit but is still just as important. If your neighbor is a smoker mention the importance for the time being of smoking on the balcony. If they have a barking dog do what you can to calm the dog down before your showings, even if you need to volunteer to walk the dog when showings are happening.

While asking your Ft. Lauderdale neighbors to help, show them you're getting your own house in order. Make sure the landscaping in front of your home looks the best in possibly can. Make sure as you open the door of your condominium it looks like you just completed a spring cleaning. Remember many properties are sold on first impressions.

We all know that once you receive an offer on your property an inspection will be done prior to confirming the final terms of the deal. The inspection will often read like a laundry list of items that need repair, this is the inspector’s job. Now is your chance to make those inexpensive repairs before they become a negotiating item on an inspection report. The expensive repairs can wait, and become part of negotiation of the deal. But fix the minor drip and please make sure you change your air filter before these minor items show up to turn a buyer off.

Have you been planning on having your carpet cleaned? Now would be a good time and I assure you your realtor can recommend a reliable company. Freshly cleaned rugs go a long way to making a great first impression and also help to remove any stale odors from your home. If you need a recommendation you can always feel free to call Eric Miller and Associates.

View and light are very important to any potential buyers. With this in mind it makes sense to make sure the all windows and screens show their best. Fix any cracked or broken windows, remove and wash all windows and screens. If a screen is torn have it repaired or at least remove the entire screen until you have it fixed. A torn screen speaks of poor overall maintenance and will hurt the impression of the overall property.


Touch up a crack, fill a little hole and but a little paint where it needs to be to hide the imperfections that simply have become part of your home over the years. The more you can make a Ft. Lauderdale buyer feel that you have taken care of and loved your Fort Lauderdale home over the years the easier it will be for them to see themselves making your property their new Fort Lauderdale Home.

If you're thinking of making Fort Lauderdale Home, contact us directly (954) 383-8170 at Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Group and Eric Miller and Associates today, as you start your search for your home in Ft. Lauderdale.

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Eric Miller is an award winning Florida Realtor, salesperson and broker. His website, FortLauderdaleGroup.com provides an up-to-date guide to Fort Lauderdale Condos for sale, and the most complete buyer, seller and investor information for the Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Market.

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