When it comes time to sell a home, every seller desires get top dollar for their home. Depending on the market and the supply, this can be an easy task or a very difficult one! With the rise of new home construction, the market is (in most cases) a buyer´s market; so what can you do as the seller to get the most home for your money?
1. Pricing Your Home
The pricing of your home is crucial in getting top dollar for your home! This is where a real estate professional is invaluable. If you price it too low, you miss out on a few thousand that you could have made. However if you price it too high, this is the biggest way to ensure you will not get top dollar for your home.
Statistics show that the best chance to sell your property occurs within the first two months your house is on the market. The longer a property stays on the market, the less the seller will make on its sale. Overpricing, even by a few thousand dollars will cause buyers to move on to the next house and cost you a valuable offer. It also causes other agents to dismiss your home for their clients and as a result you get fewer showings. The biggest service your Realtor does for you is helping you correctly list your house at the right price.
2. Cleaning Your Home
As you prepare your home for sale, work to disassociate yourself from it emotionally. Remove personal pictures, diplomas, children´s artwork etc. This helps your future buyer envision the home as their future home instead of your current home. Along these same lines, de-clutter each room as much as possible. Clear kitchen counters, put appliances away, clean and organize cabinets and closets, and remove any unnecessary furniture;all of these things will allow your home to appear larger and more spacious.
Another part of cleaning your home is doing the deep cleaning that you have been putting off! Wash those windows, pressure wash your home, polish silver, brass and chrome and make your home sparkle! When a buyer walks in a home that feels and looks clean, they immediately assume it has been well taken care of and look more favorably upon everything.
3. Staging Your Home
Staging is different than cleaning because it creates the atmosphere of your home. When buyers walk in, do they feel warm and welcome? If you have already vacated your home, leaving some of your furniture or even renting furniture to help your home show better all plays a big part. You can get a professional stager to help you with your home, or just follow a few of these tips.
a. Kitchen Area: Clear the counters and make it look as attractive as possible! Place fun, colorful cookbooks artistically on the counters. Jars of colorful candy or a bowl of fresh fruit all make the kitchen look fun and inviting. Other ideas include oiling your kitchen cabinets and setting the table with beautiful place settings. All of these things will help set your kitchen off and make it more appealing to prospective buyers.
b. Bathroom Areas: These need to sparkle! Make sure they are very clean and have fresh towels hanging on the racks. A basket of toiletries on the back of the toilet will also help to create a fresh look.
c. Odors: Make sure that your home does not have any unpleasant aromas wafting around! This is one of the top deterrents to buyers. On the other hand, a home that smells like homemade apple pie can have the opposite affect! Get a lightly scented candle that will just add a hint of aroma to the air.
d. The Yard: The outside of your home should be as inviting as the inside! Be diligent to keep your lawn mowed, sidewalks swept and flower beds in great shape! All of these help a buyer chose your home over another.
4. Inspect & Fix Your Home
A home inspection is very typically conducted by a buyer after a contract is placed on a home. However, if you have your home inspected prior to the sale, you can be proactive about the things that you would like to have fixed. It also keeps you from having any unexpected high dollar repair items surprise you after you´ve sold your home!
After the inspection, try to put your home in the best possible condition;fresh paint, shampoo the carpets (or replace if needed), fix any holes in the walls. All of these things that seem minor can differentiate your home from the next. You may think that offering an allowance or letting the buyer do the repairs is just as beneficial, but in many cases it is not. Most buyers will prefer the house that is already in pristine condition to the one which needs repairs.
5. Access Your Home
Ensuring that your Realtors and other Realtors have easy access to your home is a MUST. Keeping your home on a lockbox and being flexible with showings allows Realtors to bring buyers through that may not have seen your home if you demand 24 hours notice. Realtors will try to give you as much notice as possible, but many times, their buyers change their minds quickly and decide they would like to see a home that afternoon! If they are only in town for one day and you prohibit your home from being seen, you may lose the buyer.
