My Blog
Should Seller's Offer Repair Allowances When Selling Boise Homes?

I am often asked by homeowners if they should offer allowances rather than repair their Boise homes so they will sell quickly and for more money.  The answer to the questions is very simple; sure you can offer repair allowances, but only if you want to increase the amount of time it will take to sell your Boise home and receive less money for it.  Selling Boise real estate is hard work for the seller and the real estate agent, especially in the robust real estate market in Boise, ID where homeowners are often competing with new construction.  

A properly prepared house will sell for more money and in less time because buyers will appreciate the condition it is in.  The property will also fare much better during the inspection process, which is another area that can negatively impact the seller's bottom line.  So here is a partial list of "musts" that all sellers should consider in order to properly prepare their property for sale:

Exterior Preparations:

    Give the house a good shower with a power washer if needed
    Consider the condition of the paint; does the trim need to be refreshed?
    Wash the windows, inside and out and repair screens if necessary
    Sweep off the front porch and backyard patio, power wash if needed
    Are the flowerbeds free of weeds?  Freshen them up with some seasonal flowers
    Keep the lawn fertilized, mowed and edged until the day of closing

Interior Preparations:

    Clean the house, consider investing in a cleaning service - it's money well spent
    Start packing early to remove clutter, consider it a head start on moving day
    Inspect the walls and paint as necessary, this may include eliminating bold and dark colors
    The kitchen is critical and must be presented well, appliances should sparkle, cabinets should be clean on the inside and outside, floors should be spotless as should the sink and plumbing fixtures and don't forget to clean the vent hood!
    All floor coverings must present well, clean them and replace as necessary
    Bathrooms are critical as well, consider replacing plumbing fixtures, inspect and replace all caulking around tubs and sinks and the drains must drain quickly.  Clean everything in the bathroom until it shines!

Nobody wants to walk into Boise real estate that has dirty carpet, look at peeling/faded paint, or look past deferred maintenance.  The time to address cosmetic issues is before your house hits the market and especially before any marketing photos are taken.  Anytime a seller offers a house that has not been properly prepared, they are laying out a welcome mat for buyers to make a low offer, if any offer at all.  Each issue a prospective buyer perceives a property has will result in a deduction in the offering price, and buyers tend to estimate repairs on the high side, sometimes double or triple what the cost of a repair will actually be.  The question sellers must ask themselves is how many reasons do you want to give buyers to reduce the amount of their offer?

Mom Was One Smart Cookie!

A nutritious breakfast is a must for the health conscious Idahoan as we learned long ago from dear old mom.  These days even Jack-in-the- Box (the dude with a big ping pong ball head) reminds us that he has many delectable, albeit mostly unhealthy breakfast treats just waiting for us all day long because...you guessed it...breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

There is nothing more enticing than the get up and go power of a cup of coffee in the morning in your Boise home.  As it turns out, coffee is truly a "super food" but we need more than that cup of heavenly brown nectar in the morning to kick start our day with loads of energy. A nutrition packed breakfast can be fast and convenient, just the way we need it as we hurry to get ready each morning; but eating a healthy breakfast does require us to develop the breakfast habit.

Here are a few quick and easy tips that will help you succeed at being a breakfast champion and avoid the long line at the drive-through window at Jack's 24/7 breakfast emporium:

Pack your breakfast with quick and easy high nutrient super foods that are high in antioxidants and other healthy stuff such as dark colored fruits, berries and whole grain cereals.  Use the 3 cup rule to pack your breakfast with maximum power for boundless energy each day.  One cup of a whole grain cereal, one cup of low fat milk/yogurt and one cup of fresh or frozen fruit.  For extra nutrition points sprinkle some chopped raw nuts, or toasted quinoa on your breakfast creations; they add even more important protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Oatmeal or quinoa makes a great blank canvass for your breakfast because it is so easy to add all the things you need to it and be done with it.  Although it's tempting to cheat with instant oatmeal, you will do much better with old fashioned rolled oats.  Not only do they taste much better than their microwavable cousin, it's easier to add and cook all of the healthy stuff and it only takes about five more minutes to prepare. Consider adding fruit, cinnamon, or chia seeds that are high in antioxidants and protein and virtually disappear into your oatmeal, smoothie or omelet creations.  

Not really into the oatmeal because mom made you eat it every morning before going to school before you moved to Idaho?  Consider the ubiquitous smoothie, this is another easy way to pack high nutrient ingredients into a breakfast and you can sip it down all the way to work.  You can really let your creative foodie vibe go wild with a smoothie.  Start with a base of protein powder, milk, yogurt or juice and then toss in all of your sweet and savory favorite healthy ingredients.  Antioxidant rich frozen berries are an easy way to pack in all of the good stuff, they not only taste great but they are economical as well.

Lastly, don't forget about the much slandered humble egg that has received a bad rap for the past few decades but the days of the egg white omelet are over.  New dietary guidelines now allow for increased egg consumption (up to 2 per day) and as it turns out, eating foods with cholesterol does not necessarily increase the cholesterol in our bodies.  Scrambled eggs allow us another easy way to throw in lots of healthy ingredients (the veggie type) that will cook quickly and can easily be wrapped in a whole grain tortilla to be eaten on the go.

So it turns out that mom was a pretty smart cookie all along for teaching us not to forsake breakfast in our new Boise home.  And speaking of cookies, breakfast cookies are the epitome of  nutrient dense, on the go, breakfast food.  Check out all of the breakfast cookie recipes online; even though they must be made in advance, once baked they will provide weeks of convenient grab and go breakfasts.