Things To Do Before You Sell Your House
Sell Your House Faster And For Money: Things To Do Before You Sell Your House
In order to make the most of selling your home, it is important to know what things to do before you sell your house. Gone are the days when you erect a “for sale” sign on the lawn and wait for a buyer. With changing technology, your home is dependant on how it showcases online. In fact many realtors will tell you to consider who is your target market a.k.a “who will most likely buy your house” before preparing your house for sale.
As daunting and intimidating all of this information sounds, the long and short of it can be broken down into simple things to do before you sell your house, which will help you to keep pace. If you are someone who likes to use acronyms to stay on task, this acronym will ensure you guaranteed success for any buyer and any home. Remember the term KEEP PACE and you’ll surely sell your house faster and for more money.
Things To Do Before You Sell Your House
- Key ~ Have An Extra Key Cut So You And Your Agent Each Have A Key. One sure way to increase the chances for a successful sale is to increase the number of potential buyers to view your home. If you only have one key for your house, chances are you will need that key from time to time therefore have an extra key cut to allow your agent to install a lock box. A lock box will permit buyers and their agents to view your house when you are unable to be home thus increasing the likelihood of finding that buyer.
- Enlighten ~ Be Sure When You Put Home Up For Display You “Enlighten” The Buyer As To What Makes Your House More Desirable Than The Next. A sure fire way to get a bigger bang for your buck is to shed light on the key selling features of your home. For example, your house has a fireplace. For some buyers this is a luxury and they would be willing to pay more just to have a fireplace. In this case hang a nice picture or a mirror over the fireplace. This will not only dress up your unique selling feature and your home but will also draw the buyer’s eye to the fireplace. These things to do before you sell your house acts like a subtle hint to the buyer, “buy me”.
- Entice ~ Entice The Buyer By Making The House Feel Less Like A House And More Like A Home. Never underestimate the power of toss cushions, throws and pictures. Although it may be implied, soft fabrics, area rugs and textures soften not only the visual impression of the house but also softens the sounds a buyer will make as they move through the space. Echoing foot steps and hard surfaces make a house feel cold and uninviting. Soft textures are warm, inviting and enticing.
- Paint ~ One Of The Top Three Things Buyers Look For Today When Shopping For a House Is A Fresh Coat Of Paint. Buyers want a home that is “move-in” ready. One of the cheapest improvements you make to your home that will create a more pleasing impression to buyers is a fresh coat of paint. This tells buyers this house has been cared for. It also relieves a buyer there is one less thing they need to do when they move in.
- Price ~ Price Your House Right From The Start. The most crucial and important thing you can do before you sell your house is price your house right. Beware of the monsters of greed when choosing an agent and choosing a price. All to often I see sellers lose tens of thousands of dollars because they will choose the agent to list their house who quoted them the highest price. Sadly there are agents who have a lucrative real estate career preying on “greedy” sellers who do not have a realistic impression of what their house is worth. Those agents never get those sellers the price they quoted, instead after 3-4 weeks on the market with little to no activity and no offers the agent tells the seller to lower their price and from there it becomes a slippery slope. No one wants the house no one else wants. The short story is the house become stigmatised as the “unwanted” house and ends up selling for considerably less than if they had priced it right from the beginning. What can you do to avoid is unfortunate mishap? Start going to open houses in your area, including your neighbours. Get a feel for what the local market is selling for. If a house sells don’t be shy, contact the listing agent and ask what the house sold for, they’ll tell you. It is important to educate yourself before you meet with agents.
- Always ~ Always Be Ready For Showings. Some people will take a vacation during the showing period in order that buyers with difficult schedules can still get in to see your home. If people can’t get in to see your house they are not going to present you with an offer. If you cannot take a vacation, then have a meeting place for the family, make sure you are out and the house is clean, beds are made, toilets flushed and ready for showing.
- Clean and De-clutter ~ Remove Or Store Unwanted Or Furniture And Have Your House Professionally Cleaned Before You List. This is a must of things to do before you sell your house. Too much clutter will make your house feel small and a dirty house is not only distracting but will turn people off. The idea is to warmly draw people in to your house not scare them away.
- Empty ~ Never Underestimate The Power Of Storage Space. This couldn’t be a better time to purge and lean out your personal items and is also rated one of the top three things buyers look for: storage space. Not to mention, you will have a tough move to your next house by packing and bringing everything including the kitchen sink. You will be amazed how items you no longer wear or use will get old fast when you start packing. Be sure to make this a must for things to do before you sell your house and dump them rather than move them.