One of the first things you should add to your “getting your house ready” checklist is the exterior. Some of the first things buyers are going to notice as they pull up to your house are the landscape – lawn, plants, flowerbeds, etc. Now you don’t have to be extravagant, install a fountain or even hire a professional. You just need to tidy up and make sure things look neat and preferably alive if possible.
Mow the lawn, trim your bushes, and buy a few bags of mulch to pour in the flower beds to tie things together. In real estate sales, first impressions count. This is one of the simple improvements that will increase home value. Make it count!
Determining which home improvements to invest in can be daunting, and the costs can add up quickly. The key is spending your money on projects that will provide the most return on your investment. A garage door replacement, for instance, is the single most valuable investment when it comes to ROI, according to data from Remodeling magazine. The average return on a new garage door is just under 94 percent.
Minor kitchen upgrades are also a wise investment. The heart of the home is the kitchen, and many buyers will judge a property by its kitchen. While a complete overhaul of this space can run into the tens of thousands, a minor update is where you can gain the greatest return. Think about resurfacing cabinets, replacing countertops, a fresh coat of paint or updating the fixtures and hardware. Updating a bathroom is another wise investment. Renovated kitchens and baths are the ‘money rooms’ — those that add the most value to a home.
One of the most cost-effective home selling tips is to make your home clutter-free! You want to maximize the perceived space in the home. The more clutter, the more uncomfortable things will feel. Go through everything and clear out all the non-essentials.
One of the better ways of getting your home ready to list is having a donation pick up. Numerous charities will come to your house and take the stuff away you no longer want for FREE!
Even if you don’t feel like going through all of your stuff and sorting them, you should at least put things away in places where buyers won’t be looking – so no cramming stuff into closets or the garage. Rent a storage space if you need to.
A cluttered home can make your home feel a lot smaller than it is. This is not a good thing when trying to get the most you can out of your sale. Today’s buyers like bright open spaces unfettered by an abundance of someone’s personal property.
Keep in mind there is a significant percentage of the population who do not have the vision. Make things easier on the buyer by giving them something they can visualize. One of the things that will help sell a house fast is an uncrowded, clean space. It is all about a buyer seeing themselves in your home.
Investing in a home inspection before putting your property on the market is another step to consider. You don’t want any unexpected surprises. It’s best to find out beforehand if there are any issues that you can fix before buyers find out on their own. That would give them negotiating power for a lower price or, worst case scenario, a reason to back out of the deal. So, it may be worth a few hundred dollars for the peace of mind.
When it comes to home staging, there are two rules of thumb: less is more and keep it neutral.
It’s very important to capture buyers’ interest from the front door. Pay extra attention to the entry hall and invest heavily in staging this part of the house. Repaint; place flowers; buy a new area rug, an impressive mirror, or a dramatic piece of art.
Remove objects and clutter that visually shrink a room, such as large ottomans or too many plants, and remove everything from the kitchen counters except for one or two new-looking appliances. And don’t forget to stage the deck or patio, because that is an extension of the house that can make a small home feel much larger than it is.
You can do the staging work on your own or up the ante by hiring a professional stager. A pro will cost between $749 and $2,825, with the average cost paid being about $1,728, according to HomeAdvisor.
Dark, dreary colors can shrink the perception of space. Old, stained paint makes rooms look decrepit. By painting with contemporary colors and ideally with a little insight from a knowledgeable Real Estate agent or interior designer, you can change the whole feel of your home. There is not another home improvement that will give you more bang for your buck than a fresh coat of paint. From a selling standpoint, it is important to stick with neutral colors.
Remember selling your home is not about personal preferences but appealing to the masses. Stick with off white and light creamy colors for maximum benefit.
If you are noticing a trend here, that’s because there is one. Working with a professional to sell your home has many benefits and takes a lot of the heavy lifting off your shoulders. An experienced Realtor can often sell your home faster and for a better price than you can on your own. This, in fact, is one of the most valuable tips for selling a home. Just make sure you hire the right agent!
Before a real estate agent even begins their work of selling a home, they can be a great source of knowledge in pricing your home correctly. Without the right price, everything else you do will be meaningless! Don’t be like so many other sellers who put a pie in the sky price tag on their home. This is a sure recipe for failure. An exceptional local real estate agent who knows the market like the back of their hand is worth having in your corner.
