Home Selling Tips

Selling your home this Spring?

Getting your home ready to sell? This can be a huge job, but once you identify the areas of concern, this task can be manageable if done in small steps.

It has been announced by NAR that "property inventories are at an all time high". Gone are the days of multiple offers and putting up a sign and waiting for the market to catch up with your price ...now buyers have tons of choices and sellers are looking for only the most qualified agent to list their house. 

Today, competition is fierce and sellers must be prepared to present their home in the best possible light. 

Most successful real estate agents all agree that... Staged Homes Do Sell Faster! 

Today's average sellers are not equipped to stage a home without professional assistance.  Most homeowners personalize their homes to their tastes. Staging is depersonalization and marketing to the masses.  Only a professional knows what appeals to the highest percentage of buyers. 

Home Staging Is a Trend That Is Becoming A Real Estate Standard. 

Every home needs some level of staging. Some of the best properties I have seen still need what I call, "tying a ribbon around the package."  Staging the outside- to the inside is needed for homes to go from Blah hum drum to Oooh la la!

   This is the first in a series of Home Selling Tips 

Staging Part One   

Staging starts with repairs and clean up. Here is a list of to do's that a home owner can do themselves before they even start to interview their agents.

1. Clean Carpets~ Most carpets need to be cleaned- Have   them professionally cleaned before putting your home on   the market.
   • Unless a home is a fixer- dated carpeting and worn out carpet should be replaced.  Giving a buyer a credit or a discount will only keep the house from selling faster.  A worn out carpet will have them asking- what else is worn out too?  A light colored short plush or Berber carpet with a good pad is the best. Ask your agent first before you invest any money into a carpet.
2. Check all lights- are they working properly- clean all bulbs and lights. Make them shine. Check for dark         hallways-   and increase wattage within allowances. Check to make sure all outlets work.  
3. Repair cracks in all walls and ceilings
4. Look for cobwebs in ceilings and clean out.
5. Repair or replace old discolored grout.  Bleaching white grout sometimes can do the trick, if not get a sharp tool and scrap out grout and add new white grout. Check bathroom sinks and around the tub and over the shower ledge. Of course if your grout is colored, you will not use bleach.
6. Repair or replace all broken light switches and  plates. Clean them up.
7. Take a good look at house plants- In most cases they need to be pruned and or the number reduced to create more space.  If they don't look healthy or are barely  clinging to life, then give them away.
8. Fireplaces need to be cleaned out. Glass doors should   be cleaned. Mantles and hearths need to you cleared off  except a few items.
9. Be sensitive to odors, because buyers are.  Excessive cooking or smoking odors, dog or cat odors, baby laundry   and mildew well turn off buyers.  If there is a challenge in your home, use room deodorants or disinfectants sprays and keep windows cracked open even in very hot or cold weather for ventilation. There are great products in pet stores for pet odors, and many professional carpet cleaners have special ozone machines that can really help with difficult odors)
10. Repair items that are broken.  This will show that your home is well taken care of. In many cases the buyer will   ask that you repair them anyway- and they will ask for a price reduction.  Don't give them a reason.
    •   Look for cracks in tiles on counters and make repairs
    •   Look for leaky faucets and make repairs
    •   Broken seals in windows- replace
    •   Check window screens and make any repairs
    •   Make sure all door locks are in good working condition
    •   Replace all furnace filters
11. Touch Up Paint
    •  Base boards and trim touch ups
    •  Doors- Paint the front door - ask your Realtor for suggestions
    •  Repaint any rooms with personalized paint- a creamy color is best
    •  Remove wall paper or boarders- if you have extensive wall paper throughout the home- get professional advice on alternative remedies
12. Clean outdoors

•  
  • Remove leaves from gutters
  • Hose off patios
  • Re-bark all planter areas
  • Plant colorful flowers in beds
  • Arrange pots in bare areas
  • Fertilize the grass
  • Remove all trash and debris from yard
  • Make sure pool is sparkling clean
  • Make sure all sprinklers are in working order
  • Prune any dead limbs from trees and bushes
  • Edge the lawn areas
  • Clean the concrete on driveways

Hire a professional stager to give you a detailed staging consultation that you can do your self. They will give you ideas on how to stage your outdoors to give you better curb appeal.

Chrisitine Sturgis Home Team Girls is a Realtor Serving the Placer and Sacramento county areas of Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Granite Bay, Auburn, Folsom, and nearby communities. Christine's lisiting services includes  professional staging with all of her listings. Call Home Team Girls for any of your Real Estate questions: 916.223.9452