Tip No. 1 - Make Your Home Look Great
First impressions are everything. Because of this, the way you present your home is critical, in the end, to how easily you will be able to sell your home. Homebuyers are drawn to homes that look spacious and are clean.
When preparing your home to go on the market, your goal should be to de-clutter as much from counters, tables and rooms as possible. Fix up the simple things as well. Squeaky doors, faded paint and even shampooing rugs will make a great difference in the eyes of a prospective buyer. You want your home to smell good and be inviting to potential buyers.
Tip No. 2 - Price Your Home Right
When discussing pricing your home with your Realtor®, even though it is in our nature to want to sell our homes for as much as possible, be careful not to over price your home.
When you over price your home, it reduces the number of prospective buyers that are willing to come see it. On the other hand, if you price it aggressively, it will attract a lot of buyers and in the end, you may very well end up getting the original price you wanted anyways, due to multiple offers and people bidding over asking price.
Another great trick to attracting the most potential buyers possible is to list your home just under the next even number. For instance, instead of listing your home at $1,000,000, consider $999,999. The reason for this is the way homeowners search online. It also plays in to the psychology of how much people are willing to pay for a home, and as a result, what homes they are going to go look at.
Tip No. 3 - Hire a Real Estate Agent
Even though it technically is an expense when selling your home, a qualified Real Estate Professional is CRITICAL to a successful, easy transition from getting your home on the market to selling it and getting the price you want.
Realtors® have access to things you’ll need, such as contractors, photographers, marketing teams, etc. They will supply you with everything you need and the correct advice to help you get your home ready for the market, in the shortest, most efficient manner possible.
As with all things, along with tips to make things easy to get your home on the market, there are a few things that you want to be sure to avoid as well:
Mistake No.1 - Getting Emotionally Involved
Once you decide to sell your home, you need to start thinking of things in a much more utilitarian mindset, versus what you personally like. Put yourself in the heads of prospective buyers and give thought to what improvements, types of staging and clean up would appeal to the largest number of people.
Remember, you are inviting people to come in and look at your home, so they can get in the mindset of what it would be like and what kind of lifestyle they would have if they owned your home. Imposing your personal preferences in the things you do while preparing your home for market will make it hard from prospective buyers to get in this mindset. Staying detached emotionally keeps it about the home, and not what your personal preferences are.
Mistake No.2 - Skimping on Listing Photos
The fact of the matter is that virtually EVERY buyer today starts their home search online. If you a trying to cut expenses and are considering cutting out the professional photographer, think again. Your photos need to be crisp and clear, making prospective buyers stop and look at the online listing, and in the end making them pick up the phone and call their Realtor® to schedule a showing of your home.
Mistake No.3 - Not Being Properly Insured
It may sound silly, but there are going to be many people visiting your home. While it may be slim, there is always a chance that somebody will injure themselves while on your property. As a result, review your insurance policies to make sure that you are covered if such an event occurs. Additionally, think of your home in terms of safety. If you see a potential hazard, take steps to alleviate it.
You can always find comfort in being, “better safe than sorry”.
Mistake No.4 - Trying to Hide Significant Problems
Even though the title of this article is “Low Impact Ways To Prepare Your Home For Market”, low impact doesn’t mean simply hiding problems to avoid dealing with them.
Rule of thumb: A significant problem you have hidden WILL BE FOUND during the home inspections.
Do not make life any harder on you than it needs to be. With significant problems, you have two basic choices. You can either fix the issue, or price your home appropriately, given that the problem is going to have to be addressed by the new buyer.
Putting your home on the market does not have to be a stressful experience. Our team has helped hundreds and hundreds of homeowners get their homes on the market easily and sell them for top dollar. If you would like to discuss your needs, or simply have a few questions and would like some impartial advice, contact us anytime.
