The simple fact is that very few homeowners take their neighbors into consideration when trying to sell their home in Pasadena. Of course, who really has time to think about their neighbors when there is so much to do getting their home ready to put on the market? There is painting to be done, cleaning to take care of, and of course ensuring the home has unbeatable curb appeal. But, unfortunately, all this hard work could turn out to be for naught if even one of your neighbors’ homes turns out to be very “curb unappealing”.
So, now that you have invested countless hours and plenty of your hard-earned cash prepping your home for sale only to find that your neighbor has a couple of junk cars in their driveway, a house that is in dire need of a facelift, or a yard that looks like it went a complete season with the Raiders playing every Sunday, what’s the big deal?
As you probably already know, curb appeal is all about first impressions. The problem is that while you may have done everything you can to make sure your home looks amazing from the street, any potential buyer is not just looking at your home, they are also looking at the homes that might soon become their neighbors. Not only could a messy home next door lower the resale value of your home, it can make it much harder to sell your Pasadena home.
While you may not currently have plans to sell your home, it’s never too soon to start working on building good relationships with your neighbors, you just never know when you might need them. It is very common for problems like damaged fences, easements, and retaining walls to come into play once you put your home up for sale. These problems, along with several others, can bring your neighbors into the game without your even having had chance to realize it. When you have already established a good relationship with them, it should be much easier to get their cooperation when you are getting your home ready.
If you plan to list your Pasadena home for sale, you should let your neighbors know as soon as possible. While you might have a typically “nosy” neighbor, most of your neighbors simply like to be let in on what you have in mind, before they find out the hard way (when the realtor’s For Sale sign suddenly pops up in your front yard). Most are more likely to be cooperative when you ask for their help if you have already let them know what you have in mind.
Most people are likely to give you a funny look if you suddenly ask them to make improvements to their home that will help you sell yours if you ask them to pay the costs. Not only this, but you literally can’t force anyone to make costly repairs, it just won’t work. You might try offering to pay part or all of the costs (you should be able to recover any money spent in the increased sale price of your home).
Most neighbors will appreciate your offer and take you up on it, some may take care of the repairs on their own dime, others may be resistant no matter what. But you are likely to find that if you open the lines of communication well in advance and maintain a friendly relationship with your neighbors, things will go much more smoothly and help you sell your home for the highest possible price.
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