Tips for Home Sellers

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When buyers come to view your home, usually they have been or will see at least five different houses on that same day. If they have been looking for some time, they would have seen quite a number of homes already. To sell your home, it must have the most curb appeal and look to be the most spacious, attractive and cheerful in your price range. Keep your home neat and clean. If your home looks well-kept, it will create a good impression on buyers. Buyers remember the home that makes the best impression on them.

You don't have to spend BIG money to prepare your home for sale. You can make inexpensive changes that can help sell your home more quickly and make you more money.

You can also offer financial incentives to prospective homebuyers. This can induce buyers to make a commitment and can spell the difference between your home and another similarly priced property.

Work with your Sellect Realty sales associate to come up with an effective marketing plan to sell your home faster and at the best price possible.

Price Your Home Right

The first, most important step in selling your home is setting the right price. The first few days that your home is on the market is when the most number of buyers will see your home. If you price it too low, you may be able to sell quickly but you'll lose some of your equity and you'll always wonder if you could have made more money on the deal. If you price too high, your house will go stale and buyers think there might be something wrong with your house.

How much will a ready, willing and able buyer be willing to pay for your home? How do you get the right price? You may want to conduct your own preliminary market research. Look at homes for sale in your neighborhood. Go to open houses. Compare homes for sale with yours in terms of location, size, condition and features. Be objective and abandon personal feelings about your home, think like a buyer would.

Consider the market. How long does it take houses to sell in your area? Are home prices on the rise or falling? How attractive are the current interest rates? Is it a good season for selling - in the spring vs. the dead of winter?

Ask your Sellect Realty sales associate for a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). A CMA will show a comparison of home prices for recent home sales in your neighborhood and your competition - homes that are for sale, their prices and features.

For more information about home pricing, read these great articles:
         How Much Is Your Home Really Worth
         How to Price Your Home
         Set Your List Price

Spruce Up your Home's Exterior

Make your house appear as attractive and friendly from the street as possible. You get only one chance to make a good first impression on potential buyers. That's why curb appeal sells homes. Make buyers fall in love with your home at first sight. Buyers who are "in love" will pay your asking price.

How to do this? Make an pre-assessment of your own property. Drive by your house slowly and look at what a potential buyer will see. Walk to your front door and take note of all the things you see. Is your paint peeling? Are your gutters and downspouts in good condition? Is the driveway or walkway cracked?

Remove all signs of deterioration! Make drive-by buyers stop and say, "NOW, that's a NICE HOUSE!"

Here are some tips to help you.

• Gutters and downspouts should be in good shape.
• Consider painting the exterior, especially if the exterior paint is peeling and cracked. Painting is the most inexpensive and quickest way to freshen the look of your home.
• Repair ornamentation, such as shutters, posts or columns. Remove rust from ironwork and paint, if necessary.
• Replace broken light fixtures.
• Paint peeling trim around doors and windows.
• Make the front entry as attractive and inviting as possible. Paint the front door, if you must. Use potted or hanging plants to make the entry or porch feel cheerful and inviting.
• Spruce up the house number and mailbox. Trim shrubs that hide the house number. Remove rust from the mailbox and paint, if necessary.
• Keep lawns mowed and shrubs trimmed.
• Keep flower beds free of weeds.
• Cut back trees and shrubs that obscure the front door and windows.
• Clean out the fish pond, fountains and birdbaths. If you have a fountain, keep it running when you show your home. It gives a soothing and comfortable sound that buyers love!
• Remove piles of anything in the yard - concrete blocks, old bricks, flower pots, dead branches.
• If you have yard ornaments, put some of them away. Let buyers concentrate on your landscaping, not on your ornaments. Plus, if the ornaments will not go with the house, you don't want buyers assuming they will.
• If you have a swimming pool, keep it clean and free of leaves and debris. It must look inviting rather than a lot of work to potential buyers who want a pool or would consider having one.
• Highlight the comfort and appeal of your patio or porch. Arrange patio furniture in an inviting way. Plant some colorful flowers in attractive flower pots.

 

Clean and Decorate the Inside

Decorate your home in a way that appeals to most buyers so that they can imagine themselves living there.

