So: you’re preparing to sell your home, and you’re unsure how to start getting everything ready. Even if you’ve taken good care of your home, preparing for a sale can be daunting. That said, a few small, simple improvements will go a long way toward preparing your home for the market, so don’t feel like the prep process is some kind of Goliath you have to slay. Instead, take a look at some of these tips and get rid of all your pre-sale worries…
Perfect the Art of Pricing
While you may be tempted to launch yourself into physically sprucing up your home, it’s also important to price it properly. A lead listing agent at Pickett Street only works with sellers, so working with Pickett Street will ensure that you receive individualized attention — and therefore better service than you would working with a conventional agent. Since about 90% of homebuyers search for homes via online real estate engines. Pickett Street uses this statistic to help you strategically list your home online using increments of $25,000 in order to maximize the potential buyers reached. Here’s how it works: if your home is worth roughly $500,000, most conventional agents would list it as $499,950 for no particular reason other than a vague hunch that the number 4 will prevent buyers from realizing the home costs about half a million dollars. This price, however, will only show up in online searches between $475,000 and $500,000. Conversely, a Pickett Street Agent would price the home at an even $500,000, ensuring that it appears in searches of $475,000 to $500,000, and in searches of $500,000 to $525,000, doubling the pool of potential buyers. In short, Pickett Street agents are committed to helping clients market their homes to the largest audience possible. That said, if you know your home is worth a price that doesn’t fall within neat $25,000 ranges — $510,000 instead of $500,000, for instance — Pickett Street will be sure to price the home at its maximum value.
For more information about Pickett Street’s pricing strategies, take a look at the following link: The Rule of 25’s
Cultivate Curb Appeal
One of the most important improvements for your home actually has little to do with the house itself. Instead, take a look at your yard. Is it cluttered with debris? Do you have a veritable jungle of weeds on your hands? Or, is your yard merely boring and uninteresting? If so, it might be a good idea to put on your gardening gloves and spruce up the front lawn. While many people probably dread yard work, you don’t need to have a green thumb to significantly improve your home’s curb appeal. If you’ve got weeds, spend a Saturday morning weeding. Try edging your lawn to give it a crisp, tidy appearance. Mow the grass, plant some flowers along the driveway, or, if you’re feeling a tad ambitious, spend an afternoon pressure washing your home’s facade.
The most important thing you should realize is that curb appeal is like a first impression; it’s the first thing people will see when viewing your home. All of the projects above can be completed in a day, or even in a couple of hours, and they’re going to go a long way in crafting an immaculate first impression. If gardening isn’t your forte, or if you simply don’t have time to devote to the yard, Pickett Street provides its clients with a list of qualified specialists who can take care of all your landscaping needs.
Tidy Up
It might seem like a no-brainer, but cleaning your home thoroughly is one of the most important ways to prepare if for the market. However, don’t feel like you have to strap on a Hazmat suit and spend days scrubbing every square inch. Like everything else on this list, the key is working smarter, not harder. Try dusting off tables, fans, and countertops. Wash your windows to give them an extra gleam. If you’ve got the time, hire someone to clean your carpet. If your kids are fond of leaving little heaps of toys in odd corners, clean them up. While cleaning, take the time to view your home from the eyes of a potential buyer. Be honest with yourself: while you might not mind that stain on the rug, a buyer probably will, so you’d better take the time to clean it up.
Odds and Ends
In addition to giving everything a general deep clean, it’s worth taking the time to add some finishing touches. Organize rooms into arrangements supporting community and conversation. Your living room, for instance, is going to seem a lot cozier if you’ve created special reading nooks, and your kitchen is going to appear much homier if you’ve got some rustic coffee mugs set out. Try setting a fresh newspaper next to your favorite armchair, or placing a vase of colorful flowers on a windowsill above the kitchen sink.
The general idea is to create a space that looks lived in without appearing disheveled. While you want things to be clean, you also want potential buyers to easily envision themselves living in your home, raising a family, establishing routines, etc. So while it’s important to tidy up, it’s also important to avoid cleaning so much that your home seems uncomfortably sterile. If you’re having trouble finding the right design for your home, Pickett Street offers its sellers a free consultation with interior designer Tara Buchanan from Tara Designs. An expert in Residential Design, Tara Buchanan can create the perfect layout for any seller’s home.
If you simply don’t have time to undertake necessary renovations before your home, Pickett Street will connect its clients with qualified specialists to manage repairs or remodels. That way, you can get ready for a sale without spending all your free time working on your home.
Source:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/trulia/2014/06/13/21-ways-to-prepare-your-home-for-selling/