Remember what first attracted you to your house when you bought it? What excited you about it's most appealing features? Now that you're selling your home, you'll need to look at it as if you were buying it all over again.
A spruced-up house makes a great first impression on potential buyers. An attractive property grabs their attention and makes them excited about finding a house that looks and feels well cared for. So if you prepare your home correctly, you'll save time selling it when it's on the market.
A good first impression makes an impact on a number of levels. It's not just the way your house looks to potential buyers, but how it feels and smells to them, how their friends and family will react, how they imagine it would be to live there.
With simple improvements throughout your house, you can grab the attention of potential buyers and help them see why your house is right for them.
Create a plan to enhance your property. Keep a notebook for your selling project, and as you stroll through your yard, make a list of what needs to be done. Consider what your property looks like to people driving by or walking through your door. What will they like or dislike? What needs fixing, painting, cleaning? What can you improve? Whether you paint your house or fix up the yard, your efforts don't need to be costly; even inexpensive improvements and minor repairs go far toward attracting serious buyers. But remember, those seemingly insignificant problems you've learned to live with can actually discourage potential buyers. Here are ideas for increasing your home's appeal in order to sell it quickly at the best price.
Buyers expect a spotless house, inside and out. So clean everything, especially your windows and windowsills. Scrub walls and floors, tile and ceilings, cupboards and drawers, kitchen and bathrooms.
People are turned off by rooms that look and feel cluttered. Remember, potential buyers are buying your house, not your furniture, so help them picture themselves and their possessions in your home by making your rooms feel large, light, and airy. As you clean, pack away your personal items, such as pictures, valuables, and collectibles, and store or get rid of surplus books, magazines, videotapes, extra furniture, rugs, blankets, etc. Consider renting a storage unit to eliminate clutter in your garage and attic.
It's hard to get rid of possessions, but cleaning and clearing out the clutter can really pay off in the end. Packing away your clutter also gets you started packing for your next move. Make your garage and basement as tidy as the rest of your house. Simple little tasks such as storing your tools and neatly rolling up your garden hose suggest that you take good care of your house. Don't let anything detract from making your best first impression.
They're an important consideration to many buyers. By storing clothing you won't use soon, you'll make closets look spacious.
A new coat of paint cleans up your living space and makes it look bright and new. To make rooms look larger, choose light, neutral colors that appeal to the most people, such as beige or white.
Check its condition. If it's worn, consider replacing it. It's an easy and affordable way to help sell your home faster. Again, light, neutral colors, such as beige, are best. If you don't replace it, you can suggest to potential buyers that they could select new carpet and you'll reduce your price; buyers like to hear they're getting a deal. At the very least, have your carpet cleaned.
It's best to avoid making major renovations just to sell the house since you're unlikely to recoup those costs from your selling price. Make minor repairs to items such as leaky faucets, slow drains, torn screens, gutters, loose doorknobs, and broken windows. Make sure repairs are well done; buyers won't take you seriously if your home-improvement efforts look messy, shoddy, or amateurish.
Water stains on ceilings or in the basement alert buyers to potential problems. Don't try to cosmetically cover up stains caused by leaks. If you've fixed the water problem, repair the damage and disclose in writing to the buyer what repairs were made.
The "Wow" factor that first visual, high-impact impression your home makes on potential buyers can turn a looker into a buyer. To determine your property's curb appeal, drive through your neighborhood and note other properties; then approach your own house as if you were a potential buyer. How does it look? Does it "wow" you? Will its curb appeal attract buyers? Note what needs improving, such as trimming trees, planting shrubs, or painting gutters. Little things convey that you've cared for your home, and this is your opportunity to sell that important message to buyers who are shopping from the street, simply cruising neighborhoods just looking for houses for sale. To get them through your door, do what you can to make your property look like someone's dream home.
If it's peeling or blistering and you can't remember the last time you painted it, your house needs some attention. That also goes for stain that is significantly faded. A newly painted or stained exterior will help sell your house faster. And whether you do it yourself or hire someone, you'll also increase your home's value.
Grab people's attention by enhancing your yard and landscaping. If your house looks inviting and well-maintained from the street, people will imagine that it's attractive on the inside, too.
Prune bushes and hedges; trim trees.
Keep your lawn looking healthy and green by mowing it often, fertilizing it, and keeping it edged and trimmed.
Clean up and dispose of pet mess.
Weed your gardens; add fertilizer and mulch; then plant colorful flowers.
In winter, keep your driveway and sidewalks shoveled, de-iced, and well-lit.
Stack firewood, clean out birdbaths, repair and paint fences.
An attractive entry catches a buyer’s eye and says, “Welcome,” so highlight this area of your house with decorative touches, such as a wreath on the door or new shrubs and flowers around the steps. For an even grander entry, clean and paint your front door, or replace it with a new one for a few hundred dollars. Don’t forget to fix and polish doorknobs, repair torn screens, and then put out that new welcome mat.
Keep yourself organized with the following checklist.
