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Free Home Value Analysis
How We Market Your Home
Glossary of Real Estate Terms
Our pledge to our sellers
25 Tips for Selling Your Home
- Know why you're selling.
Look closely at why you want to sell. Your motivations play an important role in the process. They affect everything from setting a price to deciding how much time and money you'll invest getting your home ready for selling.
- Once you know, keep it to yourself.
Your reasons will affect how you negotiate the sale of your home, but they shouldn't be given as ammunition to the person who wants to buy it. For example, a prospective buyer who knows you must move quickly has you at their mercy in the negotiation process. When asked, simply say that your housing needs have changed. Your reasons are nobody's business but your own.
- Do your homework before setting a price.
Many people live in older neighborhoods that have changed quite a bit over the years. Every home in your neighborhood may be different in minor or substantial ways.the house next door may have added another bedroom, for example, or the one across the street might have been built recently to fill a vacant lot. As a neighborhood evolves over the years, you may find that there aren't any homes that are truly comparable to your own. The most common way to set a value is to look at homes that have sold in your neighborhood within the past 6 to 12 months, as well as those now on the market. That's certainly how prospective buyers will assess the worth of your home. Your Realtor®, will do all the market research and provide you with comps showing where your home should be priced to best meet your goals.a fast sell, maximum profit, etc.
- Go home shopping yourself.
The best way to get to know your competition, identify features that are popular and learn what turns buyers off is to check out other open houses. Plan on spending a few weekends touring other homes on the market to learn what other sellers are asking. Make note of the floor plan, condition, appearance, size of lot, location and other features. If you visit enough homes and pay close attention to the details (and what other "buyers" are saying), you'll develop a good understanding of how different features affect pricing. Then you can apply what you've learned to the task of setting your price. But don't forget to include in the equation what homes are actually selling for, not just simply what people are asking. And remember, if you're serious about getting your home sold quickly, don't be more expensive than your neighbor.
- Know when to get an appraisal.
Sometimes you can use a good appraisal to your benefit in marketing your home. However, an appraisal costs money. It also has a limited life. And you may not like the figure you hear.
- Find a good REALTOR®
Nearly two-thirds of the people who sell their own home say they wouldn't do it themselves again, according to research by the National Association of Realtors. Sellers surveyed point to difficulties in setting a price, marketing handicaps and liability concerns are among the primary reasons they would turn to a Realtor next time. And selling a home yourself usually eats up more time and effort than you might initially expect. A good Realtor knows the market and your neighborhood in particular. They will supply you with information on past sales, current listings, a marketing plan, something on their own background, and references from past clients. Take the time to carefully evaluate candidates on the basis of their experience, qualifications, enthusiasm, and personality. Most importantly, make sure you choose someone who is going to put in a lot of hard work on your behalf.
- Give yourself room to negotiate.
Make sure you leave yourself room to bargain. If what you ask for is unacceptable to the buyer, and their first offer is unacceptable to you, make sure you have someplace to go that is acceptable to you. Start with the absolute minimum price you would accept, then pick the price you'd get if the world were perfect. This gives you your range to keep in mind when working with your Realtor to negotiate the sale.
- Maximize your home's sales potential.
Appearance is critical . and it would be foolish to ignore this when selling your home. You may not be able to change your home's location or its floor plan, but you can do a lot to improve its appearance. And you should. The look and "feel" of your home generates a greater emotional response than any other factor. A prospective buyer reacts to what they see, hear, feel and smell.
- CLEAN LIKE YOU'VE NEVER CLEANED BEFORE
Pick up, straighten, unclutter, scrub, scour, dust... well, you get the idea. If your living room feels crowded, take out every piece of furniture you can get away with. If your home still isn't ready to appear in House Beautiful, then clean some more. Remember, you're not just competing with other people's homes . you're competing against new construction as well.
- Fix EVERYTHING - No matter how small.
The step that squeaks, the light switch that doesn't work, the hairline crack in the bathroom mirror . they might be minor annoyances to you, but they can also be deal- killers. The problem is that you never know what will turn a buyer off. Something minor that's gone unattended can suggest that perhaps there are bigger, less visible problems as well.
- Remove traces of you from your home.
