Preparing to sell two rentals in Vegas

[Irina Bondarchuk]

I am planning to sell two rental houses in Vegas that I have held for a while - both in Summerlin. Before listing them, I plan to make some updates to potentially increase the sale price:

• Paint the interior of both houses in a warm beige color scheme
• Replace the carpet in both houses
• Paint the cabinets in one
• In one house, there is a pony wall with a TV niche. I'm debating removing this wall to open up the space, but keeping it may better divide the rooms. Any thoughts or suggestions related to this pony wall dilemma?

Additionally, I plan to sell both houses FSBO (For Sale By Owner). Can anyone recommend a good flat-fee MLS listing service you have experience with?

Finally, I’ve been reading about staging and its impact. I'll be coming to Vegas to sell the properties and could stay at an Airbnb. However, would it be better to rent furnished staging and stay at one of the houses instead? I’d love to stage for sales success, but I also don't want to damage the new paint and carpets. Any advice?

I would greatly appreciate any input, suggestions, or recommendations you may have related to preparing and listing these two rental homes for sale in the Vegas market. Please let me know your thoughts!

[Michael Robbins]

If we are not talking about Luxury homes (under $1M) then I would only go as far as "virtually staging" instead of actually staging the home.  It is important to put a little label on the photos that states "virtually staged."  

The painting is a great idea (so long as nice and bright).  Removing the TV niche can have a valuable impact if the current niche is very small.  For example, I would remove it if you cannot fit at least a 65" TV.  If the niche is large then I probably would not remove it.  I would compare what similar floor plans in the subdivision have done (in removing any walls/niche) and how they performed before pulling the trigger. 

I believe the greatest impact you can have on selling a home and getting top dollar is having the home professionally cleaned.  The home should be so clean that when a potential buyer opens the front door they can smell how clean it is.  

Good luck