People sell their homes for a variety of reasons.  Whether it’s to “go bigger”, as your family grows, to buy your dream home or to downsize. Regardless of your reason, we can help you!

The first thing for any seller to do is to make sure that your home has plenty of “curb appeal”; in other words, you want it to look great from the outside! This will be the first introduction to your home for any would-be buyer and as in all other aspects of life, you want to make a great first impression!

  1. Be sure that your home looks bright and clean! Pressure wash as needed and maybe consider that a fresh coat of paint will go a long way to freshen up the exterior. Clean the windows, inside and out! Plant shrubs and bushes, put in fresh mulch and pull out any weeds that might be visible.
  2. Make minor repairs; especially repairs that are easily seen during showings! Make sure that there are no holes in the walls, unseemly stains or chips in the paint. And if the walls need some additional love, this might be the best time to add a coat of paint. Neutral colors such as cream or white will make the best appearance.
  3. Keep the inside of your home IMMACUALTE. That includes shampooing the carpet and cleaning the floors – regularly. Get rid of clutter! A “minimalist” look is always impressive to buyers as this creates an airiness to the rooms and in some cases, will make the rooms look larger.
  4. Arrange furniture to make the rooms look spacious. Remember, larger looking rooms are always more appealing, and we can help you to stage your furniture in such a way as to make the rooms look more expansive!

It’s important to note any major repairs that might be needed in the immediate future. While all sellers are required to fill out property disclosures, it’s extremely important to let your real estate professional know of all pending repairs. This will prevent cancelled contracts and in some cases, will help you to avoid post-sale lawsuits.

Work with your agent to facilitate interior photos. Bright photos, taken from the best angles will create buyer interest before they even visit your home!

Request a market analysis showing recent and current sales of homes in your neighborhood. This will help you and your agent to price your home correctly.

Ask your agent to discuss seller-related closing costs. In every sales transaction, there are costs for both buyers and sellers and as the seller, it’s important that you know what those costs are to better understand the dollar amount you can expect at closing.

Be sure that your real estate professional knows how much you owe on your home mortgage loan. This will help to set expectations regarding the amount of money you’ll receive at closing and in some cases, this can allay the catastrophic scenario of learning, right before closing, that you’re required to bring cash to closing in order to complete the sale.

Work with your agent on the best marketing plan. Understand expectations regarding open houses, advertising and collaborate with your agent on the best way to market your home.

Be involved, ask questions and make yourself available to work with your agent to sell your home for the highest amount in the shortest period of time. At the end of the day, this is the final realization of your investment and you want the best-possible results!