Barb Schlinker The Real Estate Voice

How Much Lack of Updating Affects the Home’s ValueNot every home is updated like a new home that is offered up for sale. Is it really important for homeowners to update their homes before they go on the market?1.  Well Richard, it depends on the price range.  Most home sellers will command top dollar if the home is in good shape with no “Deferred” Maintenance… eg none of these issues:a)  Stains on Carpetb)  Broken wood flooringc)  Un-kept landscapingd)  Dated kitchens and bathse) Dramatic paint, especially faux paintI had one recent listing in which the faux paint was to give a Tuscan look, very high-end home. The faux cracks in the wall looked so real, I had to photoshop the images to take them out AND when the inspector showed up he looked straight at them and said…”oh no, does it have structural issues?”We ended up having a bidding war on that home at $1.2 Million but I had to photoshop those fake cracks out of the images to attract multiple buyers.  Then we posted a notice in the home that these cracks we