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You live there and whether you love it or hate you live there so your eyes might not see what a buyer will see at first glance. If you hire a Realtor right at the beginning ofthe process, she or he will have tips for making just the right improvements but improving the appeal of your home is the first and most important tip of all that I can give you. Buyers and agents are first going to see the exterior of your home. Therefore, a lot of emphasis should be placed on your homes exterior. Power-wash your siding/stucco or tile roof, re-mulch your landscaping beds, trim up bushes and hedges, add colorful flowers, add some cheap bushes in bare spots, spot seed your lawn if you have any bare spots, water your lawn to "green it up," weed and feed your lawn as well, re-paint if needed, pick up any lose debris in the yard, rake up leaves, trim tree branches if necessary, keep yard mowed very regularly, edge along your driveway and your sidewalks (makes a big difference), pull out all weeds in landscaping beds, waterproof wood patios, re-seal concrete patios, hide or store away any unsightly or run down outdoor furniture and/or decor, repaint or replace your mailbox if necessary, clean outside windows, make any necessary repairs to siding, roof, flashing, shutters, etc... And anything else that you can think of to improve your curb appeal.
The next tip is to have your home staged to help you with your home selling efforts. Experienced Realtors usually have great tips for this or can steer you to someone they have used in the past. You can either hire a home stager to come out and stage your home or you can try to do it yourself. A home stager is probably less expensive than you might think and this can save you literally tens of thousands of dollars in the end by selling your home for a higher value. The cost to have your home staged professionally is only a small fraction of the cost that you would spend on your home's first price reduction. You can either hire the home stager to do all of the work for you or you can simply hire them to consult you and give you advice on what they recommend that you do. A professional home stager can easily spot the trouble areas and uses creative problem solving to help the home sell. Having your home staged can not only increase the price that you end up selling your home for but it can give you an advantage over the other homes for sale and help you to sell your home quicker.
The third tip is thoroughly cleaning your home. Clean out the inside of your cupboards, drawers, microwave, oven, refrigerator, bathrooms (tub, toilet, sink, floor, etc...), cobwebs off of ceilings, receptacle covers, dust furniture, clean all interior glass and mirrors, kitchens, and everything else that you can think of to clean. Give special attention to the kitchen, bathrooms and doorways as these are the main items that people look at with great detail. Consider steam cleaning the carpets or even replacing them if necessary.
Tip number four is to do minor repair and remodeling work that is needed. This means tighten all door handles, make sure doors open freely and do not stick, caulk all counters and tubs, touch up paint or repaint rooms entirely if needed, fix loose railings, nail holes in walls, broken receptacle covers, leaky plumbing, loose or missing shingles, broken trim and/or molding, and anything else that might need a quick fix. Reducing clutter is tip number five. Consider renting a storage facility to place boxes, furniture and other odds and ends in while you try to sell your home to make your home appear much roomier. We never realize how much stuff we accumulate over the years and by making some of this stuff disappears we can open up our rooms that they appear much roomier and spacious. You can also move some of your stuff in with friends, neighbors and/or family if you want to save on the storage fees.
Finally, the last tip is to hire a Realtor and make your home available for showings anytime. There is nothing worse than a homeowner who limits the days and times that there home can be shown to potential buyers. Potential buyers have a lot of choices out there and if they can not get into a home to view it when it is convenient for them, they will move on to the next home. The more homes that a buyer looks at, the lower your chances are that they will buy your home. Let your Realtor know that they can show your home anytime, just give you at least a short bit of notice beforehand and you can have your family ready and out of the house. Most potential buyers do no feel comfortable in a home where the homeowners are in the house. This feeling of being uncomfortable is what the buyers leave with, and it lessens the chances of them buying your home as well. Therefore, even though this is a long list of the many things that you can do to make your home more appealing and to help to sell your home quicker, you do not need to do everything on this list. This is a guide only to help you think of items that you may not have already thought of to improve, repair, or just simply do. You will be able to sell your home faster with these steps and best of luck to your home selling experience.
As I always so... there are some things you could do... some things you should do ...and some things that should be left for the negotiating table. Let me show you which is which. email or call me at Robyn@RobynSeymour.com
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