When you toured other people's homes, you may have felt some discomfort. This probably occurred because you saw, heard or otherwise sensed something that made you feel as if you were intruding into someone's life. The last thing you want others to feel in visiting your home is that same sense of discomfort. Avoid this by making your home as neutral as possible. Anything that interferes with a prospective buyers ability to see themselves living in your home must be eliminated. A few carefully chosen knickknacks and family portraits may add warmth and character to the home, too many are a distraction. Avoid unique or trendy color schemes . paint and carpet in neutral shades of white or beige.
- Little touches make a difference.
While personal items can detract, other small touches can help make your house a home to buyers. A well-placed vase of flowers, accent pieces of sculpture, potpourri in the bathroom . all can enhance the attractiveness of your home in a subtle, soft-spoken way. Try perusing the home magazines for tips.
- Odd smells kill deals quickly.
All traces of food, pet and smoking odors must be eliminated. Even when you're sure they're gone, don't encourage prospective buyers to imagine things. If they know you're a smoker or that you have a dog, they'll start smelling odors and seeing stains that may not even exist. Be safe. Don't leave any clues.
- Disclose everything.
Smart sellers proactively go above and beyond the laws to disclose all known defects to their buyers . in writing. If the buyer knows about a problem, he can't come back with a lawsuit later on.
- Do not get emotional during negotiations.
For most people, the art of negotiation begins and ends at their local auto dealership. Few of us have pleasant memories of haggling with car salesmen. But if you can just let go of the emotion you've invested in your home and approach negotiations in a detached, businesslike manner, you'll find the process to be a lot less painful. In fact, you might even enjoy it . and you'll definitely have an advantage over prospective buyers who get caught up in the emotion of the situation.
- Know your buyer.
In the negotiation process, your objective is to control the pace and set the duration. The better you know your buyer, the more easily you can maintain control. As a rule, buyers want the best property they can afford for the least amount of money. But knowing specifically what motivates your buyer enables you to negotiate more effectively. Maybe your buyer needs to move quickly. Or the maximum amount he can spend is just a little below your asking price. Knowing this information puts you in a better bargaining position.
- Find out what the buyer can pay.
As soon as possible, try to find out the mortgage amount the buyer is qualified to carry and the size of his down payment. If he makes a low offer, question his Realtor about his client's ability to really pay what your home is worth.
- Find out when the buyer wants to close.
When a buyer would "like" to close is often when they need to close. Knowing this gives you his deadline for completing negotiations . again, an advantage in negotiations.
- Do not sign a deal on your new home until you close on this home.
If circumstances conspire to force you into closing on your new home while you're still making mortgage payments on the old one, you might end up turning yourself into a seller who is desperate for the first deal that comes along.
- Do not move out before you sell.
Studies have shown that it is more difficult to sell a home that is vacant . it looks forlorn, forgotten, simply not appealing. It could even cost you thousands. If you move, you're also telling buyers that you have a new home and are probably motivated to sell.
- Do not give yourself a deadline.
Forcing yourself to sell by a certain date adds unnecessary pressure and puts you at a serious disadvantage in negotiations.
- Do not take a low offer personally.
The first offer is invariably well below what you both know the buyer will end up paying for your property. Don't get angry or feel insulted; evaluate the offer objectively. Make sure it spells out the offering price, amount of down payment, mortgage amount, a closing date and any special requests. Now you have a point from which you can negotiate.
- A really low offer may mean that the buyer is not qualified.
If you feel an offer is inadequate, now would be a good time to make sure the buyer has been qualified to carry a mortgage of the size this deal would require (if you haven't learned this already). Ask how they arrived at their figure, then suggest their agent use comparables to establish what homes are going for in your neighborhood.
- Make sure the contract is complete.
The best way to avoid problems is to make sure that all terms, costs and responsibilities are spelled out in the agreement of sale. A contract should include the date it was made, the names of the parties involved in the transaction, the address of the property being sold, the purchase price, where deposit monies will be held, the date for loan approval, the date and place of closing, type of deed, any contingencies that remain to be settled, and whether there's any personal property included (or not) in the sale, among other things.
- Do not deviate from the contract.
For example, if the buyer requests a move-in prior to closing, just say no. Now is not the time to take any chances of the deal falling through.
If this all sounds like a lot of work, it is. But it's to be expected when you're selling anything of such great value. You will thank yourself for all the expense and hard work when the outcome works to your satisfaction. Please call me if you would like further explanation on these topics, or if you have any real estate questions. I strive to be helpful.
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