When you first purchase a home in Observatory Park, you’ll likely be so focused on moving in and settling down that you won’t have time to immediately customize the space to suit your family’s needs. However, if you’re like most homeowners, buying a home in spring means summer can creep up on you unexpectedly. Though summer may be the season of barbecues, fair weather, and hosting out-of-town guests, it’s important that you get your home ready for that increase in activity. Here’s a simple summer maintenance checklist to help you get your home ready for everything that summer brings.

Wash the Windows

Even if you thoroughly clean your windows inside your home each week, you’ll still need to take the time to care for the exterior glass. Not only will this make your home look nicer from the curb, but it will also increase the amount of natural light you receive in each room. Over the course of the summer, this can significantly reduce your energy bill as you’ll be able to keep the lights off during the day without struggling to see what you’re doing inside the house.

Repaint the Siding

Even after preparing a home for the real estate market, many sellers leave larger maintenance projects, like painting the house, for the new owners. With summer’s warmer temperatures and less frequent wind storms, the paint will dry more quickly and stay cleaner, making your house look like new with less effort. If you have modern vinyl siding that doesn’t need to be painted, take the time to clean it thoroughly to let the color shine through. Cleaning siding is time consuming, but as long as you have the time and the willingness to tackle the task, it’s relatively easy to do on your own.

Pay Attention to Your Landscaping

Regular watering and weeding can only do so much for your yard and your plants. Instead of leaving growth up to chance, give the soil some attention and add a bit of fertilizer and mulch around plants that seem to be struggling. By the end of the summer, you’ll have a healthier yard that’s better prepared for the winter.

Inspect Your HVAC System

Even though the air conditioning system was inspected during the pre-sale home inspection, you’ll still want to look at the individual filters to make sure the unit can run as efficiently as possible. Most homeowners will need to clean or replace the filters once every three months. When the filters are dirty, they can force your air conditioner to work harder just to meet the temperature set on your thermostat. By cleaning them before the summer heat is in full swing, you’ll ensure that your home stays comfortable no matter how warm it gets.

Keeping your home looking its best during the summer only makes entertaining your guests that much easier. However, if you’re stuck in a house you’re not in love with, it’s time to start looking for the right fit. Let the team at Elevation Group help you find the home of your dreams today. Contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our dedicated real estate agents.

If you have been in your home for a while, you probably have it decorated exactly the way you like it. To you, it is the perfect blend of hominess and sophistication. It’s the place where your entire family can feel relaxed. But when it comes to buyers who are looking for University Hills real estate, you might be surprised to learn that the décor of your home can be a turnoff for buyers. When you first bring in a real estate agent to take a look at your home for a potential listing, you might be surprised when he or she suggests “staging” as a way to get your home ready for sale—and a quick sale at that.

Even in today’s hot Denver market, staging your home properly is crucial. It can not only mean fewer days on the market—so fewer inconvenient showings for you—but it can also mean you get more money when you do sell.

Declutter and Depersonalize

Now is a great time to get rid of things you don’t need every day. Pull off of your kitchen counters seldom-used small appliances and tuck them away in the pantry. If you have a collection of figurines on the built-ins in your living room, now is a good time to get those packed in preparation for your move. It might even be worthwhile to rent a storage unit so you can get clutter completely off the premises rather than filling up your basement or garage (because buyers will be looking at those spaces too).

Realtor magazine has great tips for decluttering in this article: Clean, Declutter, Discard: Make a House Shine for Resale.

This is the toughest part for most home sellers: depersonalizing. This means getting rid of family photos and personal tchotchkes. Talk to your Realtor about the demographics of the potential buyer and work hard to stage your home to appeal to as many buyers as possible. If your home has had the same décor for a number of years, check out current decorating trends to see how you might update.

Focus on the Positive

Even in your beloved family home, everything is not perfect. But rather than hide unfavorable aspects, make them look natural in their environment. Sometimes this is as simple as art on the walls or furniture that is placed differently. Make sure every room has a purpose and that living spaces have some division, even in wide open areas. You don’t want buyers to take on look inside your home and turn around because they simply cannot imagine their own life there.

Neutralize as Needed

If you have a penchant for bold, bright colors, now is the time to cover them up with something neutral that will appeal to more buyers. When you include bright colors, this can immediately cause buyers to have a negative feel toward the space if they don’t care for the colors. By including neutrals, you are creating a canvas over which buyers can imagine their own style coming through.

If you’re ready to sell your home, contact us today and let us use our expertise to help you. At Elevation Realty, we believe that buying and selling a home should be a pleasant experience. Our dedicated team of real estate agents will help you navigate the process when you are getting ready to sell your University Hills home. Contact us to schedule an appointment with a member of our team and let us get your current home sold you can move on the next stage of your life.

Making the choice to sell your home is always a huge decision. After all, your house has served you well, met your needs for years, and parting with it after so long can be an almost heartbreaking choice. While many homeowners decide to renovate their homes rather than sell, it’s not always the best choice. Your experienced real estate team in Observatory Park wants to make sure you make the best decision for you and your family. They share a few signs it’s time to sell rather than renovate your existing house.

There’s Simply Not Enough Space

Families grow and it’s easy to outgrow your home after a few years. While you could build a new addition, doing so often means months of inconvenience and high construction costs. If you’re running short on space and would rather avoid the stress of having workmen in and out of your home throughout the week, it’s time to sell. This way, you’ll be able to pick a house that meets your current needs rather than trying to retrofit an existing structure.

