Basics of Selling a Home

Getting top dollar for your home means preparing your home to look its very best. The homes we sell look better than the competition because we know the strategies for effectively marketing and staging homes.  We can help get your home sold faster than your competitors. Here we review some of the basics that we hope you find helpful.  Don't hesitate to contact us with any questions at all. 

1. Decide if the time is right and reason to sell is motivation enough.  Many people skip this step and fail to really think through their decision to put their homes on the market.  Sometimes you will know without a doubt you need to move such as relocating for a job. However other times, the reason may be more gray such as just wanting to have a bigger house. Take some time to meet with a local real estate expert experienced in the market to learn about current home values and whether the market is favoring Buyers or Sellers.  In any case, it's a good idea to think through your reasons and know if it's the right move for you and your family.

2. Get a professional comparative home analysis (CMA) from a Realtor.  The true value of your home is dictated by what similar homes in the area have been selling for in the past 6-12 months. Buyers comparison shop for homes and with the Internet, today's Buyers are extremely knowledgeable of comparable values.  They will compare your home to similar-sized homes in the neighborhood that are also for sale.  Getting a professional CMA will give you a snapshot of current homes for sale, pending sale, and recently sold. That way you have all the data necessary to price your home correctly and ensure you don't lose valuable home equity.

3. De-clutter, repair, and perform a deep clean on your home. One of the most important and time-consuming items on the list, it is critical to get your home looking its very best. Have you ever toured a builder's model home?  This would be the ideal for how you want your home to look.  Kitchens and bathrooms should be sparkling clean, all clutter completely removed, and there should be no visible necessary repairs.

4. Neutralize and upgrade your home. One of the easiest and most affordable things you can do is paint and freshen curb appeal.  Other great bangs for your buck include upgrading light fixtures, flooring, and kitchen appliances.  Choose neutral colors and items to appeal to the widest array of Buyers. But be careful to stay within the neighborhood norm. After our walk-through we can tell you which upgrades may not pay off.

5. Stage your home to sell. A recent Maritz study showed Buyers will pay 63% more for a staged and move-in ready home.  Unlike the majority of Realtors, we pay the high cost to professionally stage your home. Our Certified Professional Home Stager and Redesigner makes recommendations to improve your home's appearance and increase your asking price.  

6. Disappear during showings & respond to feedback. When your home is on the market, you need to keep it in show-ready condition.  It's important to be gone whenever your home is shown so Buyers don't feel rushed and may take their time seeing all the great features. Sellers who sell their homes the quickest are the ones who respond to Buyer & Agent feedback.  Not every Agent does this, but we take the time to follow up on 100% of showings. We will email all feedback directly to you, so you know what people are saying after they view your home.  For example, if we are getting consistent feedback that Buyers really dislike the wallpaper in your bathroom, then this issue needs to be addressed. 

Tammy & Judy have been in the business of marketing, staging and selling homes for almost 3 decades. We are experts and know what needs to be done and also where you don't need to spend your money.  There's a reason we averaged 99% list to sales price ratio on all listings sold in 2009 and we'd love to get you top dollar for your home.