Keep in mind that pricing a home properly is vital to your success, and some agents will intentionally mislead you just to get your business. Avoid this kind of agent at all costs! Nothing will prevent you from getting top dollar faster than hiring a real estate agent who overprices your home!
With all the emphasis on online marketing – which is critical, of course – it can be easy to forget about the basics.
Putting a “For Sale” sign in the yard will let everyone know what’s going on and makes it easier for people to find the house. Some folks want to “keep their home a secret” for a multitude of reasons. This, frankly, is a mistake. Home sellers should never underestimate the power of real estate signage. Many homes have been sold over the years due to a sign.
Often, this can happen with a person who was not thinking of buying but has always said to themselves if that certain home comes on the market, they would be interested. That home could be yours!
One of the creative ideas I came up with years ago was incorporating a Google this real estate address as a sign rider. Many buyers forget that they can Google the address of a home when they are in a neighborhood. A quick search on their phone will point them to the exact places I want them to go, including my website, video tour, and other enhanced marketing channels.
The pictures you post on your listing can make or break your sale. They are the first thing anyone sees. If you are not skilled at photography, and your Real Estate agent isn’t either, then hire a professional. It is worth the expense.
Many sellers hire a real estate agent but don’t bother to check on one of the most important parts of the selling process – how does the home being marketed look online? This is such a vital consideration, yet so many sellers underestimate the importance. Your home’s photography is a gateway to a buyer’s perception of the property – good or bad. Make it a good one!
The best Real Estate agents today are utilizing some form of video or slideshows, in addition to photos. Buyers like to take a tour before they decide to visit, which a video allows. Again, working with a professional here is important – either a Real Estate agent skilled in video tours or a professional who makes real estate videos.
Homebuyers will probably look at the photos first, but once they take a look at the video, it will seal the deal, and they will be scheduling a showing.
Old school Real Estate agents can sometimes be slow to adopt new marketing channels, which is why you should hire someone who has a demonstrated ability to utilize the web. A Realtor with a website is great, but you also want to use someone who has a complete understanding of how to make your home shine online.
Real Estate agents who have command of their online presence understand the importance of making your home “stand out” from the competition. Again, it all starts with your photography. Without good photos, you can be all over the internet, and it won’t matter because your presentation will be lousy.
Real Estate agents who really have a solid command of their advertising are also using social media to enhance their Real Estate marketing efforts further. Nearly everyone owns a smartphone today.
An exponential number of these people use one of the major social media channels, including Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter. If they are looking for a home and you have an agent marketing in these channels, you could see an increase in showing activity.
A bright, cheery home is more inviting to buyers. Let the sunlight in if you can and add some better lighting if your home is dim.
Even buying brighter light bulbs can help. One of the things I always mention to my clients is to make sure all their curtains are drawn open, blinds are opened, and lights remain on when there is a scheduled showing. Again the presentation of your home is critical. Small things like lighting can make a big difference with no money coming out of your pocket!
A clean home is inviting to buyers, whereas a dirty home can turn them away faster than just about anything. The easiest way to know your home is spotless and looking its best is to hire a professional cleaning company.
Make sure your kitchen and baths are spotless. Buyers will pay closer attention to these areas. Also, make sure your carpets are as clean as possible. If need be, consider having your carpets professionally cleaned. This is one of those things where spending a few hundred dollars can save you thousands by preventing the buyer from thinking they need to replace the carpets immediately.
Many renovations are arguably a bad investment for sellers, as it is hard to get your money back in the sale. But if your real estate agent advises that you fix some things, like faulty wiring, a hole in the fence, a leaking toilet, or a visible stain in the ceiling, you should do it. These are things that the buyer may balk at or demand a lower price because they feel immediate attention is needed.
Secondarily when the buyer does their home inspection, more than likely, they will be trying to renegotiate the sale price or, worse asking to back out of the deal.
One of the things I constantly stress to my clients is being well prepared for the buyer’s home inspection. This is the number one place where home sales fall apart. It only makes sense to address the problems beforehand. If you know about a problem, a good home inspector will more than likely find it.
The sense of smell is powerful and can easily drive someone away from buying your home. However, you may not even realize the smells are there.
Ask an outsider you trust, like your Realtor, to let you know if there are any unpleasant odors – like pet or cooking odors – and address them before you show.
