There are so many things to consider before listing your home with an agent. The market today is very competitive and moves along swiftly. In order to keep up with the fast pace, it is necessary for to you know what makes a home a magnet for multiple offers and what will make it a dud. Listing your home for sale is not as easy as throwing a sign in the yard and an ad in some local paper. There is A lot more that goes into it and you need to be prepared and plan before you ever consider putting it out there for prospective buyers to see.
- Curb Appeal— this is a very important step and should not be avoided. The curb appeal of your home could make you or break you. There are lots of drive by lookers out there. I am NOT exaggerating when I say that some buyers will refuse to go look inside a home because they drove by and decided that they did not like something about the outside appearance. This reminds me of a client from early in my career. She was struggling in so many ways. Going through a heartbreaking divorce and leaving behind a beautiful home for starters. We looked at multiple homes but nothing screamed HOME to her. Shortly thereafter, I listed a new property. As soon as I walked in the door to look, I knew this was the home she was looking for. I mean after you show 50 properties you kind of get an idea of what the buyer is searching for. I mentioned the property to her and of course she had to drive by before she would schedule an appointment. That was it!!! She did not want to see it. The home was bland and lacking landscaping and just kind of sucked from the outside. It took me 3 months after that to convince her to go look. Lots of begging and pleading just GO LOOK!! And guess what!! Once I got her to go in, she wrote an offer. So, the moral of this story folks…… make sure you spend time getting your home ready on the Outside before you list. Clean things up, brush some fresh paint around those window seals, pretty up the front porch. Make your home scream “HELLOOOOO, I AM YOUR NEXT HOME”
- Cleanliness–Make sure your home is decluttered and sparkling clean for those lookers. YES they will look in your closets and open your fridge!! So, get to organizing those closets and clearing out unneeded property. If your home is cluttered, the prospective buyer may have a hard time seeing the potential space in your home. It is also a good idea to depersonalize some spaces. Buyers want to walk in and visualize their family in the home not yours. So many people translate a little bit of dust into NO maintenance. It is true!! If a buyer walks through and feels like the home is not as tidy as it should be, then that makes them wonder if the maintenance of the home has been lacking during your ownership too. These simple and FREE tasks will go a long way in selling your home faster and for more money.
- Be Prepared for all types of financing. We live in a world of choices. There are a number of financing programs out there that go way beyond conventional loans. Fha, Usda, and Va just to name a few. All of these types of financing come with a little tougher appraisal than a conventional loan. When I say tougher, I mean that they look a little closer at some items than a traditional appraiser would. Some common examples are:
Peeling paint. The appraiser will look around the outside of the home for any signs of chipped or peeling paint. This includes window seals, fascia, porches, decorative pieces and outbuildings. That is right!! If you have a shed or a detached garage those count too. So look around the outside of your home and do a little touch up if necessary.
Roof. These types of loans also require that the roof have a minimum of 3-5 years of life left.
Handrails. If you have more than two steps in any given space that space will require a handrailing. This would include outside the home, the basement and any other living spaces.
Foundation. The foundation will also be checked to insure that it is in good repair
- What’s that smell?? Some smells can be extremely offensive to people walking through your home. NUMBER ONE turn off…PET ODOR!! If you have pets take extra care to deep clean everything before inviting people to look at your home. NUMBER TWO or maybe a close tie with number one….SMOKE!! If you smoke in your home, it Is an excellent idea to clean the walls with special cleaner. There are so many tricks out on the internet to help freshen your home up.
- PAINT! It is very important to go through your home and touch the paint up. Make sure there are no dings or scuff marks in the walls. If you have rooms that need to be completely redone make sure to use neutral colors. Not everyone likes black….or bright bold colors. Neutral tones like tans or greys are always a safe bet.
- STAGING!! This step really does help sell homes. Consider having someone come into your home to set things up in the most desirable way. I know to some this seems like such a waste, but I can assure you it makes all the difference in the world. I can show two very similar houses. One house is cute and decorated nicely the other has old dated furniture ……the nicely decorated home is going to be picked nearly every single time over the other. EVEN if the one with the dated furniture has a newer roof. Friends I am not exaggerating here I have seen it time and again. We do have a stager on hand at Terrell Realty Group so please feel free to ask questions if you have interest in this valuable service.
- Choosing a Realtor!! My final step should literally be step number 1. I chose to place it here because it is so important that it warrants its very own blog. Watch for that in our next blog.
In summary, it is imperative that you pay attention to details when selling your home. Think about the things that you would consider if you were looking and make sure your home fits the bill. Happy Home selling!!
Next up on Terrell Realty Group Tips: How to choose the Best Realtor for you!