At Home with Tammy Real Estate Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 5

1. HIRE A PROFESSIONAL. This is no time to
navigate the real estate market on your own. MSN
Money shows that homes “For Sale By Owner”
typically sell for 18.9% less than homes sold with a
Realtor. You want someone who can help you
accurately price your home, bring in potential buyers,
manage showings, handle contracts and market your
home to the masses.
2. PRICE IT RIGHT. Make sure your Realtor has
extensive experience in home valuation. It is much
wiser to price a home correctly from the start than
to have a house sit on the market for months, only
to have a price reduction. You will have more interest
in a well-priced, newly listed home. Make sure your
Realtor can show you the competition so you can
see the world through a buyer’s eyes. Be tough and
honest with yourself. Compared to other homes in your
area, what price would make a buyer choose your home
over the competition?
3. BE READY TO SHOW. Your house needs to be
“show-ready” at all times. You never know when an
agent is going to have a buyer who wants to see
your home. It may be on short notice, so make sure
it is always in top shape. Don’t leave dishes in
the sink, clean out the dishwasher, sparkle that
bathroom and remove any dust bunnies. This small
inconvenience is critical to helping your house sell.
4. FIRST IMPRESSIONS. are crucial. To build a
stronger first impression, start from the
outside by improving your home’s curb appeal.
Spruce up the exterior with inexpensive shrubs
and brightly colored flowers. You can typically get a
100% return on the money you put into your home’s
curb appeal. Entryways are important too. You use it as
a utility space for coats, shoes and keys, but when
you’re selling, make it welcoming. Use a small
bench, a vase of flowers or even some cookies.
5. KITCHEN FIRST! The Kitchen is the heart of
every home. It’s more like you are selling your
kitchen than your house, that’s how important it
is. The benefits of remodeling your kitchen are huge
with an anticipated 85% return on investment.
It may take a few thousand dollars to replace
counter tops, but buyers may knock $10,000 off the
listing price if your kitchen looks dated. The fastest,
least expensive kitchen updates include painting
and new cabinet hardware. Use neutral col-
or paint so buyers can see a blank can-
vas to envision their own style. If you have
a little money to spend, buy one high-end
stainless steel appliance. When people see one
high-end appliance they tend to think the rest are
expensive too.
6. CONCEAL THE CRITTERS, and deodorize from
smoke and other offensive odors. You would think
a cuddly dog or beautiful cat would warm buyer’s
hearts, but they usually don’t. Buyers don’t want to
walk into your home and see a bowl full of dog food,
smell the kitty litter or have pet hair stuck to
their clothes. It often give buyers the impression
your house is not clean. Clean your carpets, place air
fresheners. You can even use fresh flowers on the
dining room table or a bowl of fruit in the kitchen.
If you are having an open house, sen d your beloved
pet to the spa for a day. Odors, including pets and
smoke are the first and loudest complaints we hear
when showing a home.
7. ORGANIZE & DE-CLUTTER. As hard as it is, it is
very important to de-clutter and de-personalize your
home. Buyers need to be able to visualize their
furniture and possessions in your home. The more
stuff you have, the harder this is. Less stuff
makes a home look larger, cleaner and even calm-
er. Consider staging your home. Look at photos of
staged homes to get an understanding of how much
of your personal possessions should be present,
which is not much (especially in the main living ar-
eas). Put family photos, memorabilia collections
and personal keepsakes away. Empty the garage to
show off these wonderful caves and clear out the
closets. Buyers want to be able to explore these ar-
eas without feeling like they are invading someone’s
personal space. Buyers need to envision their own
things in the area. Even if it means renting a storage
unit for a few months, you will get better results if
you reduce and remove. Plus, you’ll be ahead of the
game when it come time to move by being organized.
8. SPRUCE IT UP INSIDE. Fresh paint on the walls
is probably the best thing you can do to add appeal
to the interior of the house for buyers. Saturated
colors on walls are less attractive than neutrals in
most cases, even if you love your purple and green
bedroom. Consider colors like gray, tan or white
so future buyers can envision their own color and
art on the walls. Touch up the baseboards and trim
too, since dirty trim and scuffed baseboards make
a home look dingy. Clean, clean, clean! Clean the
whole house including the windows and carpets.
Hire a professional window washer or carpet cleaner
if necessary. The importance of a clean home cannot
be overstated and the ultimate goal is like a spotless
luxury hotel. Simple things like cobwebs on the ceil-
ing, a dust bunny on the floor or a piece of dog hair
on the duvet can be a major turn-off to discerning
buyers. A clean house is a house a buyer wants to
move in to and gives the impression the home has
been cared for.
9. DON’T OVER-UPGRADE. Quick fixes before selling
usually pay off. Mammoth make-overs, not so much.
You probably won’t get your money back if you do
a huge improvement project before you put your
house on the market. Instead, do updates that
will pay off and get you top dollar. Apply a fresh
coat of paint on the walls. Clean the curtains,
replace door handles, cabinet hardware, and make sure
closet doors are on track. Fix leaky faucets and clean
the grout. A good Realtor will help guide you with
what improvements will have the best chance of
recapture upon the sale and which ones will just
cost you time, labor and money. They should dis-
cuss these items with you when you sign the listing
contract, so before you sign make sure they know
enough to offer you good advice. You might be sur-
prised by which items are a big deal vs. those that
are not.
10. LIGHT IT UP &
DISAPPEAR. When
you have a showing,
maximize the light
in your home. After
location, good light
is the one thing that
every buyer cites
that they want in a
home. Take down
the drapes, clean the
windows, change the
lampshades, increase
the wattage of your
light bulbs and cut the
bushes outside to let
the sun in. If you have blinds on your windows, raise
them (but make sure your windows are clean) and
then go find something else to do. Sellers can put a
lot of heart and soul into staging a home and getting
it ready for the market. You might be tempted to
hang out during the showings, but resist the urge.
This makes it very uncomfortable for buyers. So
during showings of any kind, be sure to be scarce.
Rely on your Realtor for feedback from the showing
to know what went well and what could be changed.
Flexible and accommodating sellers will always have
a better chance of success.
Following these tips will help you be successful in
your efforts to sell your home quickly. Your Realtor
should be there with you every step of the
way, and when in doubt ask.
Real Estate is not about business. It’s about
families, it’s about friendships, it’s about trust.
It’s about people helping people!
CONGRATULATIONS ~ you’re SOLD!
FUN FACT:
If you buy or sell a home with Tammy
Mitchell Hines & Co, you can use one of
our three moving trucks for free! That’s
the cherry on top.