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Sellers Tips and Tools-
How to Sell your home in Less Time for More Money!
Disconnect Your Emotions
When conversing with real estate agents, you will often find
that when they talk to you about buying real estate, they will
refer to your purchase as a "home." Yet if you are selling
property, they will often refer to it as a "house."
There is a reason for this. Buying real estate is often an emotional
decision, but when selling real estate you need to remove emotion
from the equation.
You need to think of your house as a marketable commodity. Property.
Real estate. Your goal is to get others to see it as their potential
home, not yours. If you do not consciously make this decision,
you can inadvertently create a situation where it takes longer
to sell your property.
The first step in getting your home ready to sell is to "de-personalize"
it.
Make Your Home "Anonymous"
If there is a new home sales tract near your home, go visit.
It doesn't matter what size the homes are. What you will find
are some wonderfully (but sparsely) furnished homes that anyone
could live in -- with the emphasis on "anyone." They
are anonymous. There may be a baseball glove in the boy's room,
but no family photos on the walls.
There may be "personality" - but no person.
The reason you want to make your home "anonymous" is
because you want buyers to view it as their potential home. When
a potential homebuyer sees your family photos hanging on the wall,
it puts your own brand on the home and momentarily shatters their
illusions about living in the house themselves.
Put away family photos, sports trophies, collectible items, knick-knacks,
and souvenirs. Put them in a box. Rent a storage area for a few
months and put the box in the storage unit.
Do not just put the box in the attic, basement, garage or a closet.
Part of preparing a house for sale is to remove "clutter,"
and that is the next step in preparing your house for sale.
Uncluttering the House
This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they
are emotionally attached to everything in the house. After years
of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that
may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the
way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it.
Clutter collects on shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets,
garages, attics, and basements. You want as much open clear space
as possible, so every extra little thing needs to be cleared away.
Take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help
point out areas of clutter, as long as you can accept their views
without getting defensive. Let your agent help you, too.
Kitchen Clutter
The kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter, because
it is an easy place to start.
First, get everything off the counters. Everything. Even the
toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you
use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets
and drawers. Of course, you may notice that you do not have cabinet
space to put everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and
pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box
in storage.
You see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and drawers,
especially in the kitchen. They want to be sure there is enough
room for their "stuff." If your kitchen cabinets, pantries,
and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative message to the
buyer and does not promote an image of plentiful storage space.
The best way to do that is to have as much "empty space"
as possible.
For that reason, if you have a "junk drawer," get rid
of the junk. If you have a rarely used crock pot, put it in storage.
Do this with every cabinet and drawer. Create open space.
If you have a large amount of foodstuffs crammed into the shelves
or pantry, begin using them – especially canned goods. Canned
goods are heavy and you don’t want to be lugging them to
a new house, anyway – or paying a mover to do so. Let what
you have on the shelves determine your menus and use up as much
as you can.
Beneath the sink is very critical, too. Make sure the area beneath
the sink is as empty as possible, removing all extra cleaning
supplies. You should scrub the area down as well, and determine
if there are any tell-tale signs of water leaks that may cause
a homebuyer to hesitate in buying your home.
Closet Clutter
Closets are great for accumulating clutter, though you may not
think of it as clutter. We are talking about extra clothes and
shoes – things you rarely wear but cannot bear to be without.
Do without these items for a couple of months by putting them
in a box, because these items can make your closets look "crammed
full." Sometimes there are shoeboxes full of "stuff"
or other accumulated personal items, too.
Furniture Clutter
Many people have too much furniture in certain rooms – not
too much for your own personal living needs – but too much
to give the illusion of space that a homebuyer would like to see.
You may want to tour some builders’ models to see how they
place furniture in the model homes. Observe how they place furniture
in the models so you get some ideas on what to remove and what
to leave in your house.
Storage Area Clutter
Basements, garages, attics, and sheds accumulate not only clutter,
but junk. These areas should be as empty as possible so that buyers
can imagine what they would do with the space. Remove anything
that is not essential and take it to the storage area.
Or have a garage sale.
Costs of Repairs
Do not do anything expensive, such as remodeling. If possible,
use savings to pay for any repairs and improvements – do
not go charging up credit cards or obtaining new loans. Remember
that part of selling a house is also preparing to buy your next
home. You do not want to do anything that will affect your credit
scores or hurt your ability to qualify for your next mortgage.
Plumbing and Fixtures
When looking at a house, prospective home buyers often do not
really know what to do. So they play with things. They flick light
switches. They open everything with a handle. They turn on all
the faucets and flush all the toilets. Having nice shiny fixtures
makes an impression.
All your sink fixtures should look shiny and new. If this cannot
be accomplished by cleaning, buy new ones. If you don’t buy
something fancy, this can be accomplished inexpensively. Make
sure all the hot and cold water knobs are easy to turn and that
the faucets do not leak. If they do, replace the washers.
It sounds like hard work, but it's pretty easy -- even for the
inexperienced.