Your Neighbors Just Sold At a Profit

If you’re not completely in love with your house, there’s no reason you can’t start looking for a new property. However, if your neighbors just sold their house at a profit, the time may be ideal to list your home. Often, home values increase at similar rates in the same neighborhood. If your neighbors just sold their home for a profit and you’re worrying about whether or not it’s time to renovate, stop. By selling your home, you may end up making a profit that could help you find the perfect home just a few doors down.

The Remodel Costs More Than It Earns in Property Value

Many renovations help boost the resale value of your home. However, if the renovation is going to cost you more than it would improve the resale value, it may be better to look for a new property. The last thing you want to do is spend more money on your home than you could make up by selling the property. This loss could set you back financially and make it more difficult to recover your investment.

You’re Tired of The Space

Your tastes change and what worked well for you a few years ago may not be the best fit for your current needs. It’s okay to get tired of your home. It happens and you don’t even need a reason other than feeling bored, frustrated, annoyed, or just tired of it. If your current home is starting to feel stale or you no longer love the house, don’t renovate—sell. By selling your house, you’ll be able to pick a new home that fits your needs without incurring the expense or stress of renovations.

If you’re looking for an experienced real estate team to help you sell your home, look no further than Elevation Group. Our dedicated agents will help you every step of the way, from listing to closing. Contact us today for more information and start exploring your options.

Spring is the perfect time to put your house on the market in Observatory Park. Leases are expiring, people are moving to new neighborhoods, and more buyers are looking at homes than almost any other time of year. As a seller, getting your home ready for the market can be a bit of a challenge, but it doesn’t need to be. With the right checklist and the right strategy, you can get your home ready in no time. Here are a few simple spring cleaning tips to help you get the most for your home.

Pressure Wash the Siding

After a long winter, it’s only natural that your siding might look a bit dingy. Unfortunately, dirty siding does not photograph well when you’re listing the home. Furthermore, it makes your house less tempting to prospective homebuyers. Before you list your home, schedule a pressure washing appointment with a home exterior specialist. They’ll be able to blast away the dirt and grime the home has collected over the last few years, leaving your siding looking like-new.

Pay Attention to the Landscaping

Spring is the perfect time to take care of some simple yard maintenance, especially if you’re putting your house on the market. Prune your bushes and pull weeds out of any flowerbeds as soon as you notice them. Around the base of your trees and bushes, add a fresh layer of mulch to restore nutrients to the soil and color to your yard. This will help make your landscaping look more well-groomed while also setting the plants up for a successful growing season. Remember, a yard filled with beautiful flowers and tastefully manicured shrubs is inviting and makes your home more marketable.

Clean Out Your Garage

Though the garage may seem like the perfect solution to decluttering your home, a messy garage can have a negative impact on prospective buyers. Host a springtime garage sale to get rid of items you no longer want to keep (this will simplify your move) and organize the rest into well-arranged stacks. You don’t have to move everything into a storage unit while your house is on the market—just keep the space as organized as possible. Once you’ve gotten rid of a few items and can better assess the condition of your garage, fix any obvious damage like holes in the sheetrock or scratches in the paint.

Wash the Windows

Believe it or not, natural light can really help you sell your house quickly. However, if your windows are dirty, a lot of that light won’t make it past the layer of dust on the outside. Before taking listing photos or putting your house on the market, take the time to clean your windows inside and out. This will make your house look nicer from the street while also making the space inside brighter without increasing your electric bill.

If you’re ready to move and want to list your home with an experienced team, look no further than Elevation Group. Our experienced real estate agents will help you every step of the way, from listing the house to closing with the buyer. Contact us today to get started.

When it comes to buying a house, there’s more to the process than picking the first property that fits your needs. You need to weigh your options, discover everything you can about the properties you’re interested in, and make sure they fit with your budget. After all, what may look perfect on the surface could be hiding several major maintenance concerns beneath a shiny exterior. The last thing you want is to purchase a home only to find that you’re in over your head. Here are a few questions you should ask before making an offer on properties in Observatory Park, a fantastic area of Denver.

Is the location convenient?

If you’ve narrowed down your house search to a particular neighborhood, you know where you want to be located. However within each neighborhood, the location may vary slightly. For example, homes located on one side of the street may make it easier to get to work while others might have you waiting for a light to turn just to get on the road. Before you make an offer, make sure the location is convenient for your commute, your family, and the amenities you enjoy most. You may want to look at multiple homes in the same neighborhood in order to find the one that has the perfect balance between convenience and comfort.

How long has the home been on the market?

The Denver real estate market can be fickle and what appeals to one buyer may be the last thing another buyer would want in a home. Sellers who have had their homes listed for months on end are often more eager to sell than those who just listed their house. Before making an offer, ask how long the home has been for sale. If it’s been more than a few months, you may be able to negotiate a discount on the asking price. Remember, a home that’s been on the market for months probably doesn’t have anything wrong for it—it’s just waiting for the right buyer.

How many offers have been placed on the house?

If you’re really interested in a home, you’ll want to place an offer on the property. However, if the house has multiple offers already being considered, you’ll also need to be competitive. Ask the listing agent how many offers the owners have received. This will give you an idea of whether or not the property will actually fit your budget. Homes go fast in Denver, and the more competitive the offer, the more likely the homeowner is to take it. Keep in mind that homes with more offers in place may require you to offer substantially more than the asking price. Make sure your offer lies within what you can afford in a monthly mortgage payment.

If you’re ready to purchase a home, contact the team at Elevation Group. Our experienced agents will work with you to help you find the home of your dreams, whether it’s just for you or you’re looking to build a large family.