April 22, 2016

House Been on the Market Too Long? Look at the Garage Door

House Been on the Market Too Long Look at the Garage Door

Don’t Let Your Garage Door Let You Down

The real estate market is notoriously fickle when it comes to sellers and buyers jockeying for the best position to make a mint on the real estate market.

Small issues in the home easily balloon into problems that make it difficult for you to sell your home, never mind get the best possible return on your investment. As a result, the way your garage door looks is so important that you may not be able to sell if the door doesn’t match buyer expectations.

A Bad First Impression Might Cost Thousands

Unfortunately, one of the first things that a potential homebuyer will consider is the superficial appearance of your home. The first impression created by your home often determines how a buyer will behave throughout the rest of the process. A good first impression will make the entire process easier while a negative impression increases the work you have to do in order to sell the rest of your house.

At worst, a bad first impression will lead a buyer to ignore the rest of your home. At best, the buyer might appear nonplussed, but will keep the condition of the door in mind if they decide to make an offer, using the condition of the garage door as leverage to reduce the value of the home.

A Dilapidated Door Signals Problems With the Rest of the Home

Part of the reason why a dilapidated garage door reflects so poorly on your home sales efforts is because of the fact that buyers tend to make assumptions about the rest of your house based on the way the garage door looks.

Similar to a realtor wearing a white shirt with a mustard stain, a garage door with cracks, dents and stains is considered a serious liability in the eyes of the real estate market.

If a realtor runs an open house wearing a dirty shirt, homebuyers will understandably believe that the real estate agent isn’t taking the home presentation seriously. If your garage door is obviously tarnished or broken, the potential buyer will believe that you don’t take the maintenance of your home seriously, even if the rest of your home is actually pristine.

Frankly, if any part of your garage is in disrepair or comes across as a tornado of clutter, potential buyers are much more likely to flee, or at the very least make a lowball offer because they consider your property to be a fixer‑upper.

Before you let your real estate agent give tours to prospective buyers, it’s a good idea to fix your garage up as much as possible. Clean and organize the clutter and create storage space on the walls and ceiling to showcase what the new owner might be able to do with their home.

Fix the automatic garage door opener to ensure that it doesn’t make a lot of noise or malfunction in the middle of the showing. If the opener doesn’t work well, the buyer will believe that other parts of your home features hidden problems that have yet to be taken care of.

Match the Door With the Rest of Your Home

Now that you realize the importance of keeping up appearances with your garage door, it’s time to take steps to rectify the situation before the next showing of your home. If the door isn’t faring too badly, you might be able to get away with scrubbing the garage door and patching up any issues with the mechanism or the panel itself.

If there are quite a few scratches or discoloration that cannot be simply cleaned, the next best step to take is adding a fresh coat of paint to the garage door. A layer of paint covers a lot of issues that might make your door a drag on the value of the rest of your home.

In some cases, you’ll need to admit that there’s not much you can do to fix up the situation, other than installing a brand new garage door. Regardless of if you choose a new door or a new coat of paint for the door, it’s vital to match the color and style of the door with the rest of your home.

The good news is that garage doors come in a variety of materials and colors that match the architectural and aesthetic appearance of your home. Door made of wood and steel are often excellent choices. Wood because of its natural beauty and steel because of its durability and versatility.

The Garage Door Is the First Thing They See

One of the largest, most noticeable features of the façade of your home is the garage door itself. Put simply, if you don’t take care of the door, the curb appeal of the rest of your home suffers. click here to get a free quote or click here to start by building your perfect garage door! You can also call us at 717-767-1419 for the York location and 717-901-4056 for Mechanicsburg.

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