Selling your house can be an overwhelming task. You have so much work to do to get the house ready, and you may be getting conflicting information from your friends and family about what you should do to get the most out of your sale. Follow these eight tips, and you won’t go wrong.
1. Don’t invest in big renovations.
Before you start making big changes to your home, ask yourself (and your real estate agent) whether or not you’ll get back the money that you’re putting in. Most of the time, you won’t. Instead, make smaller changes, like new paint and fixtures, that will improve the first impression your home makes on potential sellers.
2. Make it appeal to the masses.
You love all of your furnishings and decor, but if they make your house stand out too much, they may be a distraction to buyers. A general rule of thumb is to pack away all your personal items, such as family photos, and remove as much as you can from your kitchen and bathroom countertops. If you’re not sure whether you’ve staged your home as effectively as you can, get your most critical friend or family member to give you their honest opinion.
3. Make it easy to access.
Sales is a numbers game—the more people who see your house, the more likely it is to sell quickly and at a good price. If you want a lot of people to see your house, be prepared to show it with little to no notice. Keep the house clean at all times. If you have pets, plan to take them out of the house while your house is being shown.
4. Don’t be pushy.
Nobody likes to be sold to. When buyers come to your house, they want to be able to make a thorough and honest evaluation of your home. They can’t do it with you and your family there. It’s not always easy, but be sure to leave before potential buyers come to see your home.
5. Take great photos.
The majority of home buyers now start their research online. If you don’t have a lot of high-resolution photos of your house, you may be missing out on enticing some potential buyers.
6. Don’t wait to sell.
You may have been advised to wait until spring to sell your home. While it’s true that most home sales happen then, people need to buy houses all year. If you list your house during a slower time of year, you may get more traffic because buyers have fewer options to look at.
7. Price it right.
You can only sell your house once, so it’s tempting to try to set as high a price as possible. Before you do it, consider what houses in your neighborhood are selling for and how long they’re staying on the market. Your buyer’s bank will do an appraisal before they close on the sale. If the appraised value of your home is less than what you’re selling it for, your sale could potentially fall through. Your agent should be able to offer sound advice on pricing your home based on the latest market data.
8. Get help.
It’s easier than ever to sell your house on your own—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Your real estate agent is not only an expert on your market. He or she has also spent hours studying local real estate laws and regulations. You may save a little money by selling on your own, but you could end up with an expensive legal case later if you missed anything in the mountain of paperwork that you and the seller will have to sign. People who sell on their own learn that a real estate agent is worth every penny.
If you’re ready to sell your home, call Loeffler Realty today at (301) 882-8186. We look forward to helping you get the most you can out of your home sale.