Posts Tagged ‘selling your home quickly’

Prepare Your Home for Sale

Are you going to sell your house? Many sellers put their homes on the market, live with the inconvenience of making it available for Realtors and buyers to see it, and then wonder after 2 or 3 months why it hasn’t sold. That’s not the right way to sell a house. You must get your home in tip-top shape before any Realtors or buyers see it. Your best opportunity to get a sale is that first week when it’s new on the market. If your home doesn’t shine, Realtors and buyers won’t come look again. Even those who see it for the first time after it’s been on the market a while will wonder why it’s still on the market. Many will conclude that it’s overpriced, whether or not that’s the case.

One of the most important things you can do is to make sure your home shows like a model. New home builders know how to stage a home. Take a look at the video above, featuring San Diego new homes by Brookfield. Don’t they look inviting and warm? Your home probably looks inviting to you – after all, it is your home – but you need to take a step back and make it inviting to people who don’t already love it.

First, make sure it looks like there’s a lot of space. Remove the clutter from the kitchen counters. Remove furniture, especially if it’s too big for the room. You’re going to move anyway, so why not start your packing now? Get a storage unit – it will be well worth the cost if your home sells more quickly. When you’re deciding how much stuff needs to go, don’t use the current situation as a starting point. Instead pretend the house is empty. Now what would any home need? A couch, an entertainment center, a kitchen table, a bed in each bedroom? It doesn’t need knick-knacks, dvds, more furniture than the bare minimum, etc. A buyer wants to imagine their belongings in a new house. Make sure they can see that there is a lot of space for their things. Don’t forget the closets. Buyers will look to see how much room there is. If the closets are packed to the brim, they’re going to imagine that their stuff will barely fit too.

Next, make it neutral. Any personalization could be unattractive to some buyers. If you have a room painted burgundy, paint it off-white before you list your house. Look at how builders stage their models. Any kind of buyer could imagine moving into these homes. A buyer will personalize their new home their way over time, but it has to be at least acceptable to anyone right now.

Make sure your home is well lit. Add light fixtures, buy additional lamps, or open the drapes. Lots of light makes any space look larger and friendlier.

Curb appeal is the term Realtors use for how does your home look when you first drive up?  I the front yard is a little boring, buyers won’t be excited about going in. If it is messy or overgrown, they will start the showing with a negative feeling. The Realtors who show your house won’t help the buyers past that. They’re only human too. They will bring their buyers to see homes that they can get excited about. It sets the tone for the whole showing, so don’t skimp here.

Correct the little problems. Is there a chip in the bathroom sink? Does the lawn need to be mowed and edged? Is the kitchen sink chipped? When a home doesn’t wow them, most buyers don’t even know why the don’t like it. A new coat of paint goes a long way.

Here is the hardest part. It’s your home. It is very difficult – almost impossible – to look at it impartially. It’s a very good idea to have someone else assess the situation. There are professional stagers available. You could have someone do it for you, or just come in and make recommendations that you can carry out. Or you can just ask an impartial person to take a look. Your Realtor might not be the ideal candidate because they don’t want to offend you and maybe lose your business. This should be a person who isn’t familiar with your house. Your family and friend would have the same problem you have. You have to be willing to hear what doesn’t look good about your home, and that’s difficult.If you can find the wherewithall to do that, your house will look great to Realtors and buyers viewing the newest home on the market. Your reward will be a quicker sale at a better price.

Rockrose new homes Carlsbad is the newest community by Brookfield San Diego. Come by and see how well these model home show.

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