Selling Your Home

Before you stick a “for sale” sign up in your yard, it’s always a good idea to develop a home selling plan. This includes your reason for selling your home, whether it’s because you’re relocating, need to sell, or your family has outgrown the home you’re in now. That’s why I have put together a step-by-step plan that can help you make wise decisions as you prepare your home for the real estate market. Below are a few excerpts from my overall plan which we will implement if you decide to list with me.

Some Common Home Selling Mistakes:

1. Offering your home at the wrong price. How much is my house worth is the first question you should ask before putting your home on the market.

Pricing a home to sell is an art. Part of the market value is based on comparable sales, but other factors to consider include market movement, demand, the home’s location and its condition. To find out how much your home is worth, please contact me for a no obligation analysis.

2. Making small price reductions often.

The longer a house is on the market, the harder it is to sell. Instead of making little price reductions over a span of time, it may be best to look at similar properties in the area and then slash your price by 10% giving you the competitive advantage.

3. Waiting until the market improves.

If you need to sell your home and you’re just waiting for the market to get better, then you are waiting with thousands of others. If you want to sell your home, then do it now. There will never be a “perfect time” to sell. Please contact me whether you decide to sell your own home or hire a real estate agent. I will showcase your for sale by owner (fsbo) listing on my website for free, or provide the information you need to consider me as a possible Realtor for you.

4. Showing your home before you’re ready.

As part of your home selling plan you should be getting rid of the clutter and preparing your home for its new buyers. I also offer a home staging service that will really help spruce up your home. Please see “staging your home” for more information.

5. Not taking the first bid.

Unless your first bite is way under priced you should seriously consider your first bid. You may naturally assume that there will be bigger and better offers just around the corner, but often the first one is the best one you’ll receive. It’s something to consider.

Getting Your House Ready to Sell

The first part of your home selling plan is preparing your house to sell. The following is a checklist that you can use to make your house ideal for prospective buyers.

√  Make your house anonymous. Put away family photos, trophies, name plates or anything that that identifies the home as yours. You want the potential buyers to picture it as their new home.

√  Remove the clutter. You can rent temporary storage space if necessary, but you want the closets, the cabinets and the overall house to look spacious and big. Clutter just makes it look small and crowded. This includes rooms with too much furniture or furniture that looks too big for the area.

√  The rest of the house interior. Make sure that everything is clean and fresh with no pet or smoke odors. Look at your plumbing and fixtures to ensure everything works. Your potential buyers will surely be testing them. Also ensure that carpet, walls and paint look fresh and not dirty.

√  Fixing the exterior of the home. You’ve heard of “curb appeal,” which is how your house looks when you drive by. Make sure its shingles, gutters and windows are fixed and look in tip-top shape. You don’t have to re-landscape, but some flowers or shrubs may brighten up the front giving your home more appeal. Also keep the lawn trimmed often in the summer.

√  The front door. The first impression is very important and your front door is the first thing potential buyers will notice in detail. It’s a good idea to get a new doormat and make sure the door is painted and in good shape. You should also remove any name plates to help keep the house anonymous.

I can help you prepare your home and give you professional advice needed during the entire selling process. When you’re ready to put together a home selling plan call me at 317.506.4450, and I’ll help you get through it quickly and painlessly.

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