Sept. 2012 to Sept. 2013:
Westwood: Median Sales Price: Up 25% to $1,567,500
Brentwood: Median Sales Price: Up 22% to $2,180,000
West L.A. : Median Sales Price: Up 16% to $775,650
Venice: Median Sales Price: Up 14% to $1,405,000
Palms/Mar Vista: Median Sales Price: Up 18% to $905,000
Santa Monica: Median Sales Price: Down 1% to $2,187,500
Culver City: Median Sales Price: Up 17% to $757,250
(Please let me know if your area is not included in this list and I'll send it to you right away!)
7 Things Homebuyers Hate:
1. Haunted-House Landscaping
Unless you're preparing your home for Halloween if your yard looks like the set of a Tim Burton film -- before Edward Scissorhands has done his handiwork -- you need to tidy up or face rejection by buyers who will drive by and never come back.
2. Your Personal Paint Palette
Paint over colors that reflect your taste but may put off potential buyers, such as a scarlet-red accent wall, a lemon-yellow child’s bedroom or a forest-green den. "Fun colors are for living, but neutral colors are for selling," explains home stager Chrissie Sutherland, of Ready Set Stage, in Greensboro, N.C.
3. Popcorn-Finished Ceilings
If you've lived with a popcorn ceiling, you know that it accumulates dirt, defies cleaning and is hard to paint. Worse, if your home was built prior to the mid-1980s, it may contain asbestos. (It was banned in ceiling products in 1977, but existing supplies may have been used later.)
4. Wall-to-Wall Carpeting
Buyers these days expect hardwood floors, even in starter homes. If carpet hides your home's floors, remove it to expose them, even if the wood isn't in the best condition. If you don’t have hardwood, you may want to consider having it installed in a first-floor living area.
5. Brass Fixtures
From switch plates to chandeliers, builder-grade, shiny yellow brass is out. Replace it with chrome- or satin-nickel-finish fixtures for a contemporary look, or an oil-rubbed bronze or black finish to update a traditional room. This is a pretty straightforward do-it-yourself job.
6. 'Crystal' Faucet Handles
Acrylic knobs in the bathroom look cheap and can be hard to grip by young, aged or soapy hands. Replace them with a faucet-and-handle set that matches the existing fixture's configuration (centerset or widespread) and meets the standard of the Americans with Disabilities Act with flipper- or lever-style handles.
7. Vanity Strips
Nothing says 1970s like a Hollywood-style strip of bare, round lights over your bathroom mirror. Replace it with a fixture that includes a shade for each bulb in a style and finish that complements your faucet set.
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