Marketing and Selling Tips for Your House

  • Think about placing your house on the market as far in advance as possible before purchasing another house so you do not wind up with two mortgages and the additional expense of a bridge loan.
     
  • Find out for what price the houses in the neighborhood are selling. Be careful not to price your house too high. Study the most recent comparative sales figures.
     
  • Don't antagonize the buyer. Often they have to sell their home first before they can buy yours.
     
  • Let your agent do the negotiating with buyers and keep your cool. Keep your eye on the goal which is to sell your home netting the highest possible price. Know that buyers will want to pay less, want price breaks and have you pay for real and imagined fix-ups. If necessary, be willing to compromise.
     
  • Be willing to pay full commission. Any commission below 5% is a disincentive to the agent and marketing efforts will will suffer. If a house is hard to sell, consider offering a commission incentive to the buyers agent.
     
  • Consider seller financing. You get tax breaks. Your risk is the same risk as any lender faces, namely, is the borrower a good credit risk?
     
  • Is there a financing contingency in your offer for sale, that is, is the sale dependent on the buyers' ability to obtain a loan commitment from a lender? Know that the buyer can forfeit his/her deposit by backing out of the deal for reasons not detailed in the contract.
     
  • Is there an inspection contingency in the offer, which lets the buyer hire a professional to look over your property?
     
  • The best time to sell your house is in the Spring beginning in February and lasting through May and June. Housing sales struggle in summer but pick up again in the fall, lasting till November.
     
  • When it comes to a neighborhood, agents do not have to volunteer anything although they are prohibited from concealing information.
     
  • If it is a sellers market where there is more demand than supply, you will not have to consider too many contingencies. If, on the other hand, it is a buyers market, where there are few buyers, be flexible and work with the buyer. The contingencies that are written into the contract can be negotiated further at the negotiation phase.
     
  • Don't show the basement last. The last impression, many times, leaves the same mark as the first impression. So leave 'em smiling!

Buyers agents If you are looking for way to get a better deal selling your real estate you may want to consider hiring a top-rated real estate professional in your area to represent you. You DO deserve a proven real estate professional.

 

40 Tips to Help Sell Your Home
Let me help you make the best first impression you can. Call me and let my experience work for you when it comes to increasing 'curb appeal' and attracting buyers quickly.

Note: Do cosmetic things first and avoid making major changes unless they will increase the value of your home more than the cost of the improvement.

Outside
1. Invest in landscaping where it can be seen at first sight.
2. Cut back overgrown shrubbery that looks scraggly or keeps light out of the house.
3. Paint your house if necessary. This can probably do more for sales appeal than any other factor.
4. Inspect the roof and gutters.
5. Consider putting flowers outside, near the front door.
6. Repaint the front door.


Kitchen
7. The kitchen is the most important room in the house.Make it bright and attractive. If dull, paint cabinets and put up perky new curtains.
8. Clean the ventilating hood in the kitchen.
9. If the kitchen floor is badly worn, put down new flooring. Replace any broken or chipped tiles.
10. Remove any appliances that you keep on your counters. Clean counters make the room look larger.

Living Areas
11. Have all plaster in top shape.
12. Check ceilings for leak stains. Fix the cause of the damage, repair the ceiling, and paint.
13. In painting and redecorating, avoid offbeat colors—stick to conventional white outside and easy-to-work-with pastels inside.
14. If you have a fireplace, clean it out and lay in some logs to make it look inviting.
15.Wash windows.
16. Replace broken glass.
17. Mend torn screens.
18. Check to see that all windows will open and close.
19. Replace burned-out light bulbs. Use brighter light bulbs.
20. Make sure every light switch works.
21. Make the floors shine; clean, polish and nail down any cracking boards or stair treads.
22. Straighten up the closets—get rid of excess items.Use air freshener to eliminate musty odors. Lubricate any sticky or squeaking doors.
23. For sliding doors that stick in their tracks, rub the tracks with paraffin or candle wax.

Bathroom
24. Repair dripping faucets.
25. Use special cleaning products to remove stains from toilets, bathtubs, sinks and showers.
26. If sink and bathtub drain too slowly, unclog them.

Basement,Attic,Garage
27. Clean out attic, basement and garage. Dispose of everything you are not going to move. Package everything you won’t need until you’re settled in your new home.

When Your House is Being Shown
28. Keep room draperies and shades open to let light in. It makes the room appear larger.
29. Have your home well-lighted during showing.
30. At night, turn on porch light and outdoor lighting in back if you have it.
31. Neatness makes a room look bigger. Avoid clutter.
32. If possible, leave your furniture and rug in the house for showing.
33. Avoid having dirty dishes in the sink or on the counters.
34. Keep any toys in the children’s rooms.
35. Keep radio, stereo and TV off or turned way down.
36. Take your family away if your broker is holding an Open House.
37. Refer direct inquires you receive about seeing your house to your Agent and take advantage of their professional skills in selling your home.
38. Don’t mention furniture or furnishings you wish to dispose of unless asked.
39. Take pets outdoors when your house is being shown.
40. Let the Agent show your house, and don’t tag along.

Compliments of…

Jeny Milosevic