5 Top Tips When Selling Your Home

1. First Impression Nothing is more important than a first impression. So consider what a potential home buyer may think as he or she drives up to your property for the very first time. Walk out into your street and look–and I mean really look–at your home to see its shortcomings. Is it attractive, clean, and well-kept, or does it need maintenance that you’ve been putting off? After you’ve been in a home for a while, it can be difficult to see it objectively. So take suggestions from a real estate professional, friends, or prospective buyers about how to make it show better.

2. Get a Pre-Listing Inspection Home owners are often blinded to little issues and small fixes in their home and will list before any issues are addressed. Its always worth having a professional inspect your home, whether that be a Certified Home Inspector or tradespeople you know and trust. Although a home buyer should have their own inspection done of the property its a great opportunity for you to fix any problems which could cost you more at the negating table. Remember that $100 fix to you could be $1000 off the price to get a deal together. Just as importantly it shows pride of ownership and lets buyers see you are open and above-board when any repairs have been addressed.

3. Depersonalize After you improve your curb appeal, have an inspection and make necessary repairs, it’s show time, baby! The best way to get your home ready to show prospective buyers is to depersonalize it by removing family photos, quirky art and collectibles, and vibrant paint colours. Your goal is to create a soothing space that allows buyers to visualize their own family and lifestyle in the home. Don’t take it personally, but no one likes your pet accessories, over-stuffed closets, movie collections, and clutter except you. Simplify and neutralize your home as if it were a model home, because that’s exactly what it is while it’s on the market. If you have to rent a storage unit to de-clutter and remove excess trinkets and closet junk, it’ll be worth it. Remember, you’re moving so don’t be afraid to start packing things away.

4. Price Your Property Competitively Choosing the right listing price is one of the most important tips for selling your home quickly. If your home is priced too low, you’ll obviously leave money on the table, and if it’s too high, you’ll watch it get stale on the market. Many times, sellers try to sell property without hiring a real estate professional, because they believe it will save money in the long run. I can tell you that the good ones will save you both money and time. Since a real estate agent is paid a percentage of your selling price, it’s in his or her best interest to price it perfectly. They want to earn the highest commission possible, but they also want to earn a commission within a reasonable amount of selling time. While you might be tempted to start with a high listing price to see what happens, overpricing can be a bad strategy.
After a home sits on the market for an extended period of time, many people will assume that it hasn’t sold because something is wrong with it. So, don’t let your home become a stale listing because it’s overpriced.

5. Always be ready to show. Your house needs to be “show-ready” at all times – you never know when your buyer is going to walk through the door. You have to be available whenever they want to come see the place and it has to be in tip-top shape. Don’t leave dishes in the sink, keep the dishwasher cleaned out, the bathrooms sparkling and make sure there are no dust bunnies in the corners. It’s a little inconvenient, but it will get your house sold. I have devised a Showing S.O.S with some excellent tips to make your home easier to manage during this time which is available free to all my selling clients.