River City Blog

I deliberately chose the word home instead of property or house. While buyers are looking at houses and properties, ultimately buyers are shopping for a home. And while they are also looking for a deal, they are likely to buy on emotion, a place that feels like home!

Many of the suggestions contained in the following list may not increase the value of a property. However, not addressing these items may result in taking longer to sell and most likely lower offers. It is necessary to remember that as a seller you are competing for buyers. Why will they want to look at your property? Why will they like it? Will it be as nice, or nicer than the last one they just looked at? Will they make an offer?

The following should all be given careful consideration and be addressed as needed.

Curb Appeal (first impressions)

You have probably heard the expression you never get a second chance to make a first impression. This is very true when selling a home. Since prospective buyers will see the outside of your property before deciding whether or not to see the inside, it is imperative to make a good impression. Make sure the grass is cut and trimmed, leaves are raked up, landscaping is tidy and colorful if possible. Shrubs should be trimmed, trash should be picked up, walks and driveways should be swept and clear of weeds. Clean windows and doors. On a sunny day, take a good picture of the exterior when you have it in tip top condition. Use this picture in all of your marketing efforts.

De-clutter

Remove excess furniture from all rooms. Pack away surplus personal items. Remove stacks of magazines, mug or ball cap collections. Take as many things as possible off kitchen counter tops without leaving them bare. The idea is to create the perception of space while not distracting your buyer from their home search. Too many family or personal pictures can also be a distraction. It may be worth renting storage space in order to create the right desired result.

Repair

Any savvy buyer will make an offer to purchase “contingent” upon satisfactory inspections. So you may as well address as many concerns as you are able up front. Make sure you repair any obvious defects. Things like missing shingles, broken windows, stained ceilings, holes in vinyl floors, ripped carpeting are certain to cause concern. Loose door handles, blown light bulbs, drippy faucets, chipped or peeling paint should also be addressed. All mechanical systems should be fully functional and well maintained. Remember you are obliged to disclose any known defects to prospective buyers.

Update

Updating an older property can be prohibitively expensive. Paint and carpet are two significant items that can transform the overall impression. Generally speaking warm, neutral colors should be used. Sometimes cabinets can be refaced and hardware modernized for a reasonable investment. Each seller must make the determination as to the cost and return on investment for activities relating to updating.

Clean

Clean, clean, clean! Be meticulous. This is one of the easiest and certainly cheapest ways of helping to create good impression. It won’t add any value to your property, but nobody wants to buy a dirty home!

Deodorize

Do you have a pet? Are you a smoker? Do you cook with strong spices? Any number of activities can create an odor. Make sure you do what you can to neutralize or eliminate potentially offensive odors. You may need to ask a friend or neighbor to offer their input.

Staging

Staging has become quite a trend in the real estate business. Many builders and sellers of higher end properties hire professional stagers to place and arrange furniture, window treatments, accessories etc. They paint a lifestyle for the prospective buyer. It is not always practical or affordable to hire such a professional. An experienced real estate professional can often offer good suggestions and advice.

Price

Okay, now you have a de-cluttered, repaired, updated, clean, deodorized, staged home. Is that it? No. While all of that is important, none of it will matter much if you do not get the price right. You have to compete for the buyers. Also, don’t make the mistake of thinking, “they can always make an offer”. They won’t! It is imperative to get the price right from day one. You need to be priced competitively within your property’s “range of value”. This is one area where a qualified and experienced real estate professional can help. Many will provide a CMA (comparative market analysis) at no cost to the homeowner.

Exposure

The last component is exposure. How are prospective buyers going to find out about you property? A sign in the yard will advertize to your neighbors and those who drive by. An ad in the paper may reach the few people still relying on the newspaper for their information. The vast majority of home buyers are now searching online. They are looking for multiple pictures, virtual tours, school information and much, much more. In order to be competitive a seller must employ a strong Internet marketing strategy. The more people who find your property the higher the chance you will get it sold! The number one destination for real estate buyers is Realtor.com. Realtor.com is perhaps the most important component of a viable online marketing strategy. Another significant source of exposure is the Multiple Listing Service. Listing with a local Realtor ensures exposure to hundreds of agents and their prospective buyers as well as countless online shoppers accessing the MLS public web site.

Know your competition

Before you actually put your property on the market, go check out your competition. After all, your buyers will. See what they will see. That way you can price your property competitively.

Summary

Put yourself in their shoes. When you go home shopping, what are you looking for? Be in tune with the things that turn you off. What do you think when you pull up outside a property that has overgrown landscaping, or a gutter hanging off? What if you get inside and there is stuff everywhere, clothes on the floor, dirty dishes in the sink, a pet odor, or purple walls with yellow carpet? Now, how are you going to find your next home? Are you going to drive around and look for yard signs? Are you going to wait until Sunday for the newspaper? Will you get online? You will probably do all of the above. But I’ll bet you will find your next home on the Internet!