Selling Your Home
Your Home...
Prospective buyers appreciate the clean look of a home. Here are some simple improvements that can help increase the value of your home and decrease the time it takes to sell. As you prepare your home to be shown to prospective buyers, you must look at your home through a buyer's eyes.
Remember, buyers often view as many as 12 homes before they make a decision, including brand-new homes.
To make your home more memorable and appealing to prospective buyers, consider these merchandising improvement tips...
Decorating To Sell
When preparing to sell your home, think about how your personal decorating style may affect prospective buyers.
You want your home to be clean and clutter-free and as neutral as possible so prospective buyers can visualize how their furnishings will look in your home. And keep in mind, there is a difference in how you live in your home and how it should look when it's on the market.
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Your Interior |
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Appeal To The Senses |
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Your Exterior |
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Curb Appeal |
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How To Sell Your Home
Before your sign 'For Sale' goes up, there are quite a few things that need to be done to help get your home sold. Buyers want to know details about your home and having the answers will help facilitate the selling process.
Gather The Facts
The following information is important in order to properly market your home:
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The legal description of the property. |
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The number of rooms and their sizes. |
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A list of things not attached to the house that you're offering for sale, such as window treatments, carpet, fixtures, swing sets, etc. |
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Past utility bills, property taxes and insurance. |
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Information about your mortgage, including the type, terms and assumability. |
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Financing assistance. |
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Any liens against the property. |
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If you live in a condominium or townhouse, having a copy of the association's declaration, bylaws, financial statements, as well as information on any monthly fees and special assessments. |
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Special items or improvements about the home (point out things that may not be apparent on a walk-through). |
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The positive points about your neighborhood, such as demographic information and proximity to services, shopping, schools and other areas. |
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Any defects that aren't apparent. (By law a seller must disclose any known information about the property that might affect the value.) |
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Setting the Price
Before you set an asking price for your home, you'll need to consider these items to set a realistic fair market value
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Don't base your asking price simply on what you paid for the home. You make be asking too little or too much. |
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Determine how much time you have to sell your home. If you must sell quickly, your agent may suggest a more competitive price; if you have some flexibility, you may choose a slightly higher price. |
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Ask your agent for information on recent sales of comparable homes in the area. |
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Don't price your home too high as a means of making more profit. You will lose a large pool of eligible buyers who won't even look at your home becaues they can't afford the price. Likewise, you'll disappoint those buyers who can find more house for their money elsewhere. |
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And remember, the value of your home is based on the buyer's perception of that value (rather than the amount you originally paid for the house). |
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