7 Steps to Sell Your Home

Are you trying to sell your home or are thinking about it?  Here are seven steps privided from FNC imag to consider prior to allowing us to put a sign in your yard. 

1. Clutter


Clutter = equity. Shown clutter eats up space, making your house look smaller. Plus, the act of moving requires you to purge all of your clutter, so it's best to get it out of the way!

2. Dirt

Going to an open house is like going on a first date. You'll notice all of the imperfections. The home should be "Q-Tip Clean," meaning every crevice should be spotless: the bottom of the toilet, the faucets, light switch plates, windowsills, etc.

3. Bills

If a potential buyer sees that you owe $3000, he'll think, "Oh, this person must be desperate to sell!" And this will make the buyer less apt to bid up on your home. Put all personal papers and bills in baskets with lids or in drawers.

4. Photos

Photos are family wallpaper. You don't pay attention to them, but buyers will. And every second they are looking at your pictures, they aren't looking at your house.

5. Smells

If your house smells bad, people will turn around and leave. This should be of particular concern to smokers and people with pets. Make sure to air out your home and light scented candles if necessary.

6. Extreme Temperature

Your house should be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If a house is too hot or too cold, the potential buyer will want to get out of there as soon as possible.

7. Messy Exterior

You can't sell it if you can't see it! Go across the street and look at your house from your neighbor's home. Is the paint job intact? Are the shutters secure? What does the roof look like? Make sure the lawn is mowed, the trees and bushes are trimmed and put garbage barrels in the garage or out of view. Spray off residual dirt from the side of your house and walkways.

The Price is Right

One of the most difficult things to do as a homeowner is to determine the value of a home. As a homeowner, we have a vested interest in the house thus have an emotional interest in the value. We may have watched our children grow up in the house and have put a lot of love, sweat and tears in the house thus we're attached to it. All this emotional connection, unfortunately, tends to hinder our ability to look at our house realistically and with fresh eyes. The things that we've overlooked in our homes over the years and feel are no big deal will not be overlooked by a buyer and will be a big deal to them. In addition having up-to-date information about the market is essential to getting a house priced right to sell and though it's getting easier to find, it's still something that takes practice. Also, the value of a house is often different from what a buyer is willing to pay for a house. One would think they are the same, but if they were there would be no negotiations necessary when buying a home. All we would have to do is have the home appraised and say this is the price.

These are some of the reasons that a real estate professional is a good choice when determining your home value whether you sell it by owner or with their assistance. A real estate agent should have access to all the homes in an area that have recently sold and all the data that surrounds that. Many homeowners think that just because a house "down the street" sold for a certain amount that their home should sell for "at least that amount" but probably more. But without knowing all the details in the sale of that home can really distort the true value of that sale. Some simple things like how long it was on the market, what kind of financing, what was the seller's motivation, and the buyer's history can all play a vital role in determining the selling price of that home. Many homeowners rely on how many square feet their home has in comparison to others but square footage is only one small part of determining the value of a home so you can't only rely on that.

So, why is this so important? A home that is priced wrong will cost a homeowner big money. It's obvious that if it's priced to low that the homeowner will lose money, but if the house is priced to high even more money can be lost in the long run. If a house is priced too high it will tend to stay on the market longer. The longer it's on the market the more expenses that a homeowner pays. (utilities, taxes, payments, maintenance etc.) Also, the longer it's on the market the more people begin to wonder what's wrong with the house that no one has bought it yet. Thus it gets stigmatized as "something wrong" and it tends to stay on the market longer. In my previous post I mentioned that statistics tell us that the person who most likely will buy your home is a person who sees it in the first couple of weeks after listed. If it's priced too high, they walk and find something else. What does all this do to a homeowner? It forces them to hold the home longer, makes them drop the price later and typically makes them drop the price lower than they would have had they just priced it right in the first place.

So, if you're considering selling your home, take the time and ask a professional for their opinion of the value of your home and what they think it can sell for. If it sounds suspicious get another opinion. If however, everyone is telling you your home is worth less than you think it is, take note it may be.

Get Your Home Ready!

Ok, so you've debated for weeks and have finally decided that you want to sell your home. So, you contact you're favorite real estate agent and tell them to list your house. Unfortunately, the agent comes in, inspects your house then comes up with a laundry list of items that you need to do in order to sell your house. You're balloon is now deflated.

Many people don't realize the old adage that you only get one chance to make a first impression is so true when it comes to selling a house. Homebuyers, especially in today's market, are a selective group of people who are searching for the "perfect" house for them and their situation. It's not like buying a car where there are thousands of the same car out there. There are not two houses exactly alike in the world. There are some that look similar but because houses are attached to the ground, no other house has the exact same location, view or characteristics.

Thus, when a buyer comes by a house to see what it has to offer, they have to be able to see all that the house has to offer them that no other house can. I have often heard statements from sellers at listing appointments that they plan on doing something (clean carpets, paint a room, de-clutter the closets, clean the garage etc.) I say get it done ASAP because I have five days from the time we sign a contract to get this house on the market. Thus you have three days to get it done because on the fourth day I have to get pictures, get all my marketing material together and have it ready for the fifth day.

Now, as a seller all the things that should have been done and could have been done over the past few weeks has to be done in three days.

What happens if you don't get them done? Well, the house is starting to be advertised and a buyer comes to see it. Statistics tell us that the first few people who see a house are the most likely to buy it. If they cannot see this house for all it has to offer and it value then they walk away and see their next house. (As for value, the house also needs to be priced right, I'll save that for another post.) Not only that, but a house that is not in selling condition will not demand as high a price as one in selling condition. For example, if I had a house for sale and tried to sell it with carpet that looked dingy compared to one that had the carpets cleaned, I could sell the one with the cleaned carpets for litterally thousands more. Why? Because a house with dingy carpets tells a buyer that the seller was an unclean person, that the carpets will have to be replaced (though they may not) and to do so would cost them thousands of dollars plus the headache. Clean carpets also smell better and a clean smell always helps sell things at a higher price (think of buying a car with that new car smell compared to one that smells of some offensive odor)

In order to get top dollar for you home and to sell it quicker, begin to do some of those maintence items that you have been putting off. They may cost you a few hundred dollars now, but if you don't do them you will certainly be paying thousands later.

Here's a before and after of a house I have for sale. Which would you rather have?

Before and After Photos

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