Windows, sills, and screens
Walls and floor
Tile
Ceilings
Cupboards and drawers
Kitchen
Bathrooms
Light fixtures
Ceiling fans
Carpet and rugs
Mirrors
Garage
Attic
Basement
Laundry room
Yard
Gutters
Replace furnace filter
Dust furniture, TV and computer screens
Closets
Remove clutter
Pack personal
Leaky faucets and plumbing
Torn screens
Slow drains
Gutters
Loose doorknobs
Deck boards
Broken windows
Electrical fixtures
Water stain damage
Broken appliances
Damaged walls and ceilings
Worn carpet and rugs
Damaged sidewalks and steps
Stain or paint deck
Store tools
Roll up garden hose
Paint or stain exterior
Prune bushes and hedges
Trim trees
Mow lawn, fertilize, edge, and trim
Weed gardens, plant flowers
Shovel driveways, de-ice
Stack firewood
Clean out birdbaths
Caulk windows and doors
Repair and paint fences
Seal asphalt driveway
Make sure doors close properly
Enhance entryway
Replace welcome mat
So you've decided to sell your home. Perhaps you're taking a job in a new community and you need to sell. Maybe you've outgrown your existing home and you need to move into something larger. Perhaps your family has grown up and moved out and it is time to downsize into a smaller home. Whatever the reason, you've decided to sell your home. What follows are some useful hints and ideas to make the selling process easier.
When you put your home on the market, a real estate agent may compile comparative pricing of homes in your area, post a sign in your yard or place your home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Most real estate agents will offer these industry standard services. Even the most expected service yields superior results.
Our standard services are handled with exceptional care and expertise
We offer exclusive services and a customized marketing plan developed specifically for you:
When you list your home with us, you can rest assured that behind us is a team of experts who are well trained to support your interests. Our professional support team shares our commitment to a successful transaction. Here is a list of our support efforts:
Most office managers are non-selling real estate professionals, thus maximizing their availability to sales associates and to you
Sales associates are supported with full-time administrative staff, allowing them more time to attend to your needs
Individual agent marketing of your home is supported with extensive advertising, increasing exposure to potential buyers
Offices are open seven days a week, with sales associates and support staff available to you and potential buyers
Pricing your home is a complex task that requires the expertise of an experienced real estate professional. Consider the following:
If the listing price is set too high, potential buyers may be deterred from considering your home
Arriving at the optimal price requires evaluation and understanding of current market conditions, and the marketable features of your home
The closer your home is priced to fair market value when it first comes on the market, the more likely it will sell quickly at the highest price
The higher your home is priced above market value, the fewer number of buyers will look at it
We will advise you of many factors when assisting you in determining a listing price for your home. Some of these factors include:
Determining the selling price of recently sold properties with attributes similar to yours
Arriving at a listing price that is attractive enough for buyers to request showings and make acceptable offers
Determining what properties are competing for the attention of buyers right now
Determining what properties have not sold. This is a good indicator of what prices buyers are unwilling to pay under current market conditions.
To find out the potential value of your home, use this form to begin the process click here
Understanding where buyers come from allows agents to market your home more effectively. While buyers use a variety of information sources to learn about homes for sale in their target neighborhood and price range, the vast majority will discover your home with the assistance of a real estate professional. According to research by the California Association of Realtors®, 72% of Internet home buyers and 63% of traditional buyers were first exposed to the home they purchased by their real estate agent. Therefore, we will use a comprehensive plan that includes networking with colleagues throughout the area to position your home to the right buyer.
The more exposure your home receives, the more opportunity you'll have to achieve your financial and time-oriented goals. In addition to Internet and print media advertising, we attract qualified buyers by using the following methods:
Property Flyer - We prepare a professional marketing sales tool including graphics and highlights of your home to distribute to the brokerage community and potential buyers
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) - Information about your home will be included in the Multiple Listing Service, a database of currently available properties accessible by real estate professionals
Other Brokers - We cooperate with and invite other brokers in the community to tour your home in order to find a buyer
Relocation connections - Prospects for your home also come from relocation services, corporations, executive search firms and fellow associates who keep track of potential buyers and maintain relationships with former clients
Referral Network - Sales meetings allow sales associates to present new listings. Other sales associates then refer to their client databases to identify potential buyers and arrange viewing appointments.
We will provide you with periodic status reports including buyer reactions to your home, allowing us to continually evaluate and reassess our marketing strategy
When offers are presented, we will advise you and help obtain the best possible price and terms.
Understanding the various standard contract forms and the vast array of contractual issues is key to negotiating the best terms to meet your individual needs. Making sure buyers are qualified and knowledgeable about available financing alternatives is of the utmost importance in negotiating a successful sale. We will promote your interests and assist in developing a clear and binding contract.
Many details must be attended to before a sale becomes final, including inspections, loan documents, contingency removals, and insurance. We know how difficult and time consuming this process is, and thus, we will handle scheduling inspections, reviewing documents, and making sure all of the required disclosure forms and pamphlets are provided in a timely fashion.