When you’re considering buying your first home, the process can seem overwhelming. This is, after all, one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make, and it’s a lengthy and costly one that can lead to stress and anxiety even when you have a good plan. For first-time homebuyers who are looking for a fixer-upper, the success of the project hinges on whether you do your homework in the beginning — and there can be a lot of homework.

Knowing what to look for and having some decisions already made, such as whether you’re going to live in the home yourself or flip it once it’s finished, is imperative. You’ll want to think about the big picture before you tackle house hunting, as it could affect your budget or timeline, two of the major factors in taking on a fixer-upper.

There’s a lot to think about, but with a good plan and a little help from professionals, you can get your first home just right in no time. Keep reading for some great tips on how to get started.

Set a Budget

Figuring out your budget should come first, as it dictates exactly how many repairs you can do, who you can hire to help out, and when the timeline for completion is. Get a good idea of what kind of renovations need to be made, and get a professional opinion from an inspector so you can work out a budget as soon as possible. Pad it, because there are always unexpected expenses when one is dealing with a fixer-upper, and you don’t want to be left with a nasty surprise.

Location Is Key

The location of your first home — and whether you intend to stay there or not — is key. There are many older homes that have good bones and are situated in great neighborhoods; these are the ones you want to keep an eye out for. You don’t want something that will be difficult to sell down the road because of the area it’s in, and the community should be one that will fit your target price range when you do decide to sell. Even if you’re going to live in the home once it’s complete, you may decide at some point to move.

Tackle These Projects First

It can be difficult to decide which home projects to take care of first, especially if there are several things that need to be done. Look for safety issues before you do anything else, and hire pros to help out with these. Flooring, roofing, and structural problems should be a priority. After that, electrical issues and plumbing should be taken care of. Ensuring your home’s safety is imperative and should be done before any aesthetic projects begin. For DIY repairs, make sure you have the right tools for the job, such as sanders and jigsaws.

Create Curb Appeal

One of the most important things you’ll need to do is create some curb appeal. This can be beneficial whether you want to sell the house or stay once the renovations are done because it can boost your property value. Adding a new mailbox, planting flowers or shrubs, and updating the front porch area are great places to start, but you can also create some privacy with a “living fence” made out of evergreen trees or shrubs; click here for more info.

Buying and renovating a fixer-upper is a big job, no doubt about it. However, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or stressful. Starting with a specific plan and knowing what to expect will go a long way toward keeping things calm and stress-free, and you can simply enjoy the process.

Written by guest blogger Ray Flynn of the DiyGuys.net. When he’s not working as a civil engineer, Ray Flynn spends his time dreaming up new DIY projects that promote green living. He created his own website, where you can visit him at diyguys.net.

Be sure to check out “Selling Your Fixer-Upper: Tips to Sell Fast and For More” by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.

Northern Lights Home Staging and Design is an award winning company with training in home staging, Interior Design and color consulting. We have won numerous awards for customer service, our blog, Youtube channel and Interior design.

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In a recent article, Buying a Fixer-Upper: Tips for First-Time Home buyers by guest blogger Ray Flynn of the DIYGuys, we learned how to manage the buying process for a “fixer upper”, where to buy, setting a budget, what repair or design projects to tackle first, and creating curb appeal. We considered whether to stay or sell once your house is all fixed up. Did you decide to sell? How can you sell your fixer upper fast and get the highest price for all your hard work and investment

Do Your Research

With any home you put on the market, there is a range of prices for similar homes and you want to be able to list at the high end of that range and sell fast so you don’t have any price reductions. Give yourself the best chance for success by using professional home staging and avoiding mistakes many home sellers make that cause a house not to sell quickly.

Make an Emotional Connection with Buyers

The key to selling fast and for the highest price is making an emotional connection with buyers so they can envision themselves living in your for-sale home.

Avoid selling the house “vacant”. It is hard for any buyer to make an emotional connection with an empty house. They look a little sad and lonely! Buyers have a hard time visualizing how big the rooms are (they often look smaller with nothing in them to give a sense of scale), if their belongings will fit, how to arrange furniture and the purpose of different rooms. Without furniture and other things in the rooms, there is nothing to focus on except potential flaws. Were your “fixer-upper” skills perfect? Even the pros can make mistakes.

Use Color to Increase Your Selling Price

If you still have painting to do before selling, this is a great time to consider paint colors, inside and out. Did you know that studies show the right paint colors in the right rooms attract buyers and can increase the sales price? The wrong colors can also reduce the price buyers are willing to pay. Why? Color affects emotion and buyers buy on emotion! For the price of a cup of good coffee, this report gives you specific color recommendations to help sell your house for up to $10,000 more.

Get my guide to Top Paint Colors for a Speedy and Profitable Home Sale to learn more.

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Appeal to Your Target Market

Who is your target market? Is it a young family with children that are interested in your location near schools? A single professional? A retired couple? Look at who lives in your current neighborhood or is moving in, check on Zillow to see how close the house is to different schools and what rating they have. Your house should be decorated or “staged” to appeal to that target market. For example, to appeal to a young family with children, at least one bedroom should be decorated as a child’s room.

Build a Great Home Selling Team

The best way to sell your house fast and for more is to compile a great team to help you. This includes a realtor, home stager and photographer. Just like you are the expert in converting a home that needed help into a thing of beauty, a good realtor is a marketing and negotiating expert to make sure your house is seen by buyers nad you get the best price. A home stager is an expert at getting buyers to want to see and then fall in love with your house. A real estate photographer is the expert at getting amazing photos that will attract buyers online and get them in your door. See my guide on how to build this team and find the right experts to help you.

A great home stager can help you build your team. Get a consultation with a professional home stager and ideally have them stage it for you. They can give you paint color recommendations, stage it to appeal to your target market and give you tips for living in the home if needed while it is for sale. They can even use your existing furnishings and belongings to stage it and save you money on furniture and other rental fees if you plan to live in the home while it is listed. They can recommend a professional photographer to take photos of your beautifully staged home to attract buyers online and give you tips to prepare for your photoshoot. They can also recommend good realtors if you do not have one yet.

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Create Great Curb Appeal

As Ray mentioned in the previous article, make sure you have great curb appeal. You may outshine your competition online with great photos and get buyers to the property, but without great curb appeal they will just drive by and never make it inside to see your beautiful “fixer upper”.

Spending a little money on home staging and great photos before listing will help you sell fast and for more, cost less than your first price reduction if the house sits on the market and will be a lot less stressful!

Preparing for your Home Sale

The best tip I can give you is to get a professional home staging and color consultation to prepare for your sale. It can make all the difference in your final sales. price.

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