The past decade in Denver real estate has seen an abundance of "fixer uppers" being bought, beautified and sold again, at significant profits.
As a Buyer’s Agent showing homes, I run into them all the time. Right now I’m working with two different buyers in two different price ranges, but we are coming across the same situation.
The real estate "flip floppers" are improving the home, but not taking into account the functional obsolesence of the floorplan. They spend a ton of dollars making the kitchen grand, using granite on the counter tops, tile on the floor, upgrading to fabulous cabinets, but then put the refrigerator out on the back porch or in a difficult to access corner.
My favorite flopper this week: the listing agent kept telling me it appraised at $243,000 and it was a "new" house. Well, the reality of it was many of the components in the house were new. The kitchen was outstanding. The problem arose in the bedrooms, one was tiny and the other was not even large enough for a small bed. Still the listing agent was billing it as a "legal bedroom" because it had a closet!
My buyer was able to get over the problem, we decided to knock out a wall to incorporate the tinest bedroom into a nice closet for the remaining bedroom. The orginal closet in this bedroom was barely large enough to place 12 hangers in!
It was a lovely home and absolutely perfect for a NUDIST!
Investors, developers, wannabe flip floppers, please take my advice. Think modern, not just in the kitchen, but how we live today. If there is no space for a closet, make some elsewhere. Improve the whole property, not just a few elements.
By the way the listing described is still on the market 75 days later. Ouch! The buyer decided it wasn’t worth the risk or the effort.
About the Author
Kristal Kraft
Kristal has been helping buyers and sellers in Colorado since 1984. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of the Metro Denver Real Estate market via blogging and in person while driving around the beautiful Rocky Mountain town of Denver! For fun, Kristal enjoys shooting things with a Canon. Visit Denver Photo Blog
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