Tips for Sellers
Make a Good First Impression
Home sellers should bear in mind that no one ever buys the first house they visit. All buyers are essentially comparison shoppers. You must increase your home’s appeal to get the most out of your home sale. A small investment of time, money and effort can give your home a solid advantage over competing properties. Such planning is the difference between getting a decent offer or a great offer. Attention to detail now makes for a better first impression later.
Beautiful on the Outside
A successful home showing begins with curb appeal. Make sure to weed and edge any gardens and keep your lawn and shrubbery neatly cut. Is your driveway clear and free of oil stains? How clean is your garage? Old bundled newspapers and bicycles make a garage seem less spacious. In addition to cleaning, touch up exterior paint, and repair any outside doors, windows, fixtures or locks. What a buyer sees on the outside affects his desire to see inside.
Don’t Show a “Fixer Upper”
Maintaining a functioning home shows a certain degree of property care and upkeep. Nobody wants to purchase someone else’s headache. Repair all leaky taps and toilets, seals around tubs and basins, cracked plaster, and squeaking floor boards. Small touches can raise the personal value of a home as well. Simply replacing defective light bulbs, cleaning windows, or oiling squeaky doors speaks volumes to a home buyer. Other quick fixes include tightening door knobs and latches, cleaning the furnace and filters, and touching up paint jobs.
Clean Means Green
Cleanliness is next to godliness in the world of home value. Buyers are instantly turned off by filthy, poorly kept homes. Don’t just clean your bathrooms; your appliances should sparkle as well. Your fridge, stove, washer and dryer sometimes help sell your house. Make sure they look as good as new. Basic dusting, polishing, and/or washing of window blinds, heating vents, carpets and drapes will take your offering to the next level.
Set the Mood
Create a buying mood is one proven method to raise the appeal of your home. Before a prospective buyer visits your home, make your house viewer oriented. Turn on lights, open the drapes, and light the fireplace. Also, make sure that the house is a comfortable temperature. Clear hallways, stairs, counters and closets to create as much open space as possible and throw out any empty boxes. Any surplus furniture can be stored in a lock-up.
Your Home and You
Remember, your home is a reflection of you and vice versa. If you approach a buyer in a friendly, respectful manner he/she might find the house more inviting. Conversely, if your home is in disrepair, a buyer might not want to sign contracts with someone he perceives as inept. No matter what your approach, you can build home appeal by simply improving its condition. A little elbow grease now becomes a larger offer down the road.
