10 Home Selling Strategies

You’re anxious, worried and feeling as if you’ve lost all control. Your stomach is in knots and you have no appetite. You sit by the phone nervously, waiting for it to ring. These are the unmistakable symptoms of someone who has either: 1) fallen in love for the first time, or 2) put a house up for sale.
If you happen to be lovesick, you’re on your own. But, if you’re selling your house, there are steps you can take to ready the property–and yourself–for the sale.
First, you need to prepare psychologically. Once your home is on the market, learn to think of it as a commodity of certain value. Your job is to organize and present that commodity so it’s attractive to potential buyers.
Unfortunately, letting go of a home can be an excruciating experience. The sellers’ motivation plays a key role in their emotional attachment to the house. If they’re selling a house they love because of a job transfer, or leaving a family home after many years, the emotional ties can be extremely difficult to break
Keeping sentiments in check is advisable because it allows you to make smart, clearheaded decisions. Buying and selling a home are easily the largest, most nerve-wracking transactions you’ll ever complete. So, in order to sell your home quickly and at the highest price, keep your emotions under control and work closely with an experienced real estate agent.

Ready, Set, Show
The three most important factors in selling any home are location, condition and price. Now, you can’t do much about your home’s location, and the real estate agent will suggest a listing price. However, you can do quite a bit about the condition of your home, starting outside the door.

1: Prep the exterior A prospective buyer’s first impression of your home is formed the instant he pulls into the driveway or clicks on its image on a Web site. Stand back and look at your  house with a fresh eye, just as a buyer would. Take note of anything that needs to be cleaned, fixed or removed, and pay particular attention to obvious, highly noticeable areas. Buyers can be turned off simply because the front door is dirty and scuffed up.

  • Start by making sure the lawn is clean and trimmed. Tidy up shrubs and remove dead and broken limbs from trees. Add mulch to flowerbeds and plant brightly colored flowers during the warmer months.
  • Give a tired-looking asphalt driveway a fresh coat of sealer, and brighten concrete with a pressure washer. Freshen up a gravel driveway by raking existing gravel over bare patches.
  • Sweep paths and put away all items, such as lawnmowers, garden hoses, sprinklers, wheelbarrows and the like. And while I realize that one person’s junk is another’s treasure, no one is impressed by a ’76 Ford Pinto resting on concrete blocks. Tow it away.
  • When it comes to the house itself, it’s important to fix all obvious eyesores, such as tilting shutters, sagging gutters, dented downspouts and wobbly railings. Pressure-wash the siding and clean every window, inside and out. For larger improvements, such as roofing, windows or repainting, you may need to call in a licensed contractor. However, it could make more sense to lower the sale price rather than make the repairs. An experienced Realtor will be able to advise you on the best course.

2: Prep the interior The two best ways to spruce up the interior are to paint the walls and remove or replace old carpeting.

  • When repainting, play it safe and choose light, neutral colors. Dark colors might be dramatic, but they tend to make rooms look smaller and–surprise!–darker.
  • When it comes to badly worn carpeting, it’s an easy call: Tear it out. If you find hardwood flooring, have it refinished, if necessary. If there’s a bare subfloor, install new carpeting or a finished floor. Carpet that’s simply dirty should be steam cleaned.
  • Check the operation of every door and window, examine closets, and fix sagging shelves and cracked clothes rods. Be sure all light fixtures and wall switches work.

3: Kill the clutter I’m sure you’re very proud of your 800-piece PEZ dispenser collection, but to a prospective buyer–and please don’t take this personally–it’s just a distracting bunch of junk. So, take this opportunity, since you’ll be moving anyway, to pack up or pass along every nonessential item. The result will be rooms that look cleaner, more organized and larger than they actually are.

