12 TIPS FOR SELLING YOUR HOME QUICKLY AND FOR TOP DOLLAR
1. MAKE THE FIRST PRICE THE BEST PRICE
With all the information readily available online, today’s buyers know exactly what to expect when it comes to fair market value, which should directly impact the price of your house. Ask your broker or agent for a comparative market analysis, find out how much your home is worth, then price your home 10-15% below that number. If your home looks like a great deal, it will generate more interest, garner more visits and ultimately inspire more offers (maybe even above asking price!). On the other hand, if the price is too high, buyers will shy away. The longer your home lingers on the market, the more likely it is to sell for below original asking price. 80% of marketing your home to sell is pricing it right, so do your research and be competitive!
2. HIRE THE BEST AGENT OR BROKER
With so many agents/brokers to choose from, how do you find the best one? First, ask around. 41% of buyers in 2015 used an agent that was referred to them by a friend, neighbor, or relative, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. If your friends and family had a good experience, chances are, you will too. Once you’ve got a few prospects, get a little sleuthy. Make sure these agents feature their listings on all the major online listing services (Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com) as well as their own social media sites. Not only should their listings be present on each site, they should be represented with the best foot forward – more than 20 great photos of each house and a killer description.
In addition to a tech-savvy agent, you’ll also want a well-informed one. Agents with designations such as ABR® (Accredited Buyer’s Representative®), CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), e-PRO®, and CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist) have gone above and beyond to obtain certifications in these areas. Designations are not required, but they represent higher education and expertise in the field of Real Estate. Your agent should be knowledgeable about your market and provide you with neighborhood comps so that you can price your home accurately and effectively.
If you’re not sure how to research these items on your own, just pick up the phone and call 2 or 3 recommended agents and ask how they plan on marketing your home. Choose the most knowledgeable agent with the most robust marketing plan.
3. LIGHTING IS EVERYTHING
When prepping to sell, it is imperative to maximize the light in your home. Bad lighting can really show your home’s age and condition, if not up to snuff. Get it right, and lighting can enhance your home’s character and make it feel more expansive and inviting. Here are some easy changes that will make a big impact: get rid of drapes, open the blinds, change lampshades, increase bulb wattage, wash the windows, and trim any bushes that might be restricting natural sunlight. Let the sunshine in!
4. TONS OF GOOD PHOTOS
According to Trulia, an astounding 84% of homebuyers said they wouldn’t even consider buying a property if its listing didn’t have a photograph. With most homebuyers beginning their property search online and deciding which homes to visit based on photos in the online listings, you’ll want to make sure your photos show the entire house in the best light. If you don’t have the tools to take high quality, enticing photos, it might be wise to hire a professional or work with an agent/broker that provides this service at no cost, like Gilson Home Group.
(link to article about how to photograph your home to sell)
5. REMOVE ALL EVIDENCE OF PETS
Spoiler alert: Not everyone is a dog/cat-lover. (Gasp!)
Get rid of all things pet. Hide food bowls, toys, litter boxes, and pet beds. Clean the floors, vacuum the furniture and do whatever you can to remove pet smell. If a prospective buyer can deduce that you have a pet simply by walking through the door of your home, it will give them the impression that your home is unclean. Nobody wants that.
*Same advice goes to smokers – do anything/everything you can to rid your house of evidence of smoking. Fresh paint, new carpeting, upholstery cleaning…etc.
6. DON’T OVER-UPGRADE
Chances are, if you’re thinking about selling your home, you’ve got some changes you want to make first. Be careful, though, not to spend more on a remodel than your home value can support. Instead of adding that 6-car garage, underground wine cellar, or home theatre, take care of all the little things that have been adding up over the years (chipped paint, outdated cabinet hardware, leaky faucets, old tile…etc). You want to give potential buyers the impression that they’re buying a solid home that requires little to zero work on their part. Just be mindful no to go overboard. Over-the-top upgrades will return only a fraction of the cost it took to complete the project. You want to be the nicest house on the block, not the most extravagant.
7. MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION
Even if your home is immaculate on the inside, it will be judged (harshly) before buyers even make it through the front door. Put your best foot forward by sprucing up the landscaping, applying fresh paint, and planting flowers and sod, if needed. Make you’re your front door look brand new with fresh paint and a new handle and lock set. The exterior of your home is the first thing buyers see in the online listing and more importantly the first thing they see as they pull up. Great curb appeal is a powerful selling tool and you’ll likely get a 100% return on the money you spend on it.
8. PRETEND YOU’RE MOVING
This shouldn’t be too tough, right? Pack up everything you don’t use on a daily basis and get it out of your home. Give away what you can and put everything else in storage for now (your parents’ basement is always an option – don’t tell them I volunteered their space). Get rid of family photos, knickknacks, and personal/religious/political memorabilia. Prospective buyers should be able to envision their families in your home, not yours. Don’t forget to de-clutter and remove unnecessary furniture. Do what you can to create a comfortable space that is broadly appealing.
9. THE KITCHEN IS KING
Think you’re selling your house? Wrong. Sorry. You’re selling your kitchen and everyone knows it. The kitchen will not only make or break the sale of your house, but it will directly impact the price. There are two ways to approach a kitchen remodel: build a dream kitchen for yourself (if you’re planning on staying awhile), or remodel for resale. If you’re remodeling for resale, be thrifty, but don’t take shortcuts you shouldn’t take. If the cabinets are outdated, does it make sense to replace them all or is it wiser to refinish them for a fraction of the cost? Always go for granite or an upgraded solid surface countertop. It doesn’t have to be the top tier, most exotic, but it has to be solid surface. Talk to your real estate agent before you make any drastic decisions to make sure you get the biggest return on investment and build a kitchen that dazzles potential buyers.
10. STAGE IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT
Put everything in its place, get rid of bulky furniture, and stage your home to show how the rooms are supposed to be used. If you have a space in your home that is currently unused, give it a purpose. Make empty rooms into spare bedrooms, convert an open space near the kitchen into a breakfast nook or office space, or create a mudroom in that extra little room just inside an entryway. Potential buyers will linger on oddities and areas that distract from the flow of your home, so make sure each space is being used in a practical way.
11. ATTENTION TO DETAIL
“Outdated” is the metaphoric four-letter word of real estate. You already know the things I’m about to tell you, but their importance is incalculable, so here we go. Fresh paint in light, neutral colors (this doesn’t mean brown – enlist the help of a style-savvy friend if color isn’t your thing), update light fixtures, paint the trim white (unless it’s natural, stained wood), clean windows, fix leaky everything, refinish floors if necessary, fix anything that is visibly broken, make sure doors open and close properly, update cabinet knobs and hardware, and get rid of all the sore thumbs. The fewer things potential buyers add to their list of “Things to do” to your home, the more likely they are to view it as move-in ready.
12. MAKE YOUR HOME EASILY ACCESSIBLE
If no one is able to view your house in person, no one will offer to buy it. Make it easy for agents to get their clients into your home, even early in the morning, on weeknights, weekends and on short notice. If selling your home is a priority, then make it a priority to be flexible. Under virtually no circumstance should you be in your home while it is being shown to prospective buyers. Your presence will make them feel uncomfortable and intrusive. Without you there, they’ll be able to discuss your home openly and honestly. It might be a little hectic having to be out of your home on someone else’s schedule, but in the end, your home will sell much more quickly.
BONUS: NO SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET
This is a sneaky one. Buyers go through your home like they’re trying to solve a murder mystery. They snoop. They look behind every door. What are they looking for? Storage. They want to know that their life can fit neatly into your home’s space, with room to spare. Knowing what you know now, go through each and every closet and storage space, remove half of what’s there (more than half for some of you – you know who you are), and organize what’s left. Inadequate space is a huge turn-off, so tidy up and give potential buyers peace of mind.
BONUS: USE PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA AS A SELLING TOOL
Announce on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter that you are selling your home, include lots of enticing photographs, and encourage your friends to share your post. You never know who’s in the market to buy, and social networking is a great way to get the word out there.