Preparing your home for sale

When you decide to sell your home, you may ask yourself, where do I start? One of the most important aspects will be making your home attractive to potential buyers. A Realtor can help you look after all the ins and outs of selling your home including advice on how to give your home “curb appeal” which is a buyer’s first impression.

Your Realtor can suggest many ideas and low cost suggestions to not only attract more potential buyers, but to sell your home faster and for the best possible price. It’s true that first impressions count and the outside of the home speaks volumes about what the inside may look like. Often potential buyers won’t get past the front door if the outside of a home looks run down or shabby.

Your Realtor can suggest some simple “quick fixes” like paint, flowers or shrubs and clean windows. Many of these suggestions are worth the minimal cost involved and could possibly add value to your home. Remember – de-clutter your home, future buyers want to see what they are buying and not your “stuff”.

Pricing

One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when putting their home on the market is asking a price that’s higher than market value. It is important to price your home competitively. If your home is not priced accordingly, it means your home will sit on the market, helping other people sell their homes. On the other hand, if you price your home too low, buyers may wonder what’s wrong with it.

Pricing a home competitively not only gets prospective buyers through and may lead to a quick sale. Thoughts are long gone about pricing it over market value and thinking someone will “make an offer”.Unfortunately, you will be missed by qualified buyers in your price range.

Doing the Same thing and Expecting a Different Result

When you have listed your home for sale and had little or no activity, then this may be a sign that something is not working and action should be taken. You and your Realtor should be evaluating and reviewing the strategy for selling your home. Your Realtor should have an idea of why there has been such a little amount of activity and have suggestions. The bottom line is the longer a home is on the market the less likely it is you will get full asking price for it.

Not choosing a Realtor/Professional

It is important to have someone who knows what they’re doing working for you. Enlisting a Realtor to sell your home is great because they can explain every step of the process and let you know what to expect, they know what the market is like that you are currently in and what works and what doesn’t. They can offer valuable advice throughout the process and they have access to buyers that you would not otherwise have.

Preparing your home for sale

Inside your home:

Floor coverings Walls and Ceilings Doors Windows Window Coverings Lighting Pet Areas Entryways and hallways Closets and storage areas Kitchen Living room, dining room, bedrooms, den and study Bathrooms/powder room Basement, furnace room, garage, attic storeroom Outside your home: Front door Eaves troughs/downspouts Gates Fences Sidewalks Driveway Yard and environment