In many parts of the country, selling your home right now can seem a little daunting. There are many more homes on the market and many of these are foreclosures, though not always in the droves that the media talks about. At least not in many markets. This attention to real estate has in many ways traumatized buyers into hiding in the cave till the news gets better. This is not a wise choice from a financial standpoint or an investment standpoint and has many shaking their heads as to why more people are not purchasing during this opportunity period.
If you are trying to sell your home and are facing limited showings, low or no offers, I would have to ask you to stand back and reassess your home. Is everything being done wisely and to the best of your ability and the same would apply to your Realtor? This is a time when you have to have things perfect or really, really close to perfect, priced properly for the market and have great appeal to even get the buyers out of the cave.
Brighten up and add color to the front of the home to enhance the curb appeal. Your first goal is to make buyers want to stop. Once at the front door, is the first room they enter bright, cheery and inviting. It should be as this is your homes handshake with a potential buyer and in their eyes the decision to continue though the home. Your home should smell clean and fresh. Try using natural scents such as Apple Spice or Cinnamon. Stay away from floral smells as they are not as welcomed by the general public. Make sure all your lights and lamps have the brightest bulb allowed for each fixture. Consider having a professional home stager work with you to give your home the most "POP". Keep the yard clean, grass cut and leaves raked. Empty trash cans that are in your home regularly, keep litter boxes constantly clean if you own a cat, and always place the toilet lids down. When your home is going to be shown, the curtains and blinds should be open and allow as much natural light into the home as possible. Having your windows sparkling clean will make it seem even brighter in a room. When cleaning windows, clean them horizontally on the outside and vertically on the inside to make any streaking almost invisible. It also helps you determine if you missed a spot which side of the glass it is on.
Pictures that are taken of your home and yard also need to enhance and embellish your features. An example of a yard picture as seen below shows how most pictures are posted and below that is the polished product. Which would catch your eye and appeal to you?
On this property both photos were used to show how much park property lay just outside the yard. The same was done for this properties Master bedroom which is enormous compared to others in the area. These are just a few ideas on better attracting the offer you want on the home you have to sell.
When listing your home for sale, you have to be the outstanding, priced right home and not have buyers looking for you like the Where's Waldo book. Your home should stand out amongst the rest and not be so difficult to locate that actually finding Waldo would be easier.
Mike Gambino is part of Prudential Patterson Realtors® and can be reached at (800) 321-8586 or contacted by e-mail at WeCanSellHomes@sbcglobal.net . You may also visit us at http://www.wecansellhomes.com/
Prudential Patterson Realtors is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.
While the contents in this article will apply in most states, they may vary in your particular locale. Mike Gambino is a licensed salesperson in Missouri.
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