How should you sell a Boulder house your family has owned for decades?

American sellers now stay in their homes a median of 11 years, the longest on record, and in Boulder many families have held theirs for decades. Selling a house like that is a different exercise from selling one bought five years ago.

Price the land, not the kitchen

Long ownership usually means original kitchens and baths and systems that work and show their age. Buyers at Boulder prices can redo a kitchen in a season. They cannot make another lot near Chautauqua or on Mapleton Hill. Price from the finishes and you undersell the land.

Fix what would stop a sale, and stop there

Money spent on finishes the next owner will tear out rarely comes back. The roof, the furnace, the sewer line and anything an inspector would flag as a safety issue are worth addressing. Taste is not.

Keep the history

Original plans, old permits, the builder's name, photographs of the street. Families often clear these out the first weekend. They help a buyer understand the house, and they answer questions an appraiser or inspector will ask.

Talk to a tax advisor first

If you owned the home and lived in it for at least two of the last five years, federal law generally lets you exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 if you file jointly. If you inherited the house, your basis is generally its fair market value on the date of death, which can change the tax picture entirely. A CPA or estate attorney should look at your situation before you set a price.