Home Selling Tips
Selling your home can be stressful. Your home will have the most interest to buyers within the first few weeks it’s on the market. Being prepared ahead of time can be the difference between a quick sale and having your home linger on the market for months. These tips can help you sell your home quickly and for top dollar.
- Clean It Up
Give your home a good, thorough cleaning from top to bottom like it’s never been cleaned before. Any signs of dirt, dust, or untidiness gives buyers the impression that your home hasn’t been well cared for. - De-Clutter
You may be tempted to shove things in the closets but that is a bad idea. Buyers will check out the storage areas in your home. Over-stuffed closets, packed garages, and basements give an impression that your home lacks storage space no matter how big it is. The general rule? Get rid of a third of your stuff. If you don’t use it everyday, put it in storage. Consider a portable storage unit that you can transport to your new home. If you haven’t used it in 10 years, now is a good time to donate it or throw it away. - De-Personalize
You want potential buyers to be able to envision themselves living in your home. It’s hard to do that with a house full of personal photos and memorabilia. Of course your wedding photos and children’s baby pictures are adorable but not to potential buyers. Make your home look like a clean, blank canvas that any buyer can visualize with their own belongings in. - Neutralize
Keep your decor as neutral as possible to appeal to the majority of buyers. Neutral wall colors are a must. Beiges and grays are the best choices. Anything too dark or bright is a definite no-no. You may love your lime green kitchen but you will be turning off a large majority of buyers who don’t share your color preference and it’s very hard for them to see past it. If your walls currently have scuff marks, any discolorations, old water spots, or are just plain dingy – paint them! Potential buyers may get the impression that the house is dirty and not well cared for. You don’t want to give them a reason to buy the house down the street. Painting is one of the cheapest and easiest things you can do to your home to make the biggest impact. - Small Upgrades
Now is probably not the time to do any major renovations. There are many small upgrades that can make a big impact on your home. Focus primarily on the kitchen and bathroom. A new sink and cabinet hardware in the kitchen or light fixtures, shower curtain and towels in the bathroom are inexpensive upgrades that can transform the space. If there are any repairs that need to be made now is the time to do them. You want your buyers to get the impression that you home has been well taken care of. - Curb Appeal
You never get a second chance to make a first impression and neither does your home. If your home doesn’t look appealing on the outside, potential buyers won’t even give the inside a chance. Tidy up your yard, trim bushes, and replenish the mulch. Power wash the house, driveway, and walkway. Consider painting the front door, house trim, and shutters. Flowers especially close to the entry add a splash of color and make a home appear alive and inviting. - Light It Up
Next to location, good light is the one thing that most buyers say they want in a home. Dark homes appear damp and depressing. You want as much natural and artificial light as possible. Clean the windows, open the blinds and curtains, increase the wattage of your light bulbs, and trim bushes outside to let the sun shine in. Do whatever you can to make your house bright and cheery. - Conceal The Critters
Not every buyer is a pet lover. Buyers do not want to walk into a home and see a bowl full of dog food, smell a litter box, or have pet hair stuck to their clothing. If at all possible, take your furry family members to a friend’s or family member’s house during showings. And don’t forget to remove all of your pet’s items like food bowls and litter boxes. If you can’t remove these items, make sure they are pristine. - Always Be Ready To Show
Your home needs to be “show-ready” at all times. The only way to sell your home is to show it. That means keeping your home available to show even when it’s last minute and keeping it in tip top shape and sparkling clean for each showing. Sure, it’s inconvenient but you never know when your buyer is going to walk through your door. - Price Your Home Competitively
Coming up with the right price when selling a property is a balancing act. You want to ask for as much as possible, but not so much that you turn off your target buyers. You also don’t want to cheat yourself with a price that’s lower than what your property is worth. The right price is one that’s in tune with what similar properties are selling for in your market. Research shows that overpricing a property and then dropping the price several times while the property sits on the market usually leads to selling it at a lower price than what it would have sold for if it had been listed at the right price from the beginning.
We provide a comprehensive COMPARABLE MARKET ANALYSIS comparing properties similar to your property based on size, age, and features in the same area that have recently sold to assist you in determining the best list price for your property. You can request a COMPARABLE MARKET ANALYSIS from your under Listing Tools.
