10 Tips When Selling a Home
From Adviceopedia
If considering a big move, you will need these 10 tips when selling a home to get your house in the best shape possible. The goal is to find a buyer quickly to save you time and money.
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The 10 Tips When Selling a Home
Clean Your House
While some potential home buyers will be willing to look past a dirty dish in the sink or a hand print on a window, most home buyers are turned off by a dirty home that features dirt, grime, and piles of clutter. Think of it this way; if a house is too dirty for a person to want to visit, why would they want to buy it? Keep your house as clean as possible when trying to sell and consider bringing in a professional cleaning service to deep clean before the home first goes on the market. Out of these 10 tips when selling a home, this one is the most important one.
Finish Repairs Beforehand
Most people do not want to inherit someone's problems, so before you sell your home you should complete any repairs. If you don't, you must fully disclose these and be willing to drop your asking price to reflect the money it will cost the buyers to have the repairs completed after they make the purchase.
Remove Your Footprints
Most real estate agents advise that homeowners remove personal photographs from the walls of the home when trying to sell. You don't want to portray your house as a place that the potential buyers are visiting; instead, you want them to picture it as their home.
Get an Agent
There is certainly something to be said about getting a professional to help you sell your home. While some people do have success with selling their home by owner, if your main concern is getting the house sold, find a seasoned professional to help you.
Get a Second Pair of Eyes
Before presenting your home to potential buyers, have someone who does not live in the house come over and give you an unbiased opinion of the image your home presents. Does your house have an odd smell? Are there stains in the carpet that you simply don't see anymore because you have lived with them for so long? Is your décor dated? These are the things that you may not notice, but could cause potential home buyers to disregard your house.
Market Your Home
You don't have to rely on your real estate agent or the "for sale" sign outside your home to get the word out that your home is available. Utilize word of mouth and the Internet to make your house as visible as possible.
Consider Professional Staging Services
Making your home appealing to prospective buyers can be tricky, particularly when you have lived in your home for so long that you can no longer look at it objectively. Professional stagers can give your house an aesthetic that will appeal to a variety of prospective buyers.
Get an Inspection
Place a completed professional inspection on a table during open house hours so buyers will know that the home has already been checked out and any major repairs have been completed or are at least are being fully disclosed. This does not mean that the buyers will not conduct another inspection before closing, but for many people it may be the encouragement they need to make the purchase.
Provide a Home Warranty
Purchase a one-year home warranty that is transferable to the buyers. These relatively inexpensive policies will put buyers at ease and may also give your home a perceived higher value because buyers will feel safer making the purchase.
Know the Value of Your Home
Put your home on the market for more than the home is worth and it won't sell, but put your home on the market for far less than it is worth and buyers will wonder what is wrong with the home. Find out the market value of your home so you can price it appropriately.
