Selling your home can be a major drag, but some of these tips might help you sell it faster and for more money. It’s not rocket science, but there are many things that many people don’t think to do when getting ready for the sale of their home. Below, you will find 10 tips for selling your home with or without the use of a real estate agent.
10 Wise Tips for Selling Your Home
1.) De-Clutter the Home
It doesn’t matter if you are packing up to leave or are going to stay during the sales process, clutter can sabotage a home sale faster than you can say, “Honey, stop the car.” If an item doesn’t help you with the sale of your home, then it doesn’t need to be out – remove it. Clutter can also make a space look much smaller than it really is or give off the wrong impression about the overall condition of the home. If it doesn’t need to be there, get it out.
Another way to help de-clutter a home is by removing all personal items including family pictures, jewelry, guns, other valuables, etc. Buyers try to imagine their own personal belongings in the home, and it’s difficult to do so when there’s a picture of Uncle Frank from last Christmas hanging on the refrigerator door.
2.) Take Care of the Landscaping.
It drives me nuts when I pull up to a beautiful home to show my clients, and the grass is taller than my knees. Curb appeal can really help maximize your home value. Keep the grass cut, sidewalks edged, weeds out of beds, and bushes manicured and looking GREAT before you start showings. Adding fresh mulch in flowerbeds can also help spruce things up.
If you really want to go the extra mile, plant some colorful flowers in planters and place them around entryways, pool areas, or other focal points.
3.) Paint Interior
This step might not be necessary in every home, but it’s amazing what a fresh new coat of paint can do to sell a home. If your home is outdated, overly colorful, or too dark, then it may be time to re-paint the home. You might be thinking that the new buyers should paint, so they can choose the colors to fit their style, but studies have shown that if each room is a neutral color, then it sells faster and for a much higher amount.
Lighter colors like eggshell or off-white will make the rooms look bigger and are appealing to most home buyers. Remember, it’s not important what colors you like, or how you think a particular color brings out the personality of the home. What matters is what the potential buyer thinks of the home.
4.) Clean!
It’s incredible how much more a clean home will sell for than a dirty one. Regardless of your lifestyle, dirt and filth tend to accumulate, and your main job is to make this home as bright and as clean as possible. If you have carpets, get them professionally steam cleaned. A good shampoo will also help neutralize pet or smoke odors.
Your home should look pristine on the inside and out. That’s why it’s important to clean both sides of each window to maximize natural light and ensure no smudges shine through. Believe me, dirty windows have destroyed so many offers during the showings that it makes my head spin. Additionally, dusting baseboards and ceiling fans make an enormous difference in the cleanliness of the home.
5.) Take Professional Photos
I can’t say this one loud enough for everyone to hear, so let me try asking this question: How can you get people interested in your $2,000,000 home by using blurry dark photos with a camera that resembles a polaroid from the early ’90s? Does that make any sense?
Statistics show that 87% of home buyers use photos to aid in their decision-making process, and professional photos help a home sell 32% faster according to the NAR. Homebuyers are more-or-less literally judging a book by its cover in deciding if a home is right for them based on the photos. If you’re using dark, blurry, or nonsensical photos, then you run the risk of turning a buyer off. Most professional photographers have the ability to edit photos to make sure every room is displayed to its full potential, and when necessary, they can photoshop items in or out, virtually stage rooms, and/or offer virtual video tours.
6.) Use a Sign
I know, it’s 2022 and just about every American has a smartphone with the capabilities to navigate to specific addresses regardless of road signs. Well, road signs still work today, and I couldn’t tell you how many houses I’ve sold simply because a buyer was driving by and saw my sign in the yard. A sign, however, shouldn’t be your only form of advertising, but more on that later.
7.) Hire a Good Real Estate Agent (Optional)
I know, I know… agents aren’t necessary, but a good one can be a huge benefit for the sale of your home. If you aren’t comfortable pricing or negotiating, for example, it might be better to hire an agent. And good agents will give you recommendations for how to sell the home for the most money and will market the home as the obvious choice to buyers.
8.) Make Necessary Repairs
If you’re considering selling your home and it has a hole in the living room wall, it might be a good idea to get that hole repaired before you start showings or host an open house. Small issues such as these can give buyers opportunities to lower the offer price, so be proactive and get the big issues addressed before the home hits the market.
9.) Put the Home on the MLS
Whether you decide to hire a real estate agent or not is completely up to you, but you will increase your exposure tenfold if you add your house to your local MLS. Once listed, websites like Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, and countless others will syndicate that list and advertise for you for free. If you’re selling your house, then you want to maximize your exposure in any way possible. The more exposure your home has, the more potential there is for a bidding war.
10.) Take Advantage of Natural Light – Open Blinds and Curtains for Showings and Open Houses
As previously stated, natural light plays an important role in the sale of your home. You want as much natural light coming through as possible. Darker rooms appear smaller and can be misconstrued as dirty whereas bright natural light on neutral colors makes rooms appear larger and cleaner. If it’s nice outside, open up some doors and windows to create a nice cross breeze.
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About the Author: The above Real Estate information was provided by Christopher Schultz. Chris is a real estate professional that serves the Florida Panhandle. He is passionate about his community, is a US veteran, and is a Military Relocation Professional Real Estate Agent. He can be contacted at chris@nullchriscloses.com or 850.699.8891.
Are you considering selling your home? I’d love to have the opportunity to earn your business to prove to you that I’m the best fit for the job.