• Liven up the rooms with fresh, neutral colors. Paint is probably the most inexpensive investment that could help sell your home quickly, especially if your walls are dirty, scuffed or finger-printed. Go for more neutral colors that would not conflict with most people's furniture and accessories. Consider also that lighter colors make rooms appear bigger.
• Next to paint, fresh carpeting helps sell homes. Carpet that is worn, matted or dirty is a big turn-off for buyers. Dirty carpets can be cleaned. Carpet that is outdated or worn should be replaced. You need not spend too much money on new carpeting, but if you do decide to replace your carpet, buy something in a neutral color that most people will like.
• Add some pleasant seasonal touches to make your home feel welcoming to buyers - potted plants and flowers in the spring and summer, wreaths on the door in autumn and winter, a crackling fire in winter, potpourri in bathrooms, the smell of baking bread or cookies in the kitchen. Make every effort to make your home as pleasant and appealing as you've never made it before.
• Clearly define the function of each room in your home. In your dining area, for instance, create a pleasant space exclusively for dining. Remove all objects that do not relate to dining, such as exercise equipment, computer desk, bookcases, etc.
• Make rooms look bigger and improve traffic flow by storing away extra furniture that create a cramped feeling. You can also add an impression of spaciousness by reducing the number of personal objects and artifacts, such as family photos, posters and signs.
• Be ruthless! Take down anything that will distract buyers' attention including, yes, your family photos. You want to show off the wonderful features of your home, so that buyers can picture themselves living in your home. It becomes difficult if they are distracted with too many of your personal items. If you take down pictures, however, be sure to fill in the nail holes and paint.
• Open up curtains and draperies to make rooms look bright and airy, but try to hide any unappealing view. Remove dirt from light fixtures. If a room feels dark, increase brightness by replacing light bulbs with stronger power. Some attractive light fixtures can also work wonders.
• Clean everything. Wash windows and walls. Remove fingerprints and marks on walls. Clean blinds and draperies. Dust furniture.
• Remove all clutter from the floor, closets, cabinets and the garage. Keep clothes where they belong - in closets, drawers and laundry hampers. Collect toys and books and put them back in bookcases or toy bins. De-clutter! If you have too many clothes and shoes, get rid of some or store them away. You want to give buyers the impression of ample storage space.
• Clean, tidy up and organize! Make the beds. Clean the bathrooms. Remove cosmetics, hairbrushes and dryers from the bathroom counters. Remove dirty linens and towels. Empty all trash containers regularly.

Remember, the most inspected rooms in a home for sale are the kitchen, the master bedroom and bath, and the garage. Keep these areas clean and clutter-free all the time.

Make Your Kitchen Shine

Many buyers consider the kitchen as the heart of the home and make a decision to buy a home based on how the kitchen looks and feels. Make your kitchen warm and inviting, not chaotic.

• Clear the kitchen counters of as many items as you can - appliances, food, and storage containers. Select one favorite appliance and keep all other appliances away from view. Decorate the counters with attractive canisters or other kitchen accessories, so the kitchen does not look empty and unused.
• Clean the refrigerator. Clean and degrease the oven. Stash away all dirty dishes and always keep the sinks clear. Remove all stains from the floor, countertops and table. Remove the source of any bad odors and keep your kitchen smelling fresh and fragrant.
• Organize your kitchen cupboards. Remove clutter by throwing away expired food and all unusable items. Keep food in clean and attractive containers.
• Fix dripping faucets and tighten all loose kitchen hardware.

Keep Yourself Updated on Real Estate Trends

There are a number of real estate websites and television programs that can give you valuable tips to increase the value of your home.

I find that shows like HGTV's Designed to Sell, Get it Sold, and Buy Me are fun ways of learning practical and inexpensive techniques of making your home more marketable. You can also go to HGTV's real estate website to learn more real estate tips like 10 Ways to Increase the Value of your Home, Real Estate Trends (Top 10 things that homebuyers want right now), Top 15 Home Upgrades that Pay Off.

I have also attached some articles which you may find informative.
          Selling Your Home in a Cooling Market
          Sell Your Home Fast

Stage your Home for Maximum Profit

If you so desire, Sellect Realty can connect you with a home staging specialist. You will get the advice and assistance you need in the form of a Detailed Action Plan to make your home stand out from the competition, giving you the greatest chance to sell for the highest price.

Be Flexible

The more buyers you get interested in your home, the better your chances of selling faster. Think about offering the buyer some financial incentive, other than just a price reduction. It can tip the balance for a buyer who is undecided between two similarly priced properties. For example:

• Offer to pay mortgage points. In today's rising interest rates, paying points can be attractive to a buyer in that it reduces his interest rate, and therefore, his future mortgage payments. By paying points, you also reduce the amount of cash a buyer will need at settlement. A point is equivalent to 1% of the loan amount.
• Offer downpayment assistance. For a lot of buyers, the most difficult part of buying is putting up the downpayment. Offering to put up some of the downpayment can induce a first-time homebuyer who, otherwise, will not have the necessary funds.
• Help with closing costs. This can range from 2 to 7% of the loan amount and pays for items like title search and insurance, taxes, attorney's fees, etc. Many buyers will find this an inducement and may spell the difference between closing the deal or not.
• Add home warranty. For a few hundred dollars, a home warranty can give the buyer some peace of mind because it functions as insurance for a home's systems, such as heating, air-conditioning, plumbing, etc.
• Accomodate. Be willing to work out pre-occupancy or post-occupancy terms with the buyer if occupancy is the only sticking point. You might also consider occupying temporary accommodation yourself so the buyer can move in on schedule.
• Other perks. This can include things like paying the homeowner's fees for a period of, say, six months or leaving behind the refrigerator or washer and dryer. Be creative. There are a number of things you can offer that can spell the difference between your home and an equally priced property.

Work with your Sellect Realty Sales Associate

Selling your home is a team effort between you and your Sellect Realty sales associate. Work as a team! Bring up all your concerns, get all your questions answered and get all the help you need from your real estate team.

Sellect Realty also offers a wide range of marketing tools so be sure to discuss all your options with your sales associate. We encourage you to take advantage of as many marketing tools as necessary to expose your home to the widest range of potential buyers.

We'll be glad to provide you with all the advice and assistance you need to sell your property!