Buying a new home can be exciting, however, the thought of selling your current home can be stressful. There are many considerations to think about including hiring the right real estate agent, to ensuring you sell your home for top dollar. We have outlined some key tips for selling your home at top dollar.
Not all real estate agents are created equal. To find an aggressive agent, take the time to research the market, talk to friends, neighbors, and colleagues about who they recommend, and interview multiple agents before making a hiring decision. In addition, be sure to come to an agreement about a specific, documented marketing plan before signing a long term listing agreement.
It doesn’t take long to accumulate too many items your home. Most buyers have a hard time seeing past the clutter that can actually make the house look smaller than it is. If you are thinking of selling your home, now is a great time to have that garage sale you have been putting off from year to year.
Next, simplify the items that are out for viewing by removing items such as unattractive damaged furniture, and extra large items that take up allot of space. This goes for all your rooms including the basement and garage.
Make sure to organize your closet and pantries. Storage is an important item to a buyer and they will take a look into those areas when they view your home. A well maintained storage area, sets the tone for a well maintained home.
Buyers will most likely not pull the trigger to buy unless they become emotionally invested in your home. To help build a stronger first impression start from the outside first by working hard to improve your home’s curb appeal. Spruce up your home’s exterior with inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers. You can typically get a 100-percent return on the money you put into your home’s curb appeal. Next move inside and stage each space by creating a focal point and a story for each room. A set dining area, a book by the bed, or a game in the kids room are all simple examples of staging. Given all this, it is also important to de-personalize the space. Most home buyers do not have the vision to see beyond your possessions, you need to assist them by de- personalizing the space. Remove family photos, personal keepsakes, and loud memorabilia collections should be packed away.
In addition, it is important to make people feel warm, welcome, and safe as they enter the house; therefore, entryways are very important. Make it welcoming by ensuring the space is clean and clear of clutter, perhaps putting in a small bench to take shoes off easy, add a vase of fresh-cut flowers, and add that welcome sign!
Buyers are looking for an uplifting feeling in a potential new home to add to their excitement when buying. Maximizing the light in your home will help with this feeling as natural light is the one thing that every buyer cites that they want in a home. Take down the heavy dated drapes and replace them with something light and airy. Clean the windows, increase the wattage of your light bulbs and cut the tress and bushes outside to let in sunshine. Do what you have to do make your house bright and cheery – it will make it more sellable.
Not everybody is a pet lover. Buyers do not want to walk in to your home and see a bowl full of dog food, smell the kitty litter box or have any pet hair stuck to their clothes when leaving. It will give buyers the impression that your house is not clean. If you’re planning an open house, send the pets away for the day.
For the most part, when selling a home, you are selling your kitchen – that’s how important it is. The benefits of remodeling your kitchen before selling are endless, and the best part of it is that you’ll probably get a large portion of your money back. The fastest, most inexpensive kitchen updates include painting and new cabinet hardware. Use a neutral-color paint so you can present buyers with a blank canvas where they can start envisioning their own style.
Smell is one of our most important senses. It is the one sense that is the most closely linked to memory. You want the memories of potential home buyers to be a positive one, so here are some tips to make your home smell nicer: 1. Use Baking Soda – you want to get rid of any current smells in your home. Baking soda, when spread on your carpets and soda, can help remove tough smells and leave you with a neutral pallet. All you have to do is let the baking soda sit for 10-15 minutes before vacuuming it up. It even works great in trashcans, sinks, toilets, and more. 2. Use Your Own Stove – All you need is a pot of boiling water, and then you can make your own essential oils for selling your house with the right spices. Boil the water with the scents for 15 minutes to a half hour then also let it diffuse thru the house. 3. Diffuse Essential Oils – If you can get your hands on an inexpensive diffuser, you then can pick some fresh scents to diffuse just before your open house. 4. Bake Some Cookies Before The Open House – who doesn’t love the smell of fresh baked cookies? Even better, leave some cookies out for your home seekers to enjoy!
Do not give buyers an excuse to re-negotiate the price of the home. Keep in mind that most items that need fixing will come out on the inspection. These problems will give the buyer an opportunity to lower their offer. You do not want to risk losing the deal over issues that could have been dealt with right at the start of the negotiation process.
Get a new fresh coat of neutral paint on the walls. Clean the curtains or go buy some inexpensive new ones. Replace door handles, cabinet hardware, fix leaky faucets and toilets, and clean the grout.
Setting the right price for your home is the single most important decision you will make when you decide to sell. Go too high and you risk turning off a serious buyer in the marketplace, go too low a buyers perception of the value of the home diminishes and you leave money on the table. One simple but powerful technique for pricing your home aggressively is to spend the day looking at your competitors’ homes. Talk to an experience Real Estate Agent with good references about strategies on pricing your home for selling.
