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How
To Sell Your Home Faster and Get The Best Possible Price
During
my 25 years as a Realtor, I've seen sellers make some big mistakes in
preparing -- or not preparing -- their home for sale. This article is
a public service that will alert you to some of the most common errors,
give you some ways to help your home shine in a buyer's eyes, and furnish
you with a free customized computer report of homes presently For Sale
and homes that have recently Sold in your neighborhood.
A
mistake I see sellers make often is failing to do the simple things
that cost almost no money, yet always make homes sell for thousands
of dollars more. If your home is logically a good value, but buyers
don't feel warm and emotionally attracted to the home, you will receive
lower offers. That’s because buying a home is an emotional decision
on the part of the buyer. Often the buyer doesn't even consciously know
why they like one home more than another... they just do. Decisions
are made on a deep subconscious level tied into what makes them feel
comfortable, safe and secure. That's why it's so important to make sure
your home looks, feels and smells its best.
Remember
that you're competing with many other homes For Sale in your price range.
Since buyers buy on emotion… let’s look at how your home
can be the cleanest, freshest and cheeriest. This will lead you to a
much faster sale… at a higher price. Here are some simple tips
and tricks to make your home more appealing to buyers and entice them
to want to pay more for it:
Make
a Great First Impression
It
is estimated that more than half of all homes are sold before the
buyers even get out of their cars. A visually pleasing and well-cared-for
exterior invites inspection of the interior, since your care of your
front yard reflects the inside condition of your house. This may be
as easy as making certain that trees are trimmed away from the roof
and the grass is mowed and edged. Rake leaves. Plant flowers. Blow
walkways. Clean away debris. Wash windows. Pressure washing can do
wonders for brightening up the appearance of your home, walkways,
and driveway. Remove parked cars. This all adds to curb appeal. If
a buyer doesn't get a warm, welcoming feeling at first glance, they
will be less likely to view the inside in a positive light.
Get
it Sparkling Clean
This
may sound obvious, but it's an easy fix that can be overlooked. Sellers
lose thousands of dollars because they do not adequately clean. If
your house is squeaky clean, you will be able to sell your home faster
and net hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more because most people
are turned off by even the smallest amount of uncleanliness or odor
when buying a home. Scrub stains out of the carpet, vacuum behind
couches and under the bed, wash windows inside and out. Dust ceiling
fans and baseboards, and polish metal surfaces. Have a friend come
over and perform a white glove -- and sniff -- test. You may be so
used to your cat's litter box, the diaper pail, or cigarette smoke
in your upholstery that you don't even notice the smell, but a buyer
will.
Conquer
the Clutter
The
less stuff that you have, the more roomy the home will seem, so go
room by room and purge. Take all but the most essential items from
counter tops and shelves to help them appear more spacious. Remove
personal items such as family photos, collections, college banners,
kids' trophies. "You want people to feel like they're walking
into a house that could be theirs" explains Tanya Memme, host
of Sell this House on A&E.
While
now is the perfect time to toss out the 'junk' you are already planning
to get rid of before you move, for the collectibles and other items
you truly can't part with, rent a storage space and visit your Precious
Moments collection there. Don't fill up your closets with boxes --
buyers will open overstuffed closets and quickly get the impression
that the home doesn't have enough storage space. Reserve drawers and
cabinets for items you use every day like toothbrushes, cookware and
cleaning supplies.
Lots
of furnishings can make a room look much smaller than it actually
is. See if you can pare down to half the furniture in each room. Think
about the visual weight of furniture as well. Big furnishings can
make a room look smaller too; a solid wood table seems larger than
a glass-top table.
Pay
Attention to the Details
Replace burned
out light bulbs, patch holes in the walls, and fix leaky faucets.
Put out fresh new towels and empty the wastebaskets. Organize your
kitchen cabinets, and line up the clothes and shoes in your closet.
Play up the zones in your garage; designate one area for sporting
goods, another for lawn care, and one for seasonal decorations, etc.
"Organization helps sell a home," says Lisa LaPorta, the
designer on HGTV's Designed to Sell.
Cover
Up with Paint
Tasteful
and up-to-date decor is your best investment for getting a greater
return on your money. Paint makes the whole house smell clean and
neat, and can help with odors. Faded walls and worn woodwork detract
from your home's appeal. Choose neutral colors like warm tans, honeys,
taupes and sage. Remember, right now you want your home's decor to
promote its sale, not to show off your favorite colors. You may love
your bright purple walls, but a potential buyer might remember your
house as 'the one with the awful purple family room'.
Don't
tell a buyer how your home can be made to look, show them by making
it look great. A quicker sale at a higher price will result. Generally,
you can expect to receive three to five dollars back for every dollar
you invest in tasteful décor.
Keep
it Light and Bright
For
maximum visual effect while your home is being shown, turn every light
on, even on a sunny day. Light creates a warm, safe feeling. Open
all blinds and curtains, and make sure your windows are spotless.
Let the sun in and keep those lights on. Leaving all your lights on
for two hours costs only about 23 cents, and makes your home look
larger and more spacious.
For
even more advice on staging your home to sell for the highest price,
please view the online videos on our Home
Staging Tips page.
Maximize
Accessibility and Minimize Distractions
Buyers and Realtors
are busy. They're
looking not only at your home, but fitting your home into a schedule
that allows them to look at other properties as well. The more flexible
you are with your showing schedule, the more buyers will look at your
home.
Do
everything you can to minimize distractions for the buyer while they
are viewing your home. Turn the TV and the loud music off. Leave soft
music playing. If at all possible, make arrangements for the whole
family (including children and pets) to be out of the house during
showings. Consider taking a walk around the block with kids and pets
while the prospective buyer views your property, or simply take them
outside.
For
more tips on presenting your home For Sale in its best light, check
out the online videos on our And finally, remember that once you put
a 'For Sale' sign in front of your house, you also need to emotionally
detach from your house. "It's not about how you live or what
your taste is,' says
Lisa LaPorta, the designer on HGTV's Designed to Sell. "It's
about appealing to a wide range of tastes."
These
factors play a significant role in helping your home sell for the best
price. However, there is one, final, most important factor to consider…
and that is your competition. People don’t look at just one house
and then buy. They look at 15, 25 or 50 homes before making their decision.
How does your home stack up against the competition?
You
can now obtain an up-to-date report, customized to your size and style
of home, of all houses presently for sale in your neighborhood, as well
as a list of all homes that have sold in your neighborhood over the
past six months. This gives you insight into your competition, and a
snapshot of what buyers are willing to pay.
To
obtain this report, just email me at david@davidgallup.com
or call my office at 407.571.3676 with the following information about
your home:
- Number
of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Square
footage (under air/heat)
- Whether
your home has a pool
- Whether
your home has water frontage or water access
- Name
of neighborhood
- Email
address, fax number, or mailing address where you would like to receive
the report
I'll
program our computers to search your competition – the recent
sales of similar homes – and e-mail it, fax it, or put it in the
mail to you. This is a free, no-obligation service that I provide to
home sellers.
Best wishes on the sale of your home!
David
Gallup
The Hard Working Nice Guy – Your real estate consultant for life!
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to Seller Resource Page
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