Finding the right real estate agent to partner with to market your home is the first step and one that should not be taken lightly. But, the selling process shouldn’t be placed entirely in your agent’s lap.
There are a few things that you can do to make your house standout in the crowd. Sometimes the competition comes down to a few simple things you can do.
1 – Declutter
This is going to be a lot of work, get help, recruit friends and family, or find a good handyman/laborer.
Pack up all of the extra items, dishes, appliances, boxes. Rent a storage unit for several months to store your items until the sale of the house.
Clear the items off of your counters, islands and tables. Buyers want to see a clean bright kitchen.
Limit the number of magazine and books on the tables, move the others to storage.
2 – Depersonalize
Remove all personal items, photographs, ashtrays, bags, etc. We want the buyers to picture themselves living in your house. Having pictures of your kids and family hanging on the wall or sitting on the table doesn’t help them visualize their life here.
Remove political, religious and sports items if possible.
3 – Fix It!
Try to fix any items that are visibly broken or not functioning correctly. The inspection will find 99% of the broken items, fix it now.
Squeaky steps, floors, nail pops, windows, doors…
If you fix it now, a buyer won’t be worried about getting it fixed later.
4 – Make it look like New
Replace all of the power receptacle covers, switch covers and even switches so they all match in color and style. Replace light bulbs, paint trim, touch up doors and windows so everything looks fresh.
For even more bang for your buck, have your interior painted a neutral color throughout. The neutral color is extremely important to the buyer’s first impression, the smell of the paint gives them the feeling they are in a new house.
5 – Consider a professional stager
A home stager is responsible for preparing a home for sale. The goal of staging a home is to make it more appealing while still allowing the potential buyers to envision putting their own personal touch on the property.
A staged home will sell quicker than an unstaged home in most situations.
6- Hide the pets
If you have a friend or relative that can take care of your pet during the sale cycle, it can avoid a buyer who has pet allergies crossing the house off of their list to because it made them sneeze.
Hide the pet toys, food dishes and beds.
Yes, even the really, really cute ones!
If you would like any more ideas about how to get top dollar for you home, keep perusing my blogs or just call me at 850-203-0462.
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Karen