Check to make sure you have good water pressure and that there
are no stains on any of the porcelain. If you have a difficult
stain to remove, one trick is to hire a cleaning crew to go through
and clean your home on a one-time basis. They seem to be wonderful
at making stains go away.
Ceilings, Walls and Painting
Check all the ceilings for water stains, whether the leak is
caused by plumbing or a faulty roof. Find the leak and repair
it and make sure a proper job is done. Nothing irritates a buyer
more than finding out - after the fact - about plumbing or roofing
leaks. They will be talking about calling a lawyer faster than
your car engine starts when you turn the ignition key.
If a water stain is left after something you have already repaired,
do the cosmetic work necessary to improve the desirability of
your home. That means painting.
You may have to paint anyway, especially if dirt has accumulated
in spots or you have an outdated color scheme. Painting makes
a home look fresh and new on the inside and never fails to impress.
Painting can be your best investment when selling your home.
It is not a very expensive operation and often you can do it yourself.
Do not choose colors based on your own preferences, but based
on what would appeal to the widest possible number of buyers.
You should almost always choose an off-white color because white
helps your rooms appear bright and spacious.
Carpet and Flooring
Unless your carpet appears old and worn, or it is definitely
an outdated style or color, you probably should do nothing more
than hire a good carpet cleaner. If you do choose to replace it,
do so with something inexpensive in a fairly neutral color.
Repair or replace broken floor tiles, but do not spend a lot
of money on anything. Remember, you are not fixing up the place
for yourself. You want to move. Your goal is simply to have few
negative impressions upon those who may want to purchase your
property.
Windows and Doors
Check all of your windows to make sure they open and close easily.
If not, a spray of WD40 often helps. Make sure there are no cracked
or broken windowpanes. If there are, replace them before you begin
showing your home.
Do the same things with the doors – make sure they open
and close properly, without creaking. If they do, a shot of WD40
on the hinges usually makes the creak go away. Be sure the doorknobs
turn easily, and that they are cleaned and polished to look sharp.
As buyers go from room to room, someone opens each door and you
want to do everything necessary to create a positive impression.
Odor Control
For those who smoke, you might want to minimize smoking indoors
while trying to sell your home. Actually, it is best to move smoking
outside. You could also purchase an ozone spray that helps to
remove odors without creating a masking odor.
Apologies to pet owners, but pets come with odors. You may have
become used to them, but they are immediately noticeable to those
with more finely tuned olfactory senses.
For those with cats, be sure to empty kitty litter boxes daily
and use plenty of baking soda. For dog owners, keep the dog outdoors
as much as possible, even those adorable lovable little dogs.
You might also try sprinkling carpet freshener on the carpet on
a periodic basis.
The Exterior of the House
Most real estate advice tells you to work on the outside of the
house first, but unless there is a major project involved, it
is probably best to save it for last. There are two main reasons
for this. First, the first steps in preparing the interior of
the house are easier. They also help develop the proper mind set
required for selling - beginning to think of your "home"
as a marketable commodity. Second, the exterior is the most important.
A homebuyer’s first impression is based on his or her view
of the house from the real estate agent’s car. They call
that first impression "curb appeal."
So take a walk across the street and take a good look at your
house. Look at nearby houses, too, and see how yours compares.
Then it may be time to go to work.
Landscaping
Is your landscaping at least average for the neighborhood? If
it is not, buy a few bushes and plant them. Do not put in trees.
Mature trees are expensive, and you will not get back your investment.
Also, immature trees do not really add much to the appearance
value of the home.
If you have an area for flowers, buy mature colorful flowers
and plant them. They add a splash of vibrancy and color, creating
a favorable first impression. Do not buy bulbs or seeds and plant
them. They will not mature fast enough to create the desired effect
and you certainly don’t want a patch of brown earth for homebuyers
to view.
Your lawn should be evenly cut, freshly edged, well watered,
and free of brown spots. If there are problems with your lawn,
you should probably take care of them before working on the inside
of your home. This is because certain areas may need to be re-sod,
and you want to give it a chance to grow so that re-sod areas
are not immediately apparent. Plus, you might want to give fertilizer
enough time to be effective.
Always rake up loose leaves and grass cuttings.
10 Common Mistakes That Cost Homesellers Thousands...
more
Getting the House Ready to Sell- (High
Speed Internet users click here.)
10 Seller Mistakes to Avoid- (click
here)
Reports
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5
Powerful Buying Strategies
9
Deadly Mistakes Homesellers Make
How
To Get Top Dollar In Any Market
Making
the Move Easy on the Kids
Six
Ways To Beat The Stress Of Buying A Home
Some
Different Reasons to Own Your Own Home
Things
You Should Know about Moving
When Selling
a Home
Getting
Your Finances in Order
Closing Costs
How
Much Can You Afford?
Leveraging
Your Money
Saving
for the Down Payment
Different
Types of Loans
Your Credit
History
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