Tips to help you sell your home quickly
The most common mistake made by unsuccessful sellers is to price their home higher than other homes they are competing against. This never works!
A lot of sellers think that buyers will always offer less money than what they are asking, so they build that into their asking price, hoping to sell for 5 or 10 thousand dollars, or sometimes percent, less than the asking price. But that will turn away a lot more buyers than it will attract. If a buyer thinks a home is over-priced compared to other homes they are considering, they will just ignore it.
A better strategy is to price your home 5 or 10 thousand dollars less than the nicest home you are competing against. You have a better chance of attracting more buyers that way, and maybe even get into a bidding war with multiple buyers who want to purchase your home.
If you are selling privately, remember that a lot of your competition will be losing about 5 percent of their selling price to real estate commissions, so you can afford to ask a little bit less money for your property, and still end up with more money in your pocket!
The first impression is the key impression
No matter how nice your home is on the inside, most buyers will make up their minds on whether they want to buy it or not when they first pull up in front to see it.
Make sure the outside of your home looks as good as it possibly can. In the summer, make sure the lawn is mowed, shrubs are trimmed, and the yard is neat and tidy.
Take a look at the exterior of your home as if you are seeing it for the first time before putting it on the market.
If there is anything that needs to be fixed or improved, do it before putting your home up for sale.
Beautify the outside as much as you can with shrubs or flowers, make sure garbage & recycling bins are stowed neatly in place, or out of sight, and do your best to make sure that first impression is a good one
De-clutter & de-personalize
A good thing to remember when you put your home up for sale, is that it no longer belongs to you. Once you post it for sale, you have to think that your home now belongs to someone else. You’re not sure who that is yet, but it is no longer you.
So, de-clutter, and de-personalize as much as you can.Take down family pictures and heirlooms, and package up anything you can to make your home look as de-cluttered as possible.
The more personal stuff you have in your home, the less potential buyers will be able to see themselves in your home.
You might want to consider hiring a professional home stager to arrange your furniture in a way that is most appealing to potential buyers, and to make sure your home shows in a way that is as attractive as possible to buyers
Focus on the kitchen
The room that is most important for most buyers is the kitchen. Make sure your kitchen looks as nice as it can.
If it needs upgrading, or new countertops or a backsplash, it will usually be money-well-spent to make improvements in your kitchen.
Having a “wow” kitchen can seal the deal for buyers who already like what they see on the outside of your home.
Make it warm & bright
Especially now, in the winter, make sure your home is warm and bright when buyers arrive.
Turn on all the lights, open the blinds, and turn the thermostat up a degree or two to make sure there is no chill in the air when buyers are touring your home.
Cleaning the windows is an easy way to make your home appear to sparkle just that little bit more, inside and out.
The same thing goes in the summer – but you want to make sure the home isn’t too warm on a hot summer day. If you have air conditioning, make sure the home is a relief from the heat on those hot summer days.
Always be ready for buyers
You need to have your home show-ready at all times, so that there is no scrambling to clean up for a buyer’s arrival, or worse yet, having to delay a showing because the house isn’t quite ready to show.
Right now, because of Covid-19, it probably isn’t a good idea to have an Open House, but once the pandemic is over, or at least under control, you will want to consider holding Open Houses as often as you can.
You want to give buyers every chance you can to come and see your home.During the pandemic, if a buyer wants to come for a viewing, make sure everyone is wearing masks, maintain social distancing, and have hand sanitizer available at the front door for when buyers come and go.
Be open and honest
One of the nice things about selling your home privately is that you get to meet the buyers.
Make sure you let them know about the features of your home that you love, and be open and honest if they ask any questions.
If you’ve had issues with the house in the past, don’t be afraid to let them know what they were, and how you dealt with them to make sure those problems won’t re-appear in the future.
If you can, take the buyer’s names and contact information so that you can contact them later.
