Is My Home Ready to Sell?

Should I sell my home myself?
Is my home priced to sell?
Is my home ready to sell?

Giving Your Home the On-the-Market-Makeover
You work with a Certified Residential Specialist because he or she is best able to sell your home quickly and profitably. But remember, your relationship with a Certified Residential Specialist is a partnership. While they market your property and screen potential buyers, it's up to you to give your home a sprucing up that can go a long way towards a speedy sale. With that in mind, here are some helpful hints gathered from Certified Residential Specialists across the country.

Before The Showing Begins Hint: First Impressions are lasting impressions The exterior of your home often determines how buyers will view the interior, so:

• Make sure the front entrance is clean and inviting
• Paint or replace your front door if it's faded or worn
• Add some paint to shutters, trim and any other outside feature showing signs of wear

Hint: Beauty is more than skin deep. Buyers often see the surface condition of your home as a sign of what's underneath, so:

• Keep windows and floors clean
• Replace faded wallpaper and glue any areas that have come away from the wall
• Repair worn woodwork
• Repaint scarred or dirty walls in a neutral color
• Steam clean carpeting or replace it if necessary
• Repair loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, warped cabinet drawers, broken light switches and other minor flaws
• Check and repair caulking in bathtubs and showers

Hint: Accentuate the positive Try to see your home from a fresh perspective and arrange each room to bring out its best attributes, including:

• Open draperies and curtains to let the light in during the showing
• Remove all unnecessary clutter from your attic, basement and closets to better display spacious rooms (consider storage or a garage sale to dispose of extraneous items)
• Arrange all your rooms neatly and remove excess furniture
• Keep fresh, clean towels in the bathroom
• Use candles or air freshener to give rooms a pleasant scent

Hint: Put Your home in the best light. Strategically lighting your home, even during daytime showings, can create a cozy mood and highlight positive attributes of each rooms, so:

• Avoid the use of overhead lighting that makes rooms look washed out and lifeless
• Be creative and arrange lamps to help smaller rooms seem larger, and large rooms more intimate
• Use lighting to highlight the "living areas" of your home, such as a pair of chairs near a fireplace, or a table in a breakfast area
• Put the spotlight on the strengths and potential of your home
• Create the right mood and atmosphere given the room's function, color scheme, etc.
• Accent the positive aspects and unique features of each area of your home
• Define the space
• Bring the room to life

If this is just not your forte, then do what others are doing, hire a home organizer! They will provide the structure to enable you to clear the clutter away, organize your thoughts for your future move, and provide the opportunity to clear out old energy in your life so you can enjoy creating new energy to move into your new home and life! Home organizers work with you to streamline your home into a more defined structure. This tip will also help you get a head start in any future garage sales, items that may be lost, or just to reorganize your life.

After The Showing Begins Hint: Leave the selling to the professionals. Buyers often feel uncomfortable in the presence of a homeowner, so:

• Try not to be present during showings
• If you are home, never apologize for the appearance of your house
• Only the Certified Residential Specialist should discuss any objections and subjects such as price, terms, possession and other factors with the buyers

Hint: Keep the disturbances down. Potential homebuyers have a lot to take in, so minimize the distractions:

• Pipe in classical, jazz or soft rock music, but keep the volume low
• If possible, turn off the ringer on your phone during showings
• Keep cats, dogs, litter boxes and feeding dishes out of the way, preferably out of the house

Hint: Create a homey atmosphere Buyers try to picture themselves and their family living in your home, so:

• Create a pleasant aroma by baking cookies or bread, or placing cornmeal in a warm oven on the day of the showing
• Keep the heat or air conditioner at comfortable levels
• If you have a fireplace, light it during wintertime showings

Hint: Have records available

• Even if a buyer doesn't study them, having records available can make it clear you are conscientious and have nothing to hide
• Have copies of your gas, electric and water bill from the last 12 months available.
• Be ready to show all home improvement and repair bills

Moving On to the Next Step

There are many things to consider when selling a home, and one of the most important is the financial impact the sale will have on your finances and family. The best information would be your own tax advisor or financial planner. If you do not have one, find one. The best way to find one is by asking questions, getting referrals and finding out if they invest in real estate as well. You want to have someone who knows all the tax advantages regarding investing in real estate. Make sure they buy real estate, if they don’t move on to the next one.