Imagine you’re shopping for a car. You find one that’s a suitable model, a
recent year, and hasn’t been driven a lot. The price is right, too.
But, there’s a caveat.
The paint is worn off in several places. The driver’s seat upholstery is torn and
requires repair. And, the tires needed to be replaced… a long time ago.
Would you still buy it? You might. However, unless you enjoy fixing up cars,
you’d probably hesitate to make the purchase.
After all, in addition to seeing the car itself, you’re noticing the work that needs
to be done to fix it.
The same holds true when selling your home.
The more “move-in” ready you make the property the more likely buyers are to
become interested in buying it. Like when viewing a car, you want buyers to
focus on all your home’s wonderful features, not on the repairs and updates
that need to be done.
That being said, how important is it that your home be “move-in ready” when
you sell?
That depends, in large part, on the market. If it’s currently a seller’s market in
the neighbourhood — lots of buyers but comparatively few properties for sale
— getting your home move-in ready is less important. There is already high
demand for your property. (However, getting all repairs done and staging your
property effectively will still provide a significant advantage.)
In a buyer’s market, where there are more homes for sale than buyers, you’re
in a competitive situation. So, anything you can do to give your listing an
advantage is worth the effort. That includes making it as “move-in” ready as
possible.