So you are thinking of selling?   Well, the housing market is very demanding with a strong bias towards the buyer.  Realtors are telling buyers that housing inventory is up, interest rates are attractive, and most sellers are motivated.  Depending on your area in this wonderful country of ours, impacts how strong of a buyers market you will be competing in. 

4 Keys to Home Selling (Regardless of Market Conditions)

1.  Condition - The condition of your home in this very competitive market is critical.  In the Phoenix market I am telling my sellers that their home must be in better condition than the competition or expect to take a hit on your final selling price.  Here are some things to look for:  Carpets should be clean and free of stains. Interior paint should appear fairly new and even in color (touch-up if necessary).  Re-paint those baseboards.   Bathrooms and kitchens sell homes -make sure they are spotless to include the microwave and oven.  Remove any clutter from your home and keep it out of sight.  Maintain your home in model show condition at all times.  Ensure beds are made, clothes put away, mirrors throughout the home are clean, and my personal favorite - windows are clean.  It may be a good idea to walk through a model home and notice how everything is in it's place.  Years of research has been done by the new home builders and you should make your home look as close as possible to a model home.  Following are a few tricks of the trade.  Cover laundry baskets with a towel neatly and keep in a closet.  Take all dirty dishes and put them directly into the dishwasher if you have one.  During the winter months have your family take off their shoes at the door to avoid bringing in mother nature.  Prior to going to bed at night do a once through your home and straighten up.  You will find with a little planning, keeping your home model ready is not that hard.  Here is a picture of a room that is ready to show to prospective buyers.  This home is from Peoria, AZ.

2.  Curb-Appeal - When a new buyer comes to look at your home, you want to get their attention right away.  The best way to do this is wow them with your front/back yard and the overall appearance of the home.  Make sure your yard is weed free, the grass is neatly mowed and the trees and shrubs are trimmed as needed.  If you have plants that have overgrown your yard either get a professional to trim them or remove them.  Nothing turns off buyers quicker than a home that is in need of landscape work.  Often a professional landscaper can come in and clean up for less than $500 in the Phoenix area, resulting in the seller receiving several thousand dollars more at closing.  Following are a few other things to think about.  Your entry way should be clean of debris and appear inviting.  Garden hoses and tools should be put away or neatly rolled up.  Sidewalks and driveways should be clean and again free of debris.  Backyards also sell homes!  Make sure the same rules apply and make your backyard as inviting as possible.  Please look at the photo to the right and ask yourself, can I see myself playing in this yard with the kids?  This picture is from Phoenix, AZ

3.  Pricing - Ask the appropriate price from the start.  Never overprice a home to compensate for what you think a buyer will offer.  Have a Real Estate professional provide you with a Market Analysis for your home and neighborhood.  Before I continue, I would like to talk about the disease all home sellers suffer from and this includes Real Estate professionals (when we sell our homes).  Our homes are part of us and every one of us "knows" our home is worth more than everybody else's in the neighborhood.  Truth of the matter is that homes within a neighborhood sell for the same price depending on the size of the home and of course upgrades.  Things like lot size, pools, landscaping also play a role in your homes value.  The strongest factors in pricing your home is condition and curb-appeal.  This picture is from Peoria, AZ    

4.  Selecting your Realtor - Years ago realtors all hung around a water cooler and waited for the phone to ring or a past client with a referral.  These days Real Estate Agents must be willing and able to market themselves by word of mouth, advertising campaigns and most importantly the Internet.  80% of all home buyers and sellers begin their seach in the internet.  This number is rising every year and your prime candidate to represent you should have a massive internet presence to include a web-site that ranks high in all the search engines.  He should possess the ability to market your home nation-wide on sites like, Activerain (localism), Google, Yahoo, Realtor.com, Point2homes.com and many many more.   Your Real Estate Agent should be a full-time agent, and possess vast knowledge in your area.  One note on selecting a friend or distant cousin to sell your home.  The selling of your home must be conducted as a business transaction.  A friend or relative may not give your home the attention is deserves for a myriad of reasons.  I could obviously elaborate but will leave it here.  This picture is from Phoenix, AZ.    

All the photos in this blog are from homes that I have sold in the Phoenix area just to elaborate the importance of curb-appeal and showing condition.  It is my sincere hope that someone out there gets something from this and thoroughly understands the 4 keys to selling a home.  One final thought, you can do everything right and have a great home at a great price and your home sits on the market for several months, please be patient.....

The 2 pictures below are from Phoenix, AZ and Peoria, AZ. 

www.donrichhomes.com