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Selling Your Home

Selling Your Home Read More

Doing whatever you can to put your house’s best face forward is very important if you want to get close to your asking price or sell as quickly as possible. Short of spending a lot of money, here are several ideas for making your home show better:

First Impressions Are Important

First Impressions Are Important

The Approach
The first few seconds, when your Realtor drives up to the house with a potential buyer can literally make or break a sale. Make certain that the first things to come into view the lawn, the sidewalk, the landscaping are neat and attractive. In cold weather, the walkways should be clear of snow and ice.

The Entry
The front entry area and front door should be warm and inviting. The area should be swept clean, and the door itself should be in good repair (painted, if necessary). A seasonally decorative touch, such as a wreath during the holiday season can set the proper inviting tone.

The View
Windows should be clean and sparkling in order to maximize the light entering the home and to provide an inviting scene from the exterior. Keep curtains and window coverings open whenever possible to achieve a bright, open effect.

The Surroundings
Faded or worn paint or papers on the walls and ceilings can create a drab effect throughout the interior and will leave an impression in the buyer’s mind that is hard to erase. Spruce up, paint up, and touch up.

The Furnishings
A cluttered look makes every room seem smaller than it really is. Remove extra furnishings wherever possible to give your home a clean, simple appearance. Remember, the buyer is trying to visualize how their furniture will fit in the home. Make it as easy as possible.

Storage
One of the first things a typical buyer looks for is adequate closet and storage space. Maximize the size of your closets by removing excess items and neatly arranging those items that remain.

Bathrooms and Kitchen
These areas should be clean and spotless. No matter how relaxed a housekeeper the buyers may be in their present home, they will invariably downgrade the desirability of a home if the kitchen and baths are less than spotless. Make sure everything shines!

Fix The Little Things
Loose door knobs, doors that don’t close all the way, screens off the track, and cracked window panes are all a part of everyday life except when you’re selling your house. Little things undone can suggest neglect to a fussy buyer. For top dollar, it’s smart to fix these items.

Shed Light On Dark Areas
Whenever possible, make sure the lamps are turned on in areas of the house that appear dark. Also, turn on lights in the basement, attic, and other areas the buyer will want to see. Once the above items have been addressed, leave the selling to the agent. Agents know what your house has to offer and what these particular buyers are looking for. Agents also know how to sell. We recommend that seller’s excuse themselves during showings so that prospective buyers feel comfortable expressing themselves.

Dos and don’ts of home selling

Dos and don’ts of home selling
Provided by Inman News

Prioritize property upgrades to avoid financial hit. An energetic real estate agent can have your home on the market in a day. However, to provide the kind of marketing exposure you need to sell in today’s market takes a little longer, unless your home is photo-ready when you list.

Ideally, you should start planning for your home sale months before you want your home to be on the market. First find an agent to represent you. Then, create a game plan together for the premarketing phase of the process.

Use your agent as a resource. Walk through your home with your agent to get feedback on work, decluttering and rearranging that needs to be done before the house is photographed for advertising and shown to prospective buyers. If your agent doesn’t have a good eye for design, ask for a recommendation of a staging decorator.

HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Preferably, your home should not be submitted to the multiple listing service (MLS) or home-sale Internet sites without photos. Studies have shown that many buyers don’t consider a listing that doesn’t have photos.

Some sellers have presale inspections done to find out if repairs should be made before the property goes on the market. This wasn’t as important several years ago when buyers were enthusiastic about the prospect of making money in the residential real estate market. Now buyers are much more cautious, and property condition is a critical variable.

One seller did a beautiful job fixing up her house for sale. She ordered a termite report and had some of the work done. But she didn’t hire a home inspector to inspect the house. The interior was top-notch. In fact, more money was spent on this than was necessary. The listing agent was hired after the work had been done so the seller didn’t benefit from the agent’s advice about how much to spend and on what.

The house sold with multiple offers. However, the buyer’s home inspection report revealed that the house needed a new foundation. Fortunately, there was a backup buyer. But, the price was negotiated down significantly. In hindsight, it would have been better to have fixed the foundation and done a less expensive redo of the interior.

A couple sold a similar home. They worked with their agent for months before the house was marketed. They did presale inspections and got estimates for painting, staging, furnace replacement, making necessary structural modifications and fixing miscellaneous defects referenced in the termite report.

Then, they prioritized, with input from their agent, and had the most critical repairs and enhancements done before the listing hit the MLS. There was no renegotiation necessary with the buyers after they completed their inspections.

Make sure buyers receive copies of proposals and paid invoices for work you did to your home so they know which items in your presale inspection reports have been repaired.

Another couple, who plan to move in a few years, decided to get their home ready to sell now. They put in a new master bathroom, refinished floors and plan to replace a dry-rotted deck. They will enjoy the improvements for the remaining years they stay in the house.

Most sellers wait until the last minute to get their house ready for sale. It can be very stressful trying to get all the work done in a short time frame. Doing work gradually over time is a saner approach. Sadly, most homes never look as good as they do when they’re sold.

THE CLOSING: Now is a good time to have work done. A lot of contractors are looking for work. You might receive more competitive bids and be able to have the work done when you want.
Dian Hymer

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