Selling a Probate Property:
What Improvements Should I Make Before Selling
a Probate or Trust Property?
Part 5 of 10
Many personal representatives of an estate in probate or a trust administration are curious to know their options when it comes to selling the San Diego real estate. Experience shows the houses have deferred maintenance to one degree or another. Frequently a willingness to fund minor repairs can increase the net proceeds realized by the estate.
This series of 10 “renovations” give an idea of the fix-ups that can occur prior to offering the estate house for sale.
San Diego and the surrounding areas are a desirable place to live. The goal is to prepare and then present the San Diego estate house in a way that will entice San Diego homebuyers to imagine living in the house. We do this be providing cost effective repairs that will draw them in and help them to visualize the home as their own.
As a San Diego Probate and Trust Real Estate Specialist, I understand that the goal is to get the most money for your probate or trust property. Often times, spending a little translates into big returns. I’ve written this series to discuss the Top 10 Home Improvements with the Largest Return.
#6 of 10 Most Popular Renovations Buyers Will Pay More For:
Ensuite Master Bath
49% of San Diego homebuyers will pay up to $2,030 extra for a San Diego house with an ensuite master bath.
When considering “ensuite” master bath, this doesn’t mean gutting the current bath and using the master bedroom closet to create a luxury bathroom. The goal is to improve, in cost effective ways, what currently exists.
 1950’s bathroom with green plastic shower door.  50’s style bathroom vanity before.  The bathroom, after some inexpensive updating. |
I recently helped a personal representative with a San Diego house that had a three piece master bath. The 1950’s house had a small bathroom with a toilet, 36” (original tile) vanity and a tiled shower with an unattractive, original plastic dark green shower door. Wallpaper had been removed from the walls adjacent to the shower and the walls were damaged. The plan was to skim coat the damaged wall and then prime, plus paint an updated, paint color that blended with the existing tile. At first we thought the unattractive shower door needed to be replaced, but then we came up with the inexpensive idea of covering it with an updated piece of fabric.
Purple bathroom, before.
Purple bathroom, after some inexpensive renovations.
Another project was a larger bathroom that had been painted purple, yes purple. We chose an attractive shade of grey paint, a color that coordinated nicely with the existing floor, shower and separate bath tile. The bath has vaulted ceilings; to highlight that design feature we installed an inexpensive chandelier.
And just as important as the cost effective repairs, these bathrooms were then staged to sell by my team. You can look forward to a future post on the topic of staging.
After receiving multiple offers, both of these houses sold quickly and because of my strong negotiation skills, the personal representative was thrilled when the 1950’s house sold for over $15,000 more than the listed price!
Real estate buyers pay more for ensuite baths
The ensuite master bathroom tends to be more important to people ages 35 and older. Probably because they have already lived in homes were the convenience of a master bath was unavailable.
Having a “homey” master bath is important to San Diego homebuyers. When a few cost-effective repairs and upgrades, plus staging can give buyers what they want, why not do it?
When readying an estate house for sale, it is important to get the right help to make the entire process simpler. A key person to have involved is an experienced real estate consultant, like me, to provide the knowledge and guidance throughout the process. The best part is when working with Horizon Real Estate, you have a whole team helping!
