House for Sale: Bucks County PA Acreage

Irwin Weiner ASID - My partner and I decided three weeks ago to sell our Pennsylvania country house after ten years.

The reasons for not selling would fill a long list: 10 years of wonderful memories, a beautiful garden, a home that's fixed up just right and just the right size, wonderful neighbors, a sleepy Delaware River town close enough to every convenience but distant enough to be a peaceful and relaxing retreat. Overall, a perfect country retreat only an hour and a half from Manhattan, centrally located between NYC and Philadelphia.

But one "let's sell" reason outweighed the others: we've run out of projects and ways to fix up the house and property. Our D2S readers know how much Jay and I enjoy DIY and makeover projects for the home, and our list ran out.

We could spend much more on expanding the extensive gardens, but to what point? The Derik Sutphin designed master landscape plan, boasting two secret garden rooms, is a delight as it is.

It's time for someone else to enjoy this beautiful home. Which brings me to the ultimate reason for this post. I wanted to somehow formally say good-bye to a house that's filled with good memories. Dinners by candlelight with a roaring fire going in the fireplace.

The discovery during remodeling that the original structure was actually a "barge house," the framing made from decommissioned barge boards from the Delaware Canal. The thrill of having a totally renovated modern kitchen - there's nothing like cooking and entertaining!

The beautiful displays of flowers and leaves through the growing season, with meals out on the patio. Pool parties. Falling asleep on the porch swing.

We know we'll have regrets when we move, but we'll also have immense satisfaction in knowing that we were excellent stewards of our Bucks County PA home ... and that we'll have more real estate adventures (in the same area - we love it in Bucks) with a new fixer-upper home, filled to brim with projects to tackle. Click here or on any of the photos above for more information on our PA house and a 25-photo slideshow. And here is a video tour we made of the house and gardens.

How You Can Compete with Other Homes for Sale

Selling a home entails numerous factors. For instance, you need to take into consideration what housing market you’re dealing with. Looking at Austin homes for sale, for example, requires you to study the Austin real estate market. You need to prepare your property so you can effectively compete against the real estate industry in your area. No matter where you're selling your home, you can do a few things to improve the chances of your house being sold for a higher price. Doing this doesn’t have to cost you a lot. You just need to be creative and resourceful. Here are a few tips that you might find helpful.

1. Maintenance Tips for Outside the House

In order for you to sell your home at a higher rate, you need to create a good initial impression.  Create curb appeal, which means making your home more appealing and attractive from the outside.  Simple acts like having a good wreath, a new doormat, or even a finely swept covered entrance will make prospective buyers feel warm and welcomed.  Create that cozy and homey feeling that will allow them to imagine the house as their own.

2. Maintenance Tips for Inside the House

Selling your house may involve keeping the property well maintained at all times. You need to show the prospective buyers that your house has been well kept and treated with the utmost care. If you maintain the upkeep on the inside of the house, you're more likely to receive higher offers, and there will be higher chances of getting your house to sell. You should try to make small renovations and alterations, but they don’t need to hurt your pocketbook. A little refurbishing of certain areas that have scratches and slight freshening up of places that make your house look dilapidated almost always does the trick. 

One more way of keeping the house well maintained is to simply keep it clean and spotless! This may seem like something every homeowner who intends to sell their houses should know, but a lot of properties are put up for sale with an unkempt appearance. Keeping your house in an immaculate condition can add to its value.

3. Maintenance Tips for Frequently Used Rooms

Both the kitchen and bathroom are critical places when it comes to showcasing your house to prospective buyers. The kitchen is the place where the family gathers together and spends quality time with each other. This is also the place where homeowners welcome their houseguests, so it's important to have the kitchen in perfect condition. To make it really attractive, you can set up new kitchen counters and install modern appliances. If you can’t afford these kinds of things, you can simply do some deep cleaning to improve the kitchen’s appearance.

The same thing applies to your bathrooms. Scrub your showers and baths clean to make them look bright and pristine. Make the bathrooms look clean and fresh. There’s nothing more off-putting than a dirty bathroom!

4. What to Do with Furniture

Free your house from clutter. Remove any unnecessary and extra furniture. You want the buyers to see the beautiful layout of the house, and that will never be achieved if your home is overstuffed with furnishings. Extra space will allow prospective buyers to imagine a home’s possibilities, and that's a good thing!

So, now you have a roadmap to follow to give your house a competitive edge in this market. You can now painlessly renovate your home to get it ready for sale while staying within your means. If you follow all the previously mentioned home renovation tips, you'll sell your house a lot sooner than you expected.