What You Should do to Prepare Your House to Sell
Are you thinking about selling your home? If you are, preparation is more important than anything else. You may even want to create your own personal checklist to make sure that you have all angles covered. You be surprised how many things you need to, and should, take into consideration.
Home sale preparation involves quite a few things which may fall through the cracks if you're not up to speed with what's important. What you'll learn here are some practical tips for getting your home sold in a timely fashion for top dollar.
Your only job is to heed the advice for a successful sale.
Understand Your Homes Condition
Are you confident in your homes current condition? It not, it is advisable to get a pre-listing home inspection. Why? Home inspections are one point in the transaction where most homes sales can and do fall apart. Preventing that from happening is paramount to your success right? Of course, the answer is YES!
Understanding these tips to prepare for a buyer's home inspection will increase your odds of sailing right past this part of the transaction without a hitch. Folks that don't take the condition of their home seriously very well could surprised when a home inspection deal breaker takes place. Eliminating the problems that kill home sales is just plain smart.
Choose an Exceptional Realtor
One of the most vital parts of preparing to sell your house is to pick an exceptional real estate agent. You want your home sale to be a rousing success. It's hard for that to happen by making a mistake picking a real estate agent to represent you. There are going to be some traits to look for when hiring the best real estate agent. These include:
- The ability to price your home correctly from day one. There is nothing that will stop a home sale quicker than the wrong asking price. Pricing mistakes will set you back big time.
- Outstanding photography and well thought out descriptions. You want your real estate agent to understand the importance on online marketing. Nothing says unprofessional more than a lack of quality photos and lackluster descriptions on a home.
- You want you real estate agent to have fantastic communication skills. You should receive feedback on showings and regular updates from your real estate agent.
- An aggressive negotiator is a trait of great real estate agents who represent sellers. It's not all about putting a deal together but instead doing the best for your client.
- Real Estate agents who understand the importance of representation do not practice dual agency. Never accept dual agency as a seller.
- Expect your Realtor to offer guidance on how to get your home ready for the marketing including tips on making the interior and exterior look its best.
Documentation Matters
If you have had any home improvements done, and needed special documentation, it is important to have that information available. That applies to purchases of major installation such as air conditioning units and furnaces.
Any bills will help to prove when you had the installation done and will show you have looked after your home. Sharing the home improvements you have made to your property also helps justify your asking price.
Make sure you have your real estate agent put a list together of all the recent improvements including the year in which the work was done. The buyer will really appreciate this. The documents should be left with all the marketing material for your home.
Maintenance bills are a great tool to have as well. It goes to prove that you have serviced and maintained all installations and appliances on a regular basis.
De-Clutter Your Home to Make It More Attractive
Making your home more attractive includes several steps. The first thing you need to do is to take a good look around your home. Go through every room and cast a critical eye over them.
Are the rooms clean and tidy, or do they look cluttered? Of course, you love your clutter, but will a potential buyer like your clutter? A buyer needs to “see” your home and that means clearing clutter so a buyer can see its full potential.
Space is the next thing. Do the spaces in your own home look attractive? Giving your home a quick coat of paint in preparation for a home sale is also another good idea. Remember to use neutral colors. You may like a purple bedroom with an orange comforter but will a buyer will like that?
Think about what a buyer will remember when they leave your home.
A Scented Home and Staging
When was the last time your pooch had a bath? Your home will smell nice to you, but may not smell nice to a buyer. Removing dust unpleasant smells and keeping your home clean will help to sell it more quickly.
Make sure the kids tidy their rooms, make their beds, and keep the dog confined for showings.
Put some fabric conditioner in a candle burner and burn that instead of burning oils or wax. It will make your home smell really CLEAN!
You should also stage your home. When I say staging, I am not suggesting hiring a professional unless your home really needs it. Most don't.
Staging is a bit like getting dressed for a party. You don't need to go over the top, just make your home look great.
Things like a fresh bunch of flowers on the dining room table always looks great. Just do what you can to make your property inviting to buyers. This doesn't need to be rocket science.
Quite often people ask does staging work? The answer is a simple one. Staging will not make a bit of difference if you pick the wrong real estate agent and overprice your home. There are tons of exceptional looking homes that languish on the market.
Curb Appeal and Your Back Yard
Curb appeal is also very important when it comes to selling your home. Stand outside your home and look around. What can make it look more attractive? If the plants in the front yard look a bit tired, you may want to dig them up and replace them with some new ones.
Also, you could add some hanging baskets and potted plants. Color really matters when it comes to selling your home. Make it look bright and cheerful with a few simple flowers such as geraniums, pansies, and petunias.
Do your windows and doors look beat up? Maybe you should replace them or possibly repair any rotted trim surrounding them? This is a common issue among many homes that will get flagged by a home inspector. You might as well save yourself some trouble and get it taken care of now.
Does your backyard look a mess? Your house is not going to sell unless your clear your yard up. That is one of the things your Realtor is bound to tell you. Clean up the toys, prune the trees, and make sure your lawn is in good condition.
A home sale can be a long process if you don't prepare your property for the market. Listen to what your real estate agent has to say.
Selling a house can be described as a bit of a science or art form, and your Realtor should know how to get your home sold quickly. If not, you shouldn't have hired them!
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you have enjoyed these tips to prepare your house to sell. Sellers that "get it" are the ones who sell their property quicker and for more money than those that don't. It is as simple as that.
Take the necessary time with your home sale preparation. It will be well worth it.
Other Valuable Real Estate Articles Worth a Look
- What to know about selling a home during divorce - will you be in the unfortunate position of selling your home while going through a divorce? See tips that will help at Realty Biz News.
- What are the upsides and downsides of a model home - see the pros and cons of purchasing a model home.
Use these additional resources to make excellent decisions when you are selling or buying a home.
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