16 Steps to Help You Sell Your Home
1. Make the Most of that First impression!
Curb appeal is vital. Bright seasonal flowers or plants out front create an inviting appearance.
2. Invest a Few Hours for Future Dividends
Here is your chance to clean up in real estate. Clean up in the living room, the bathroom, the kitchen. If your woodwork is scuffed or the paint is fading, consider some minor redecoration. A fresh coat of paint can add value to your property. Prospects want to see how great your home really looks rather than hear how it could look "with a little work."
3. Check Faucets and Bulbs
Make sure all bulbs are in working order and that any leaky faucets are drip free. They may be little things but to a potential Buyer, they add up and could potentially signal unseen deferred maintenance.
4. Don't Shut out a Sale
If cabinets or closet doors stick in your home, you can be sure they will also stick in a prospect's mind. Don't try to explain away sticky situations when you can easily plane them away. A little effort on you part can smooth the way toward a closing.
5. Think Safety
Keep steps, halls and walkways free of hazards. Make sure any loose boards are addressed, ensure railings are secure, etc.
6. Create Maximum Space
Remember, potential buyers are looking for more than just comfortable living space. They're looking for storage space as well. Make sure your attic, garage and basement are clean and free of unnecessary items.
7. Consider Your Closets
The better organized a closet, the larger it appears. Now's the time to box up those unwanted clothes and donate them to charity.
8. Make Your Bathrooms Sparkle
Kitchens and baths sells houses! Consider staging your bathroom with simple accessories and decorator items to create a spa-like feel and keep in mind, the best accessory is a sparkling shine!
9. Create Dream Bedrooms
Wake prospects up to the cozy comforts of your bedrooms. For a spacious look, get rid of excess furniture. Fresh linens and curtains with simple and clean lines have wide appeal.
10. Open up in the Daytime
Open blinds and curtains to allow light to flow through your home.
11. Light up at Night
Turn on lights and lamps to create a more inviting feel when natural light isn't available.
12. Avoid Crowded Scenes
Potential buyers often feel like intruders when they enter a home filled with people. Rather than giving your house the attention it deserves, they're likely to hurry through. Leave for showings and open houses whenever possible, and if you must stay, keep the company present to a minimum.
13. Watch Your Pets
Be sure to crate your pets or secure them in a fenced in backyard for showings
14. Think Volume
Turn off TV's and radios during showings.
15. Defer to Experience
Always suggest the listing or selling Agent deal with potential Buyers
16. Help Your Agent.
Be flexible with showing times and other requests from your Agent, as these requests will help ensure you sell your home as quickly as possible and for top dollar.
Curb appeal is vital. Bright seasonal flowers or plants out front create an inviting appearance.
2. Invest a Few Hours for Future Dividends
Here is your chance to clean up in real estate. Clean up in the living room, the bathroom, the kitchen. If your woodwork is scuffed or the paint is fading, consider some minor redecoration. A fresh coat of paint can add value to your property. Prospects want to see how great your home really looks rather than hear how it could look "with a little work."
3. Check Faucets and Bulbs
Make sure all bulbs are in working order and that any leaky faucets are drip free. They may be little things but to a potential Buyer, they add up and could potentially signal unseen deferred maintenance.
4. Don't Shut out a Sale
If cabinets or closet doors stick in your home, you can be sure they will also stick in a prospect's mind. Don't try to explain away sticky situations when you can easily plane them away. A little effort on you part can smooth the way toward a closing.
5. Think Safety
Keep steps, halls and walkways free of hazards. Make sure any loose boards are addressed, ensure railings are secure, etc.
6. Create Maximum Space
Remember, potential buyers are looking for more than just comfortable living space. They're looking for storage space as well. Make sure your attic, garage and basement are clean and free of unnecessary items.
7. Consider Your Closets
The better organized a closet, the larger it appears. Now's the time to box up those unwanted clothes and donate them to charity.
8. Make Your Bathrooms Sparkle
Kitchens and baths sells houses! Consider staging your bathroom with simple accessories and decorator items to create a spa-like feel and keep in mind, the best accessory is a sparkling shine!
9. Create Dream Bedrooms
Wake prospects up to the cozy comforts of your bedrooms. For a spacious look, get rid of excess furniture. Fresh linens and curtains with simple and clean lines have wide appeal.
10. Open up in the Daytime
Open blinds and curtains to allow light to flow through your home.
11. Light up at Night
Turn on lights and lamps to create a more inviting feel when natural light isn't available.
12. Avoid Crowded Scenes
Potential buyers often feel like intruders when they enter a home filled with people. Rather than giving your house the attention it deserves, they're likely to hurry through. Leave for showings and open houses whenever possible, and if you must stay, keep the company present to a minimum.
13. Watch Your Pets
Be sure to crate your pets or secure them in a fenced in backyard for showings
14. Think Volume
Turn off TV's and radios during showings.
15. Defer to Experience
Always suggest the listing or selling Agent deal with potential Buyers
16. Help Your Agent.
Be flexible with showing times and other requests from your Agent, as these requests will help ensure you sell your home as quickly as possible and for top dollar.
PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING
Let there be light. Buy some 100-watt bulbs to brighten the rooms and open curtains or blinds to let the light in. Unless a window faces a brick wall or some type of eyesore, open the drapes!
Garage, no garbage. Have a garage sale to clean out the clutter and make the garage mores spacious. You will be moving soon and need to start organizing anyway, so why wait until the last minute? Clean up oil spots in the garage or carpet with a good cleanser to remove that "lived-in" appearance. The home may not be brand new, but it's new to the potential Buyer.
Make scents. Get a nice potpourri, air freshener, or keep some refrigerated cookie dough on hand to throw in the oven when a prospect is coming over. Make the house smell like a home.
Paint-relief. Consider re-painting any areas that need to be touched up, but especially the front door and entryway, and any appliances that are showing their age.
Power plants. Trim down any jungles outside, especially if they cover the house. Get rid of any half-dead houseplants. Water the lawns briefly before any visit, and keep the lawns mowed and edged.
Garage, no garbage. Have a garage sale to clean out the clutter and make the garage mores spacious. You will be moving soon and need to start organizing anyway, so why wait until the last minute? Clean up oil spots in the garage or carpet with a good cleanser to remove that "lived-in" appearance. The home may not be brand new, but it's new to the potential Buyer.
Make scents. Get a nice potpourri, air freshener, or keep some refrigerated cookie dough on hand to throw in the oven when a prospect is coming over. Make the house smell like a home.
Paint-relief. Consider re-painting any areas that need to be touched up, but especially the front door and entryway, and any appliances that are showing their age.
Power plants. Trim down any jungles outside, especially if they cover the house. Get rid of any half-dead houseplants. Water the lawns briefly before any visit, and keep the lawns mowed and edged.