Believe it or not, pet odors can kill a home sale. This happens because some buyers fear they won’t get rid of the odor once they purchase the house. Don’t take any kind of chance with home odors – remove them!
Many buyers are very focused on kitchens, which is why you want to make sure yours is reasonably appealing. Formica countertops from the 70s may need to be updated, and you might want to install a new appliance or two if the existing ones are in horrible shape. Most Real Estate agents will tell you that the kitchen is the most important room in the home. It does makes sense as it is typically the place where we spend most of our time. Do what you can to make your kitchen as appealing as possible.
The people that are looking at your home are going to open every door, including closets and the garage. You may help your sale by making sure these areas are relatively organized. The better they look, the easier it is for buyers to imagine that they can fit all their things in the home.
This again goes back to one of my previous home selling tips of DE-cluttering. Organizing your closets and garage should be done as part of the process.
You may want to also gather some boxes for moving and put excess “things” in them to make your home feel more spacious.
It is hard for pet owners to imagine sometimes, but some people really don’t like pets. As a dog or cat owner, you may not want to hang out with such people, but they might make a great offer on your home.
Take the pets somewhere safe and comfortable, like friends. Having evidence of your pet, including their odors, can be a real turn off to some people. Have a look at some of the best tips for selling your home with pets for some sound guidance.
Identifying the best asking price for your home can be critical to your success. When a home is priced right, it will attract more buyers to visit. Setting the price too high can be detrimental and prevent buyers from walking through your front door. If you want to be conservative, always price on the lower end to entice maximum buyer interest.
How do you find that sweet spot of pricing for profit but not overpricing? That’s where the expertise of your agent can be truly valuable. A knowledgeable agent knows how much your house is worth, and how much you might reasonably get for it. Good pricing requires the expertise to thread the needle. List at a number that is slightly lower than comparable properties, in order to draw attention to it, but not so low that you will be disappointed if you only get one offer right at list price. If enough buyers are enticed, you could be setting the stage for a bidding war.
The goal of any showing is for the buyer to envision their own belongings in the space. So, while family photos and other knickknacks might seem like they have no bearing on how much money your home commands, they really do matter — especially if you are still living in the home while you’re trying to sell it.
Buyers are thinking of their own furniture, where it will go and how it will fit. It’s the house they came to see, not the items inside it. If buyers are distracted by personal items, then chances are they won’t be able to see themselves in the space and will not end up making an offer.
Once your property is listed on the market, things can happen quickly. It’s important to be well prepared ahead of time so that you can be as responsive as possible to potential offers. Fill out all the necessary documents, such as any seller disclosures, and have paperwork for recent repair work, home renovation costs and utility bills on-hand for any buyer requests that come in. Sellers who are slow in reaction time or unresponsive can potentially lose buyers.
Finally, try to remove emotion from the equation and see things as a simple transaction — your house is no longer “home” but a product for sale. Be clear on what issues and items you may be willing to make concessions on if buyers ask. It’s not unusual for prospective buyers to request credits or repairs, and it’s easy as a seller to take offense.
It’s important to take emotion out of it and remember that the buyer usually doesn’t expect to get everything they ask for. Take a closer look at which requests are valid and fair and offer some type of counter. The cost to you is not in giving the concession — it’s the expense of losing the buyer, putting the property back on the market, starting all over again and getting a potentially lower offer.
There you have it – these are some of the best home selling tips to get you on your way to a successful home sale! If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Hi, I'm Patrick Garrett and I'd love to assist you. I'm an experienced Real Estate Broker with Provident Real Estate LLC in Oklahoma City, OK and the nearby area, providing homebuyers and sellers with professional, responsive, and attentive real estate services.
I specialize in all aspects of residential real estate from Listing your Home for Sale, to Home Buyer Representation, Investing or Property Management. I leverage Technology to make sure you received the best possible price & opportunity to Buy or Sell your Home.
Provident’s Investor Services & Property Management are leading the industry by utilizing state of the art property acquisition & management software to ensure a maximum ROI along with Portfolio transparency.
So, if you want an agent who'll really listen to what you want in a home or an agent who knows how to effectively market your home so it sells, Give me a call! I'm eager to help and would love to visit with you about your unique Real Estate needs.
