While it's important to want to sell your home for top dollar it's equally important to take the necessary steps 'first' before you place your home on the market. In today's blog I'll share with you some ideas that work for others everyday allowing you the opportunity to compete in the home selling experience as an expert.
1. The first thing you must do is get into the mind frame of selling your home as a business transaction. Take every ounce of emotion out of the equation. I always tell my sellers, 'Who ever is the most emotional will spend the most money.' The money spent can be in the price someone will pay for your home or the money spent on mortgage payments after long months on the market and price reductions. As the seller you are in control of these outcomes so don't waste time and money getting your mind right for this all important sale.
2. Listening to your agent about the drawbacks of your home should be music to your ears. Often sellers want their Realtor to be a cheerleader for their home never offering negative feedback. The truth is Realtors want to help you sell your home as you both benefit so their negative feedback is a valuable asset you should always listen too and appreciate.
3. If the problems preventing your home from selling for top dollar takes experts to rectify don't hesitate to invest the money in the beginning of the process because I guarantee you it will cost much more later when your just isn't selling. Every new day on the market marks a new unnecessary expense.
4. Here are some tips on what to pay attention to when preparing your home for market.
Curb Appeal-Fresh paint, plants and flowers, a green lawn properly edged for a professional look and bushes cut back from your windows and the view of your home are a great start. Place a beautiful fresh planter near your door and a new welcome mat to accompany the new exterior look.
Fresh Paint-The most inexpensive way to brighten up any home is fresh paint. No personal colors choices here. Keep the paint light and neutral to please every buyer.
Clean then Clean again-You can never have a house too clean. In my experience everyone's idea of clean is different so don't trust your own opinion, get someone else's before you decide your home is clean.
De-personalize-No cultural, religious, framed certifications, gaming, hunting or other identifying marks should be in your home. This also means your personal photographs. Buyers get distracted by these things and won't focus on your home.
De-Clutter-Remove at least 50% of all your stuff. Remove 100% of all your personal stuff that isn't stored away neatly in closets. Speaking of closets get them in picture perfect order. Use facing (like on grocery store shelves) to display things in your closets, cabinets and pantry. Just because these things are out of sight initially doesn't mean a buyer won't look inside to see how large they are. Keep things off the floor in these areas as this will make a big difference in the appearance of the size of these spaces.
Box it Up-Box up as much as you can now and remove the boxes from your property into storage. This is a great way to imagine yourself moving. This mindset will get you moving sooner.
Remove Furniture-Remove any furniture that is old or unnecessary. Making your rooms feel large will go a long way in getting top dollar. Keep in mind while your deciding which piece to remove that your selling the square footage of a home not the furnishings in it.
5. In the end if you still can't get your Realtor's approval hire a professional to come in and help you. The return on investment will be worth every dime. Actually, you will not only get every dime back you'll also see dollars flying your way in the purchase price.
Whether your a do-it-yourselfer or someone with the ability to hire a professional home stager all of this should be done before and not after your property hits the market. Your first 30 days are the most advantageous time to sell a home as buyers who are exhausted from looking at homes they don't want are waiting patiently for new ones to come on the market in good market conditions and in a poor market conditions there is simply too much inventory around for you to be unprepared. This is one of our most important financial transactions and we all deserve the opportunity to maximize the opportunity. Any money you spend on this effort will be returned in a shorter time on market and a sale price higher then without. This is a fact. Just ask your Realtor.
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