50 Tips for selling your home

50 TIPS

FOR SELLING YOUR HOME

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

We only get one chance to make a good 1st impression. No matter how good the interior looks, buyers have already judged your home even before stepping foot inside. It’s important to make people feel warm, welcome and safe as they approach your home.

1

Freshen your landscape by adding mulch and flowers. If there is a pot, there must be a flower.

2 Remove old and overgrown bushes and trees. If the buyer can’t see it, I can’t sell it!

3

Itsy bitsy spider... make sure the house is free and clear of obstacles and spider webs.

4 Replace old hardware on the front door. Make sure the lock opens easily and that handles are in the correct orientation.

5 Clean all exterior lights and make sure all bulbs are working.

6 Paint your front door. The color of your front door says a lot without speaking...

Red - Welcome

Yellow - Energy

Orange - Warmth

Blue - Trust

Eggplant - Royalty

Aqua - Friendly

7 Fix all walkways and driveways to insure no trip hazards. Power washas needed.

8 Bright and white trim looks fresh and clean.

KITCHENS & BATHS SELL HOMES

IN THE KITCHEN IN THE BATHROOM

9 Update the drawer pulls and cabinet knobs. It is important to be consistent throughout your home, choose one finish for the whole house.

10

Some cabinets may benefit from being painted or re-facing if the cabinet box is in great shape.

11 Matching appliances. 12 Swap out your old countertops with granite or quartz. Regardless of your home’s price range, buyers want to be wowed by stone!

13

Consider updating the sink and faucet. Farm sinks and pullout spray faucets are all the rage.

14

De-clutter the countertops and store all small appliances that aren’t used daily.

15

Keep cooking foods with distinctive smells to a minimum. What makes your mouth water, may turn up the buyer’s nose.

16 Stage with white towels; a lot of them.

17 Change outdated lighting.

18 Add new and stylish drawer and cabinet pulls. Remember, keep it consistent.

19 Remove the big outdated mirror and replace with a framed mirror. Or, if you are crafty, paint or stain moldings and add them around the perimeter to stimulate the frame look.

20 Add crisp white shower curtain to update and amplify the spa look.

21

Consider adding a seamless shower door. Nothing says updated like seamless.

22 Keep bathroom counters and the shower area neat and clean. Personal items should be at a minimum.

23

EDIT IT OUT & LIGHT IT UP

DE-CLUTTER MAXIMIZE LIGHT

While de-cluttering is the least expensive, it has the most impact. Remember, potential buyers can’t see themselves in your home with your stuff.

24

Plan ahead! If you are thinking of selling during the height of the spring market, don’t wait to start cleaning. 6-12 months ahead of time is not too early to start.

Too much clutter is distracting to the buyer. Instead of remembering the faboulous stone fireplace, all they remember are the 50 photos of Uncle Bob on the mantle. 26

25

Simplified spaces help the buyer easily visualize their furniture and their family in the living room. 27

Organize and edit those closets. Remember, light to dark, left to right, and top to bottom! 28

Remove heavy or dark draperies. For selling, we want buyers to see light, bright and happy radiating through the windows.

29 30 31

Trim back any foliage that is covering windows. Refer to tip two! I can’t sell it, if the buyers can’t see it.

Clean your windows. Many times buyers think the window is defective or fogged, and it is nothing more than a few years of dust. Remember, the buyer is always looking for that shiny penny!

No burned-out light bulbs allowed! Every fixture should have consistent lightbulbs. Soft white bulbs should be consistent throughout.

32 Repair and clean screens.

33

Place a mirror on a wall adjacent to a window or opposite a window to maximize that sunshine.

NOTHING SAYS CRISPY LIKE A FRESH COAT OF PAINT...

PAINT IN THE BATHROOM

Most, if not all home buyers in any price range cringe when they spot a dingy wall in a prospective home. They anticipate a huge mess and expensive inconvenience. Although, sellers tell us that they are willing to offer a credit to compensate buyers for this, most buyers just can’t see past it when viewing photos online and may just click “next”. 35 36

37

Get advice from our color expert to help you choose. You want it to feel inviting and evoke the emotions of warmth and happiness.

34

Even if buyers can see past the painting, be prepared for them to over estimate the cost of repainting. Many will add in some extra “hassle bucks”. For the most positive impact, you should freshen the paint.

Painting can be one of the least expensive preparations that can make the most impact. Choose colors that appeal to the masses. While you love an orange dining room, most buyers may not have your sense of adventure.

38

If you have a home with dark stained moldings and windows, paint these moldings bright white. Even though you may love the look of dark wood trim, today’s buyers generally doesn’t. The dark wood crown moldings define the ceiling height, which can make the room feel less spacious. Online photos with dark trim can make most buyers feel like the home is dated. This may cause them to skip right over your home, even though this is a minor home issue.

39

Do you have white wood spindles from the 90’s? Think about painting them matte black from Benjamin Moore. Get the look of iron for a fraction of the cost.

40

PREPARING THE BACKYARD & POOL

OUTSIDE LANDSCAPE

Give the backyard the same curb appeal treatment you would give the front. Backyards are a big deal for buyers. The backyard is where the entertaining happens and is a huge source of pride for homeonwners.

41

Add pots of colored flowers and manicured landscaping. But don’t go crazy, we do not want the buyer to think too much maintenance.

43

Remove or hide dog houses, kennels, children’s toys and play equipment. Those items are how you live in your house, not how you sell it.

44

Replace dated and discolored outdoor furniture. Get new cushions for a fresh and crispy look.

42

Remove the BBQ cover and thoroughly clean the inside. Why?

You’re not leaving your grill... True, but if it is unclean with food debris it is attracting bugs not buyers!

45

Store away inflatables, noodles, and other pool toys. We want that pool looking clean and spotless. The only thing we want the buyer to see in that pool is themselves.

46

Have the pool professionally opened and cleaned during listing.

KNOW THE MARKET & HAVE YOUR HOME INSPECTED+ APPRAISED

THE MARKET PRICING

47

Try not to factor your own emotional feelings for your home when evaluating its market value. Be objective and realistic. This strategy will give you, the seller, more control in the sale.

50

48

Know the market. It is important and valuable to be aware of the current inventory of homes for sale, as these homes may represent your competition when you are ready to sell.

49

Have your home inspected prior to listing. A licensed home inspector is a valued advisor that can save you time and money in the long run. It gives you the opportunity to fix these distracting small issues, as well as remediate any larger concerns that are uncovered.

Setting a competitive price in today’s market is imperative. Pricing your home at slightly below market can lead to a multiple offer situation resulting in a sale over the list price. Having an appraisal prior to listing (like the buyer’s lender will require at contract) can help us through the negotiations and closing process.

Bonus Tip...

Have you done some improvements yourself that are incomplete, unfinished or just not quite up to snuff? Hire a professional handyman to come in and bring those items up to code and complete. Nothing says cha-ching to a buyer more than unfinished DIY projects.