  • Start by thinning bookshelves and cleaning out china hutches and other cabinets with glass doors. Organize closets and clear the kitchen counter of small appliances, canisters, spice jars and the like. If the refrigerator is obscured behind a mass of magnets, photos and school projects, clean it off.
  • Too much furniture can clutter up a room. By removing a piece or two from each room, you’ll not only make the spaces seem bigger and less cluttered, but you’ll also improve traffic flow.
  • And, don’t forget the basement, garage, laundry room, deck and patio. Remember, we’re going for clean and uncluttered, not sterile. Many Realtors subscribe to the 50 percent rule, meaning you should clear out at least half your junk–I mean, treasured memorabilia.

A new and increasingly popular way to eliminate clutter is to hire a professional home stager. Stagers prepare your home by thinning out much of your stuff, rearranging furniture, and adding rugs, paintings, pillows and other decorative accessories. If this idea appeals to you, ask your real estate agent to recommend someone.

4: Depersonalize Many buyers can’t imagine themselves living in a house if everywhere they look they see you and your family. Therefore, reduce the number of family photos, portraits, monogrammed items and other personal effects that are on display. Again, you don’t have to remove all photos, but you should drastically reduce their number.

5: Focus on the kitchen and bath The likelihood of a home selling is largely based upon the condition of the kitchen and bathrooms.

  • In the kitchen, start by cleaning both the outside and inside of all appliances, especially the refrigerator and oven. Wipe dirt and cooking grease from the cabinet doors, drawer faces and range hood. Scrub the sink clean and polish the faucet.
  • In the bath, clean all the obvious surfaces and organize the linen closet. Put out fresh towels, hang a new shower curtain and clean smudges from mirrors. Fix leaky faucets, clean tile grout and check to be sure that all toilets flush properly.

6: Check mechanicals You must also ensure that all of the mechanical systems are operating correctly. This includes the plumbing, electrical, air-conditioning, heating and hot-water equipment. If any component is defective, have it repaired or updated by a licensed contractor. Remember, a serious buyer will hire a home inspector to test these systems. Making repairs ahead of time will reduce the chances of a bad report, which could cause a buyer to back out of the deal or offer less money for the house.

7: Clean everything

  • Prior to a showing, vacuum or mop the floors and dust the furniture. It’s also a good idea to clean the stairs leading to the second floor.
  •  Clean the inside of all the windows, and use a long-handled feather duster to clean cobwebs from the ceiling.
  • Pay particular attention to the entrance area the Realtor and buyer will use. First impressions are lasting and you don’t want a buyer to walk in to see a floor strewn with shoes, boots and backpacks.

8: Control pets Dogs, no matter how small and cute, should never be left in the house during a showing. No one can concentrate on viewing a house while being chased, tail-whipped, barked at and licked.

And although cats aren’t as problematic as dogs, they too should be controlled to prevent them from scurrying out the door as the Realtor walks in. If you absolutely must leave a cat or dog in the house, rent or buy a crate or carrier for your pet, and locate it in a quiet, out-of-the-way spot. Be sure to tell the Realtor where you placed the animal.

9: Be ready to show The exact times and days that a Realtor can show your house can be negotiated, but being available at a moment’s notice will greatly increase your chances of selling quickly. On the day of the showing, open all window shades, drapes and blinds, empty all trash cans and wastebaskets, and eliminate odors by opening windows or heating some potpourri. Turn on several interior lights to give the house a bright, lived-in look and set the thermostat at a comfortable temperature. Finally, lock away all valuables, including purses, jewelry and portable electronics.

10: Get out of the way The last step is simple, yet extremely important. When a Realtor is coming over to show the house, leave. Take a walk, visit a neighbor, drive around the neighborhood, go to a laundromat and watch clothes spin-it doesn’t matter what you do, but get out of the house. When evaluating a home, buyers must be able to speak freely to their agent, and feel comfortable enough to open cabinets, look inside closets and turn on faucets.

Leave a phone number where you can be reached, and ask the agent to call when the showing is over. Keep in mind that there’s no way for an agent to predict exactly how long the process will take. A less interested buyer might be in and out in a matter of minutes, while others might spend an hour or more, especially if it’s a return visit.

 

By Joseph Truini  -  The DIY Guy