Tips For Selling Your Home - TIP # 8

Tip # 8

Photography 

Among all the tips I can give you, this is by far the most serious.

Take good photos!

Whatever marketing scheme you use, online advertising, newspaper adds, social media etc., your home’s pictures are always needed. As for buyers, they have an abundance of properties to choose from and usually narrow it down based on several criteria. However, when it comes to choosing their favorites for viewing, they can easily discard a property based on its photos (Even though in reality the home may be beautiful).

In photos, try keeping them bright, and colorful. Keep your horizon and framing in order. Choose a good time during the day for photos. Night or day photography greatly depends on your home’s exterior or interior setting. Remove unnecessary clutter in photos and keep your photo quality sharp.

In all honesty, I would recommend hiring a professional photographer. Photos greatly impact your home’s “first impression”. So try to make a good impression on your buyers.

Tips For Selling Your Home - TIP # 7

Tip # 7

The more you put in, the more you can ask

This is a very simple equation….and logic.

Let’s say you buy a plain glass vase for $5. You buy $5 worth of glass painting supplies and paint the vase making it look absolutely beautiful. Taking into account labor time, you can sell that glass vase for $20. Making a decent, $10 profit.

Same goes for your home! Don’t be lazy about re-painting all the walls, upgrading the floors and counter tops, and re-carpeting. Remember how much money you put in, and you can easily include that into your selling price.

Typically when clients ask me how they could increase the “value” of their home, I always tell them to do an upgrade. Even simple tasks, such as planting special flowers into your garden increases your home’s equity.

Tips For Selling Your Home - TIP # 6

Tip # 6

Clean-up!

Seriously. Sometimes half the flaws in a home can be fixed with a simple clean up. If you have carpets definitely get your carpet steam cleaned. Have a good look at your walls, doors, cabinets and see if they need some paint touch-up. Get a good cleaning detergent and scrub those counter tops, tabletops, shelves, and cabinets. Make them shine!

Also don’t forget the outdoors. Is your lawn clean? Trimmed? Neat? Landscaping is also part of your home.

Try to organize as much clutter as you can. This is a worth-it task, especially for photos. 

Tips For Selling Your Home - TIP # 5

Tip # 5

Documentation

YES! Now is the time to go through your old file cabinets, attics, and pretty much any furniture covered in dust and try to find as much paperwork as you can on the house. A lot of buyers are interested in the house’s history, the floor plan, any blue prints, upgrades etc.

Having your paperwork in order is appealing for clients. It allows them to get to know your home better. And it provides proof on your behalf that the home is in fact well maintained.

Remember, you may have a huge selling point hidden in somewhere in all that paperwork!

Tips For Selling Your Home - TIP # 4

Tip # 4

Do a pretend walk-through

As someone selling his or her house, it is important to view the home from the buyer’s perspective.

Try your best to enter your house as if it is completely brand new to you. I would suggest by starting to drive/walk up to your driveway. You might be able to view the house’s exterior aesthetics better. Or maybe able to see a very noticeable crack in the wall that needs some minor repair. As you walk through the home, analyze everything: Paint, carpet, counter tops, cabinets. If you see minor things that are out of place, fix them immediately. There are little details that can put-off a buyer like a broken door knob, hair on the carpet, dirt on shelves etc.

You can notice things better when you try to be someone else. It is not really aesthetics that matter, think of your home on a larger scale. Location? History? Upgrades? Security? Put yourself completely in the buyer’s shoe and analyze well!

Tips For Selling Your Home - TIP # 3

Tip # 3

Marketing!

When hiring a realtor to sell your house? An important question to ask them is “how are you going to market my home?”

Since I work for Coldwell Banker, the company provides several resources to its realtors on marketing a house. They are also well affiliated with 3^rd party companies like Trulia or Zillow.

So I guess when hiring a realtor, the company they are from may matter. However, I know many realtors, not affiliated with big companies that are extremely successful. It’s really all about how much you make with what you got.

A typical advertising media is Social Media. It has definitely become an increasing trend to advertise using social media, and a realtor makes use of this platform immensely, along with other typical forms of online advertising like craigslist. Additionally, “open houses” are great events to get the word out to the public that there is a home being sold in the neighborhood.  

Tips For Selling Your Home - TIP # 2

Tip # 2

How much is my Home worth? Research!

If you would like to educate yourself a little bit on current prices, simply access any home searching website like Trulia or Zillow and look at current home prices in your neighborhood with the same number of rooms and property description. It will give you a better idea of what your home is worth.

According to USAToday, “Best sites to determine your home’s value”, is Trulia and Realtor.com.

Typically, once you hire a realtor they will be the ones providing you with a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) using the MLS (which gives more exact and up-to-date figures), and you should have peace of mind knowing that your realtor is answering all your questions. When a realtor is providing you a price on the home, they are also taking into account their experience, and current knowledge of the market. This is why it is necessary to get an “expert’s opinion”.  

I read on some websites that customers should hire “several” realtors and see which one gives the best price on the home. I would definitely NOT advice that. Let’s say another realtor says your home is worth $5000 more than the price I gave. But you should ask WHY would he say that? And when your own little research online using Trulia and Zillow and see comparable homes are not the same price as your realtor provided, you know there is a problem.

A good realtor backs up all his numbers with proper reports. And provides a price well fitted for the current state of the market (without being too optimistic or too pessimistic on it).