Honey,
I’m scared to death to put our home on the
market. What if no one thinks it’s as beautiful and
as valuable as we do? What if it never sells?
That is a natural reaction
to putting your home on the market. Let’s face
it, how often do we sell something that is worth Hundreds
of Thousands of Dollars? Not Often!
To improve your chances that the first people through
the door will find your home not only beautiful but also
exactly what they were looking for and therefore ready
to make a full-price offer on your home, we have put together
a few useful tips to help you get your home on the market
with a real advantage to you the seller so your home will
be sold at the highest price possible with the least amount
of inconvenience to you.
GETTING YOUR HOME READY TO SELL!
CURB APPEAL: Getting people to come into your home
is really important if you are selling your home. If they
do not want to come in, they will never have a chance to
fall in love with it. So, working on your “curb appeal” is
very important to selling your home.
The prettier a scene you create for your home, the easier
it will be for people to decide to want to see the inside
and even fall in love with your home before they even see
the inside.
Here are some tips:
- Keep the lawn mowed.
- Pull the weeds out of your garden
- If it’s the right time
of the year, plant some inexpensive but showy annuals.
They brighten the look of most homes.
- Move all the kids’ and Dad’s toys to a
designated spot in the “back” yard.
- Take a good look at the front
of your home. Ask yourself “Would
I want to go in and see this house if I was driving
by?”
- Does the trim on the house need painting or repair
or a touch-up?
- Is there a big hole in the screen door?
- Does the house really need a coat of paint?
If you answered yes to
any or all of these questions, you should consider making
the repairs. They will help you get your price and maybe
sell it faster.
INSIDE: First and by far the most important thing
you can do inside your home is remove ALL your clutter
(Stuff). Remember, you want people to see their “Stuff” in
your house. They really do not want to see your “Stuff”.
Go get lots of boxes and fill them with all the Stuff we
all tend to jam into our living spaces and hide those boxes
in the garage or basement. Only when the rooms look like
there is very little in them, are the rooms ready to be
seen.
Your “Stuff” is stored away, the lawn mowed
and the outside of your home looks like it is right out
of a magazine. What’s next?
There is an old Real
Estate adage…”Kitchens
and Bathrooms sell homes”. Now, we believe there
are many things that people find attractive enough in a
home to want to buy it, but making your kitchen and bathrooms
shine sure wouldn’t hurt. If you have been putting
off re-caulking your tub or painting your kitchen cabinets,
there couldn’t be a better time to do it. These rooms
are of primary importance to most buyers. Clean them and
fix them.
There’s another old Real Estate adage…”If
a house is dirty and a real mess, maybe that is how the
owners have taken care of the rest of the house. Maybe
they haven’t taken good care of the house. Maybe
we should not take any chances on this house and go find
another. It’s only a perception, but it can make
the best of buyers just turn around and walk out the door.
Get your home professionally cleaned. Don’t lose
an offer due to a perception of the Buyer.
THE CONDITION OF YOUR HOME
Buyers want to know the condition of your home. And, if
they find something wrong, they have a tendency to ask
for money to fix it or if it is serious and the contract
allows them, just walk away from the purchase. It is
very important that you understand the condition of your
home and if necessary fix a few problems before potential
buyers find them. Remember, buyers these days are represented
by experienced agents who know what to look for in a
house.
We recommend you do the following:
- Get a Home Inspection from a professional inspector.
They can help you understand if you have any major issues
that should be dealt with prior to putting your home
on the market.
- Have your inspector conduct a RADON Test and if you
are on a well, a WATER Test should be conducted. These
two tests will help you understand if there are any problems
with RADON and/or WATER which you can have fixed prior
to your home going on the market.
- You should have your Septic System pumped and inspected
as well.
- If you have ants or rodents in the house, have them
professionally removed and/or the house treated.
Doing inspections and
tests will make you much more knowledgeable about your
home. If items are repaired or dealt with
prior to listing your house, you potentially will make
more money at your closing than waiting to make these items
part of negotiations right in the middle of the contract
period. Those involved in a contract tend to be unreasonable
when it comes to negotiating a concession adjustment especially
the closer you are to the closing date.
PRICING: Have you noticed we haven’t talked
about price yet? One of the primary motivators for potential
buyers is the price you put on your house. The last few
years have been a real Seller’s market. A Seller’s
market is where there are few listings and lots of buyers.
Seller’s feel they are in control and can demand
whatever price they want. Not true. When thinking about
price, here are some tips:
- Decide now whether you want
to just market your home or sell it. If you want
to just market it, it doesn’t matter what
price you put on it. No one is going to see that
value and more than likely, the house will just
sit there, not many will look at it and it will
not sell.
- If you want to sell it, then get
a couple of Real Estate Agents to give you their “Opinion of Value” on
your home. Agents love to have listings so be sure to
have them go over in detail their plan for selling your
home. Experienced agents with good track records are
also very important to you.
- Ask lots of questions? Your relationship with your
agent and the trust you have for each other is extremely
important in selling your home. Your agent will be your
primary partner when it comes time to negotiate an offer.
You deserve the best agent you can find!
- If you have decided to SELL your
home and not just market it, then analyze the pricing
opinions you have gotten and “Price your home to the Market”.
The agent you select will help you decide the best price
to enter the market with. When you do this, you will
have a much better chance of getting showings and offers.
If you are feeling pretty
good after dealing with each of these areas of listing
your home, congratulations, you are ready to place your
home on the market! You should
feel knowledgeable, in control and ready to sell your home
knowing you have done an outstanding job getting it ready
to sell. |
