10 Effective Tips for Selling Your Home!

Every seller wants their home to sell in a timely manner and to bring in the highest dollar as possible. It is not luck that makes that happen, it’s careful planning and knowledge on how to professionally spruce up your home for selling to the perfect buyer. Here are some simple, yet effective tips to turn your house into an irresistible home!

1. Pick a selling strategy. 
2. Invest in a professional photographer. It is no secret that we are living in a digital savvy world, and the realtor business is no different. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2019 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 44% of recent buyers started their home buying research online. Of that 44%, 87% found photos very useful in their search to find their home. Hiring a professional photographer to take pictures of your homes’ best features, inside and out, can help attract as many possible home buyers as possible.
3. Clean EVERYTHING. Nothing turns off buyers like a dirty house. Having a clean kept house shows the buyers that their potential home was taken good care of, and of course the presentation is always key. If you are not able to deep clean the home, you can always hire a cleaning company or have some close friends and family come over and get to scrubbing! Here are some key areas to clean while your house is on the market: 

• Kitchen countertops. 
• Inside cabinets and appliances. 
• Floors and room corners (where dust collects).
• Shelves.
• Bathroom counters, toilets, tubs and showers.
• Inside closets.
• Windows, inside and out.
• Scuffed walls, baseboards and doors. 
• Basements, attics and garages. 

4. Depersonalize the home. As it may not be easy, depersonalizing the home is an essential step in trying to see your home. Your buyers want to see the house as a home for their family, not yours. Remove all family photos and memorabilia, political and religious items, your children’s artwork, any figurines, sports, etc. Try to make the home as neutral as possible. You want the buyer to think more about the house and less about you. Family photos can be replaced with neutral art or just removed entirely – just make sure to remove any nails and repair any nail holes. Remember, presentation is key!
5. Let the light in! This step is as simple as it can get, yet it is so effective in the presentation of your home! People love light and bright areas, so let the sunshine in! Open all of the curtains, blinds and shades, and turn light on in the dark rooms. If the natural light situation is lacking in any room, strategically place lamps or other light sources to set the mood. And while your house is on the market, make sure to keep all of the curtains, blinds, shades, and lights on every time you leave for work, just in case a buyer would like to tour the house before you get home. 
6. Be flexible with showings. Buyers like to see homes on their schedules, which often means evenings and weekends. Plus, they want to be able to tour a home soon after they find it online while it is still fresh in their mind and they are still intrigued. This is very important, especially in a high demand market where it is so competitive. If you require a 24-hour notice, they are more likely to not come and skip your home altogether, and that is one less potential buyer for your home. Be ready to leave as well – if you are still cleaning up or hanging around outside when the buyer arrives, it could turn into an awkward situation, and the buyer can feel rushed. 
7. Set the price right. No seller wants to leave money on the table, but the strategy of setting an unrealistically high price with the idea that it will be negotiated and come down later doesn’t work too well in real estate. Living in this digital society, buyers have access to more information on comparable homes than ever before, and they know what homes are worth before their viewing. A home that is overpriced in the beginning tends to stay on the market longer, even after the price is reduced, because buyers will think there must be something wrong with it if it is on the market for that long. 
8. Remove excess furniture and clutter. Nothing makes a home seem smaller than too big of furniture and excess clutter. Removing unnecessary furniture and clutter will immediately make your home seem calmer and larger, which is always appealing to the buyers. When removing furniture and clutter, take a minimalistic approach. Books, rugs, knickknacks, furniture, appliances, items on countertops, etc. can all be stored in a temporary storage unit or neatly in a tub in a closet, basement, attic, garage or shed. 
9. Repaint in neutral colors. A new coat of paint will do wonders to freshen up your home, both the inside and the outside. This is the time to paint over your daughters’ purple bedroom, nix the quirky turquoise bathroom and cover up the red accent wall in your dining room. Busy wallpaper can also be a turnoff for potential buyers. Your goal is to create a neutral palette so buyers can envision their own touches to the house. Gray, white, taupe and cream are all safe colors to choose when selling your home.
10. Spruce up the front of your home! I am sure you have heard this a million times by now, but curb appeal matters! Just remember you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Something as simple as a new or freshly painted front door, new house numbers or a new mailbox can breathe life into your entryway! Fresh landscaping and flowers in beds or pots also can enhance your homes first impression to the buyers. Here are some more tips on how to spruce up the front of your home:

• Trim trees and bushes.
• Tidy up flower beds.
• Remove dead leaves from plants.
• Clear out any cobwebs.
• Pressure wash walkways, patios and decks.

We hope these tips help you in selling your home to the perfect buyer! For any questions, please contact us at 907.376.7653. Do not be hesitant to reach out to us, we look forward to hearing from you!