20 STEPS IN SELLING YOUR HOME
Following are 20 steps to make the process of selling your home a productive, efficient and timely process, and ultimately yield the best price.
The easiest and most reliable way to improve the appeal of your home is to enlist a quality home service professional. The right professional can help you get everything in order, from repainting, to providing a thorough cleaning, so you can stay focused on more important things.
1. Make the Most of that First Impression
A well manicured lawn, neatly trimmed shrubs and a clutter free porch welcome
prospects. So does a freshly painted—or atleast freshly scrubbed—front door. If
it’s autumn, rake the leaves. If it’s winter, shovel the walkways. The fewer obstacles
between prospects and the true appeal of your home, the better.
2. Invest a Few Hours for Future Dividends
Here’s your chance to clean up in real estate. Clean up the living room, the
bathroom, the kitchen. If your woodwork is scuffed or the paint is fading, consider
some minor touch-ups. A fresh coat of paint adds value to your property. If you’re
worried about time, hire professional cleaners or painters to get your house ready.
Remember, prospects would rather see how great your home really looks than hear
how great it could look "with a little work."
3. Check Faucets and Bulbs
Dripping water rattles the nerves, discolors sinks, and suggests faulty or worn out
plumbing. Burned out bulbs or faulty wiring leave prospects in the dark. Don’t let
little problems detract from what’s right with your home.
4. Don’t Shut Out a Sale
If cabinets or closet doors stick in your home, you can be sure they will also stick in
a prospect’s mind. Don’t try to explain away sticky situations when you can easily
sand them away. A little effort on your part can smooth the way toward a closing.
5. Think Safety
Homeowners learn to live with all kinds of self set booby traps: roller blades on the
stairs, festooned extension cords, slippery throw rugs and low hanging overhead
lights. Make your residence as non-perilous as possible for potential buyers.
6. Make Room for Space
Remember, potential buyers are looking for more than just comfortable living space.
They’re looking for storage space, too. Make sure your attic and basement are
organized, clean and free of clutter.
7. Consider Your Closets
The better organized a closet, the larger it appears. Now’s the time to box up those
unwanted clothes and donate them to charity.
8. Make Your Bathroom Sparkle
Bathrooms sell homes, so let them shine. Check and repair damaged or unsightly
caulking in the tubs and showers. For added allure, display your best towels, mats,
and shower curtains.
9. Create Dream Bedrooms
Wake up prospects to the cozy comforts of your bedrooms. For a spacious look, get
rid of excess furniture. Colorful bedspreads and fresh curtains are a must.
10. Open up in the Daytime
Let the sun shine in! Pull back your curtains and drapes so prospects can see how
bright and cheery your home is. Clean windows are imperative.
11. Lighten up at Night
Turn on the excitement by turning on all your lights both inside and outside when
showing your home in the evening. Lights add color and warmth, and make
prospects feel welcome.
12. Avoid Crowd Scenes
Potential buyers often feel like intruders when they enter a home filled with people.
Rather than giving your house the attention it deserves, they're likely to hurry
through. Potential buyers feel awkward opening closest doors and really taking a
good look around if the sellers are present.
13. Watch Your Pets
Dogs frighten some people and irritate others. You’ll have a much better response
from showings if pets are controlled and kept from getting underfoot. Locking pets
in rooms is not a good idea, as potential buyers do not want to be told there are
certain rooms that are off limits. The best scenario is to remove pets during
showings. If this is not an option, then for the safety of the pet, and consideration of
the potential buyer, crate the animal.
14. Think Volume
When it's time to show your home, it's time to turn down the stereo or TV,
extraneous sounds might kill a real estate transaction.
15. Relax
Be friendly, but don't try to force conversation. Prospects want to view your home
with a minimum of distraction.
16. Don't Apologize
No matter how humble your abode, never apologize for its shortcomings. If a
prospect volunteers a derogatory comment about your home's appearance, let your
experienced G5 Realty Associate handle the situation.
17. Keep a Low Profile
Nobody knows your home as well as you do. But G5 Realty Sales Associates know
buyers what they need and what they want. Your G5 Realty Associate will have an
easier time articulating the virtues of your home if you stay in the background.
18. Don't Turn Your Home into a Second Hand Store
When prospects come to view your home, don't distract them with offers to sell
those furnishings you no longer need. You may lose the biggest sale of all.
Arrangements to sell home furnishings can be arranged at a later time.
19. It's the Experience
When prospects want to talk price, terms, or other real estate matters, let them
speak to an expert, your G5 Realty Sales Associate.
20. Help Your Agent
Your G5 Realty Associate will have an easier time selling your home if showings are
scheduled through his or her office. You'll appreciate the results!
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