Home Improvement: Garage Cleanup

Clutter: it?s invasive, pervasive, and often (depending on the type of stuff you?ve got laying around) corrosive.

Yes, today we?re talking about garages and the people who hate to clean them. Before you think this merely an intervention of sorts, let me connect the dots between real estate, home prices, and the condition of your garage.

First, we?ll take a small detour and discuss the rising popularity of self-storage units. At the end of 1984 there were approximately 6,600 self-storage businesses, covering around 290 million square feet. At the end of 2010 self-storage facilities increased to 46,500 companies and represented more than 2.24 BILLION square feet.[i]

?[The] self-storage industry has been found to be the fastest growing new industry in the commercial property sector that has emerged in the country over the last three decades. . .The amount of gross revenue in the year 2007 has crossed 20 billion dollars and the per-facility revenue has been over three hundred thousand dollars.?[ii]

I?ll state the obvious: that?s a lot of stuff.

And while many customers live in cramped cities and apartments, the U.S. Census Bureau found that 52% of self-storage customers are from the suburbs, with only 32% hailing from cities and 16% from rural areas.[iii]

If you?re selling a house, you?re more than likely from the suburbia camp. While location, kitchen attractiveness, and school districts are still important aspects of the home-buying experience, more and more shoppers are checking out the garage, gauging if they?ll need to rent a storage unit or not in their near future.

?The garage itself can add extra value to a property, especially if it is in good condition. A garage that has been outfitted with extra storage options can move a house for sale to the top of the list if a buyer is considering similar houses at similar price points.?[iv]

A study done by the National Association of Realtors estimates the value of your between 6% ? 12% of your home.[v] For anxious sellers, a kitchen remodel can be costly, as can a new roof or installing new appliances. However, with a little elbow grease you can increase the value and appeal of your home.

Here are seven suggestions for a garage overhaul taken from The Complete Idiot?s Guide to Garage Solutions:[vi]

1. Sketch a floor plan of your garage complete with measurements
2. Create a budget for improvements and stick to it
3. Sort and organize your piles:
4. Clean the walls/ceiling/floors with TSP (trisodium phosphate) and a little bleach; follow the manufacturer?s instructions, wear safety protection; consider priming and painting as well. Use white or other light colors to brighten things up.
5. For oil stains, use dish detergent and a scrub brush
6. Check for signs of critter activity (ants, bats, mice, etc.) and take appropriate steps to evict unwanted tenants!
7. Consider using hooks, shelving, and/or cupboards to store garage items. Always install using a stud finder. Inexpensive organizational ideas: old dressers, Xerox boxes, plastic bins, pegboard, used kitchen cabinets

As a real estate agent, I see a lot of garages and a lot of stuff (and a lot of critters . . .); I encourage you to stand out above the crowd and freshen up your garage using these simple suggestions. And If you?re in need of an agent to help you get started on the selling process, give me a call at 425-343-4545.

Photo credit: Thom Wall. Used courtesy of Stockx.chng

---

[i] http://www.selfstorage.org/ssa/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutSSA/FactSheet/default.htm

[ii] http://www.selfstorageblog.com/vital-statistics-of-the-self-storage-industry/

[iii] http://www.selfstorage.org/ssa/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutSSA/FactSheet/default.htm

[iv] The Complete Idiot?s Guide to Garage Solutions, by Robert and Theresa Russell, Alpha Books, 2007.

[v] ibid

[vi] ibid

Source: http://www.everettarearealestate.com/wordpress/increase-the-value-of-your-home-clean-out-the-garage/

namibia 9 11 pictures 9 11 pictures randall cobb marques colston janet jackson brooklyn decker