Real Estate Seller Tips
f
you are thinking of selling your home, chances are you're caught
up in a mass of emotions. You may be looking forward to moving up
to a new home or facing the uncertainty of a major move across
country. You may be reluctant to leave your memories behind or
eager to start new and exciting adventures. Remember, I am here to
help you with any of your needs. Call or e-mail me today!
Introduction
- Emotion vs. Reason
When
conversing with real estate agents, you will often find that when
they talk to you about buying real estate, they will refer to your
purchase as a "home." Yet if you are selling property,
they will often refer to it as a "house." There is a
reason for this. Buying real estate is often an emotional
decision, but when selling real estate you need to remove emotion
from the equation.
You
need to think of your house as a marketable commodity. Property.
Real estate. Your goal is to get others to see it as their
potential home, not yours. If you do not consciously make this
decision, you can inadvertently create a situation where it takes
longer to sell your property.
The
first step in getting your home ready to sell is to
"de-personalize" it.
De-personalize
the House
The
reason you want to "de-personalize" your home is because
you want buyers to view it as their potential home. When a
potential homebuyer sees your family photos hanging on the wall,
it puts your own brand on the home and momentarily shatters their
illusions about owning the house. Therefore, put away family
photos, sports trophies, collectible items, knick-knacks, and
souvenirs. Put them in a box. Rent a storage area for a few months
and put the box in the storage unit.
Do
not just put the box in the attic, basement, garage or a closet.
Part of preparing a house for sale is to remove
"clutter," and that is the next step in preparing your
house for sale.
Removing
Clutter, Though You May Not Think of it as Clutter
This
is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are
emotionally attached to everything in the house. After years of
living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may
not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the way
buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter
collects on shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets, garages,
attics, and basements.
Take
a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point
out areas of clutter, as long as you can accept their views
without getting defensive. Let your agent help you, too.
Kitchen
Clutter
The
kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter, because it is
an easy place to start. First, get everything off the counters.
Everything. Even the toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and
take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can store
everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may notice that
you do not have cabinet space to put everything. Clean them out.
The dishes, pots and pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box
and put that box in storage, too.
You
see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and drawers,
especially in the kitchen. They want to be sure there is enough
room for their "stuff." If your kitchen cabinets,
pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative
message to the buyer and does not promote an image of plentiful
storage space. The best way to do that is to have as much
"empty space" as possible.
For
that reason, if you have a "junk drawer," get rid of the
junk. If you have a rarely used crock pot, put it in storage. Do
this with every cabinet and drawer. Create open space.
If
you have a large amount of foodstuffs crammed into the shelves or
pantry, begin using them – especially canned goods. Canned goods
are heavy and you don’t want to be lugging them to a new house,
anyway – or paying a mover to do so. Let what you have on the
shelves determine your menus and use up as much as you can.
Beneath
the sink is very critical, too. Make sure the area beneath the
sink is as empty as possible, removing all extra cleaning
supplies. You should scrub the area down as well, and determine if
there are any tell-tale signs of water leaks that may cause a
homebuyer to hesitate in buying your home.
Closet
Clutter
Closets
are great for accumulating clutter, though you may not think of it
as clutter. We are talking about extra clothes and shoes –
things you rarely wear but cannot bear to be without. Do without
these items for a couple of months by putting them in a box,
because these items can make your closets look "crammed
full." Sometimes there are shoeboxes full of
"stuff" or other accumulated personal items, too.
Furniture
Clutter
Many
people have too much furniture in certain rooms – not too much
for your own personal living needs – but too much to give the
illusion of space that a homebuyer would like to see. You may want
to tour some builders’ models to see how they place furniture in
the model homes. Observe how they place furniture in the models so
you get some ideas on what to remove and what to leave in your
house.
Storage
Area Clutter
Basements,
garages, attics, and sheds accumulate not only clutter, but junk.
These areas should be as empty as possible so that buyers can
imagine what they would do with the space. Remove anything that is
not essential and take it to the storage area.
Or
have a garage sale.
Fixing
Up the House Interior
Plumbing
and Fixtures
All
your sink fixtures should look shiny and new. If this cannot be
accomplished by cleaning, buy new ones where needed. If you
don’t buy something fancy, this can be accomplished
inexpensively and they are fairly easy to install. Make sure all
the hot and cold water knobs are easy to turn and that the faucets
do not leak. If they do, replace the washers. It is not difficult
at all.
Check
to make sure you have good water pressure and that there are no
stains on any of the porcelain. If you have a difficult stain to
remove, one trick is to hire a cleaning crew to go through and
clean your home on a one-time basis. They seem to be wonderful at
making stains go away.
Ceilings,
Walls and Painting
Check
all the ceilings for water stains. Sometimes old leaks leave
stains, even after you have repaired the leak. Of course, if you
do have a leak, you will have to get it repaired, whether it is a
plumbing problem or the roof leaks.
You
should do the same for walls, looking for not only stains, but
also areas where dirt has accumulated and you just may not have
noticed. Plus, you may have an outdated color scheme.
Painting
can be your best investment when selling your home. It is not a
very expensive operation and often you can do it yourself. Do not
choose colors based on your own preferences, but based on what
would appeal to the widest possible number of buyers. You should
almost always choose an off-white color because white helps your
rooms appear bright and spacious.
