In the current housing market there are certain things that you just have to do to get your home sold.
First, make sure that your house is spotless. This includes eliminating pet odors and that musty smell in the basement (you'd be surprised how much good a dehumidifier will do in a few days).
Next, de-clutter. If buyers are dodging the furniture, they're having trouble imagining their furnishings in your house. Some homes benefit greatly from the advice of a professional home stager. You can usually get a one hour consultation for around $75. In most cases, that $75 will pay huge dividends.
Repaint, if necessary. Get rid of the marks on the walls, spruce up the exterior. If you have wood siding that doesn't look fresh, the first thing a buyer will think is "how often will I have to repaint?"
This may seem like common sense but PUT A LOCKBOX ON THE HOUSE. There are so many homes in the local inventory that you may only get one shot at a buyer. I repeat - you may only get one shot at a buyer. Make it count, and make it easy for a buyer to see your house. I recently couldn't show a house because the owners refused to have a lockbox installed. They wanted us to come by 3 hrs later than the time requested. Guess what? We never got to see that property.
Buyers that I'm working with are viewing 5-10 homes in an evening or on a weekend afternoon. They're motivated but want to be sure that they're seeing a good representative cross section of the market before they make a decision. As such, it's difficult to narrow down showing times to just a 1 hour increment. So leave the house early, at least 15 minutes before the showing time. Stay away longer than you'd like, again at least 15 minutes. 30 minutes is better on both ends of the appointment time.
Remember that you need an edge to get your home sold. The best choices for that are a competitive price, fantastic condition, and ease of showing. Now let's get to work and get that home sold!
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