Getting Your House Ready to Sell

Here are some tips that will help you to get more money for your home and sell it faster.

A. Improve Your Curb Appeal:
1. Repair wood rot on the exterior and have your house painted if it needs it. Stay away from bold colors.
2. Have the roof washed if there are black streaks of mold on the shingles. These black streaks make a buyer think it needs replacing.
3. Clean the windows and replace any glass that shows broken seals. Fogging or moisture between the glass panes indicate broken seals.
4. Clean up and enhance the landscaping.

B. Beautify the interior of your home.
1. Paint rooms in Pottery Barn colors. Consult a colorist to select the right paint colors.
2. Have your home staged to make it look like a model home. Buyers want to be able to picture themselves living in a model home.
3. Replace plumbing fixtures and light switches and outlets to freshen up a newer look.
4. Declutter; less is more.
5. Have the hardwood floors refinished and carpets steam cleaned.

C. Remodeling
You will get back almost all your money on a kitchen and bathroom remodel. Today’s buyer wants to move into a house that is move-in ready. They are just like you in this regard. Do not be the house that helps sell your competition’s house.

D. Price To Sell
You will receive the most interest in your home in the first 10 days on the market. If it shows well and is priced well, it will sell immediately. If not, you may experience price erosion over several months while it sits on the market. Your house will be used to sell the ones that are updated and staged well. Then the market begins to ask what is wrong with your house and why has it not sold.

E. Hire a Top Performing Experienced Realtor
About 80% of real estate business is sold by the top 15% to 20% of all agents. The really good ones achieved this level of performance by hard work, experience, investing money in smart marketing and building a brand over many years. Top agents generally have a team behind them to act as transaction coordinators, good marketing people, assistants and internet developers. The day of the single agent being able to compete at this level are gone. Success breeds success and volume generates more marketing dollars to spend.
You will enhance your chances of maximizing the value for your home by choosing the right agent. Remember that a good realtor at the top of their game can advise you on a price range on your home but in the end it is the market that will tell you what your house is worth. Your house is worth what someone is willing to pay.
Some home owners will have their own home inspection performed by a licensed inspector to help them repair the flaws before the buyer walks through the door. They will look for pest damage, wood rot, mold, poor attic ventilation, leaks, electrical problems, structural and mechanical issues. Remember though that you and your realtor by law are required to disclose ALL material knowledge about your house to prospective buyers.
The one thing you can not control is location. Real estate is always about location (neighborhood) first and foremost followed by the lot, curb appeal and the house itself.