At Home with Tammy Real Estate Magazine Winter 2018 | Page 6

10 BIG-TIME TIPS FOR HOME SELLERS Useful tips for selling your home quickly 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? 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, send 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 calmer. Consider staging your home. Look at photos of staged homes to get an understanding of how much 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 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 color paint so buyers can see a blank canvas 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. of your personal possessions should be present, which is not much (especially in the main living areas). 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 areas 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. 6. CONCEAL 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 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 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 discuss 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 surprised by which items are a big deal vs. those that are not. 10. LIGHT IT UP & DISAPPEAR. When you 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 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 ceiling, 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. 8. SPRUCE IT UP INSIDE. Fresh paint on 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, friendships, & trust. It’s about people helping people! CONGRATULATIONS - you’re SOLD!