Selling your home is going to take some work on your part, regardless if you sell it for sale by owner or if you use the services of a Realtor®. You can't just put up a yard sign, place an ad, and it's sold! It doesn't work like that. You need to begin by preparing the house for sale. This doesn't mean picking up the dirty clothes and clean out the garage and your ready.
This means that it's time for you to step back and look at your house as if you were a potential buyer and what they would look at.
It is important that you take your personal feelings out of it and really LOOK !
The one thing that even a Realtor® will tell you is to make a good first impression.
You don't get a second chance on a first impression, this is critical.
Beginning
Buyers will typically form an opinion within 10-15 minutes of seeing your home, so it is important that the outside be ready to go. Just imagine if you received a notice that
someone very important was coming to your house for dinner.
You would want your house to look it's absolute best because you are going to have camera crews, and numerous other people wandering throughout your home. Wouldn't you want everything to be absolutely spotless? Just think of your potential buyer as the most important guest you will ever have come through your home.
Inside We Go!
As you enter a house, what is the first thing that hits you? That's right, the smell. Psychologically, smells play an important role in a persons overall mood and impression. You can purchase potpourri that smells like pies cooking or like wild flowers. These are great in creating a regular homey atmosphere. If your home has a heat pump with air conditioning, then crank it up and acclimate your home to between 65-70 degrees. I guarantee that the buyer will notice that you have air conditioning, which is a great selling point.
How clean is your house? Are the windows clean inside and out? Go through the entire house and give it a solid cleaning. Scrub everything because you never know where your buyer is going to look.
Clean out all of your closets and storage spaces. Have yourself a nice big garage sale and get rid of all that stuff that you've been talking about throwing away for the past six months. By doing this, you open up those areas making them more appealing and spacious
( not to mention you might make a couple of bucks in the process ). The same holds true in the kitchen. Put away all of those appliances on the countertop. This will really open your kitchen up. If you have tons of furniture and if it looks crowded, remove some of it and put it in a storage unit, It's free to Find & price storage units and it's easy to do.
And this will also open up your living space.
Lets Go Outside
Go outside, walk across the street and look at your home objectively. Start at the roof and work your way down. Does your roof need reparing? From a Professional Contractor,
are there any shingles missing or siding missing, does the entire roof need to be replaced?
A roof is very important because many lenders will require a roof inspection be performed by licensed home inspectors, if it's an older home.
If an inspector comes out and finds a problem. Then you run the risk of holding up the entire deal. If you can have the roof inspected and make any of the necessary repairs prior to starting the selling process, you are ensuring yourself and your buyer of a smoother process.
Now work your way down the house. How are the gutters? Are they falling off or do they need to be cleaned? Cleaning your gutters may sound trival, but any little defect the buyer finds is a point against you. Pay attention to detail at all times. How is the siding and the paint?
Is the paint faded, chipped, or cracked? If so, then you may want to repaint the house.
If you can get away with some touch up painting, then do that. Only repaint the entire
house if it is absolutely necessary. If you need a local contractor,
How does the yard look? During the time that your house is on the market, you want to
ensure that your yard stays mowed and that you keep it free from any unwanted clutter.
Trim the edges of the lawn to give it that professionally landscaped look. If you can afford it,
hire a landscaper to come in and "spruce up" your yard. By adding some inexpensive flowers, such as pansies, you can add some color and freshness to your yard,
by visiting landscapeUSA, without breaking the bank. If your drive way is full of oil stains, then pressure wash it.
Now walk up to the front door. Is it clean? Does the doorbell work? If not, then fix it.
This falls back to when I mentioned "First impressions". If you have any pets that may normally chase intruders across the countryside, you may want to have them away while your home is on the market, or away at least when being showing, if possible. I think you should start to understand where I'm going with this. You need to really pay attention to the little things.
In a Nutshell
The areas of your home that you need to pay particular attention to are the kitchen and the bathrooms. These rooms are wha sell homes. Make sure that all of your cupboards are well organized and that there are no dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. Also, make sure if there are any toys in the home, that their all put away, and out of sight. Again these things may sound obvious and trivial but you would be amazed at how many people do little more than sweep and vacuum.
The bottom line is that the impression your buyer gets from your house, will determine whether or not they return to buy your house. Because if your home is not in it's best condition, the buyer may think that there may be problems with your home as well as them thinking that you may have neglected your home.
Once you have gotten a potential buyer intrested in your home, through a well-postioned internet advertisement. Your ready to show your home, Don't forget to open the blinds and curtains. Turn on all the lights in your home to make it as spacious and light as possible.
If you have children take them to a relatives or friends home and turn off all electrical distractions. Now all that's left is to smile and sell your home.