Carpet
and Flooring
Unless
your carpet appears old and worn, or it is definitely an outdated
style or color, you probably should do nothing more than hire a
good carpet cleaner. If you do choose to replace it, do so with
something inexpensive in a fairly neutral color.
Repair
or replace broken floor tiles, but do not spend a lot of money on
anything. Remember, you are not fixing up the place for yourself.
You want to move. Your goal is simply to have as few negative
impressions upon those who may want to purchase your property.
Windows
and Doors
Check
all of your windows to make sure they open and close easily. If
not, a spray of WD40 often helps. Make sure there are no cracked
or broken windowpanes. If there are, replace them before you begin
showing your home.
Do
the same things with the doors – make sure they open and close
properly, without creaking. If they do, a shot of WD40 on the
hinges usually makes the creak go away. Be sure the doorknobs turn
easily, and that they are cleaned and polished to look sharp. As
buyers go from room to room, someone opens each door and you want
to do everything necessary to create a positive impression.
Odor
Control
For
those who smoke, you might want to minimize smoking indoors while
trying to sell your home. You could also purchase an ozone spray
that helps to remove odors without creating a masking odor.
Pets
of all kinds create odors that you may have become used to, but
are immediately noticeable to those with more finely tuned
olfactory senses. For those with cats, be sure to empty kitty
litter boxes daily. There are also products that you can sprinkle
in a layer below the kitty litter that helps to control odor. For
those with dogs, keep the dog outdoors as much as possible. You
might also try sprinkling carpet freshener on the carpet on a
periodic basis.
Costs
of Repairs
Do
not do anything expensive, such as remodeling. If possible, use
savings to pay for any repairs and improvements – do not go
charging up credit cards or obtaining new loans. Remember that
part of selling a house is also preparing to buy your next home.
You do not want to do anything that will affect your credit scores
or hurt your ability to qualify for your next mortgage
Fixing
Up Outside the House
Most
real estate advice tells you to work on the outside of the house
first, but unless there is a major project involved, we believe it
is best to do it last. There are two main reasons for this. First,
the first steps in preparing the interior of the house are easier.
They also help develop the proper mind set required for selling -
beginning to think of your "home" as a marketable
commodity. Second, the exterior is the most important. A
homebuyer’s first impression is based on his or her view of the
house from the real estate agent’s car.
So
take a walk across the street and take a good look at your house.
Look at nearby houses, too, and see how yours compares.
Landscaping
Is
your landscaping at least average for the neighborhood? If it is
not, buy a few bushes and plant them. Do not put in trees. Mature
trees are expensive, and you will not get back your investment.
Also, immature trees do not really add much to the appearance
value of the home.
If
you have an area for flowers, buy mature colorful flowers and
plant them. They add a splash of vibrancy and color, creating a
favorable first impression. Do not buy bulbs or seeds and plant
them. They will not mature fast enough to create the desired
effect and you certainly don’t want a patch of brown earth for
homebuyers to view.
Your
lawn should be evenly cut, freshly edged, well watered, and free
of brown spots. If there are problems with your lawn, you should
probably take care of them before working on the inside of your
home. This is because certain areas may need re-soding, and you
want to give it a chance to grow so that re-sod areas are not
immediately apparent. Plus, you might want to give fertilizer
enough time to be effective. Always rake up loose leaves and grass
cuttings.
House
Exterior
The
big decision is whether to paint or not to paint. When you look at
your house from across the street, does it look tired and faded?
If so, a paint job may be in order. It is often a very good
investment and really spruces up the appearance of a house, adding
dollars to offers from potential homebuyers.
When
choosing a color, it should not be something garish and unusual,
but a color that fits well in your neighborhood. Of course, the
color also depends on the style of your house, too. For some
reason, different shades of yellow seem to illicit the best
response in homebuyers, whether it is in the trim or the basic
color of the house.
As
for the roof, if you know your house has an old leaky roof,
replace it. If you do not replace a leaky roof, you are going to
have to disclose it and the buyer will want a new roof, anyway.
Otherwise, wait and see what the home inspector says. Why spend
money unnecessarily?
The
Back Yard
The
back yard should be tidy. If you have a pool or spa, keep it
freshly maintained and constantly cleaned. For those that have
dogs, be sure to constantly keep the area clear of
"debris." If you have swing sets or anything elaborate
for your kids, it probably makes more sense to remove them than to
leave them in place. They take up room, and you want your back
yard to appear as spacious as possible, especially in newer homes
where the yards are not as large.
The
Front Door & Entryway
The
front door should be especially sharp, since it is the entryway
into the house. Polish the door fixture so it gleams. If the door
needs refinishing or repainting, make sure to get that done.
If
you have a cute little plaque or shingle with your family name on
it, remove it. Even if it is just on the mailbox. You can always
put it up again once you move. Get a new plush door mat, too. This
is something else you can take with you once you move.
Make sure the lock works easily
and the key fits properly. When a homebuyer comes to visit your
home, the agent uses the key from the lock box to unlock the door.
If there is trouble working the lock while everyone else stands
around twiddling their thumbs, this sends a negative first
impression to prospective homebuyers.
|
Home